RoguedexPart 1 (Sep 2023) · #14 of 14 in that tierWatch the moment (0:49:02)
Dungeonmans
- Developed by
- Adventurepro Games LLC
- Published by
- Adventurepro Games LLC
$14.99
Crush monsters and get loots in the classic turn-based style of deep dungeons and high adventure! Grow the Dungeonmans Academy, a bastion of learning that expands as you play. Serious gameplay with a light-hearted atmosphere, combining the feel of history's great RPGs and dice-slinging adventures around the tabletop.
Consensus
C69.8/100
Steam players90.9% positiveVery Positive1,234 reviews
Metacritic ↗Users: 6.5/10
VG Insights estimate ↗≈58K copies · ≈$594K gross
What creators say
Ranked Jul 2026 · #2 of 18 in that tierWatch the moment (0:26:17)
What players say
A turn-based, grid-based traditional roguelike from Adventurepro Games in which each dead hero feeds a persistent Dungeonmans Academy hub that strengthens future characters, wrapped in a light, joke-heavy fantasy tone.
Players rate it Very Positive on Steam (about 91% of roughly 1,230 reviews), and the recurring verdict is that it is an unusually welcoming traditional roguelike with real depth and a clever meta-progression loop. Critical coverage is thin: only two critic reviews sit on Metacritic (RPG Fan 85, Twinfinite 40), so no Metascore exists, and the six-rating user score of 6.5 is too small to mean much. It is not abandoned: it had a 2013 Kickstarter, Early Access, a full release in Dec 2014, and still draws praise for updates more than a decade later, including new classes and a daily challenge mentioned in 2026 reviews. The player base is now small (a few concurrent users per Steam data, and one reviewer jokes that only a handful of players remain) and the game is Windows-only. Criticism centers on tiny UI text, clunky inventory and controls, divisive humor, and difficulty spikes around the early-to-mid game.
Players love
- Academy meta-progression: fallen heroes leave gear, experience and deeds that permanently upgrade the hub, so every death still feels like progress
- Unusually accessible for a traditional roguelike while keeping permadeath and tactical depth, praised by both newcomers and genre veterans
- Flexible mastery/skill system that lets you mix skills across classes, with special Master's Programs for effective combinations and lots of fun build experiments
- Humor and personality: silly names, corny jokes, enemy sound barks, battle poultry; many reviewers say it never takes itself too seriously
- Large open, persistent world with many monsters, dungeon and battlefield types and hidden discoveries (Steam lists 75+ abilities, 50+ enemy types, 12 dungeon types)
- Soundtrack and charming sprite art, with RPG Fan singling out the PS1-era Final Fantasy-style music
- Long-running developer support: multiple reviewers credit patches, new content and responsive bug fixing over 12+ years
- Strong long-term hook: reviewers with 100-270 hours describe a 'one more dungeon' pull and a game that keeps getting better with updates
Common complaints
- Tiny, unscalable UI text at 1080p and above; the most upvoted negative Steam review is about unreadable fonts
- Clunky controls and inventory: delayed ability firing in a turn-based game, hard-to-find potions, a small scroll button on the quick bar with a hotkey clashing with a system key
- Bugs noted in reviews: targeting cursor problems, map generation issues, inaccessible graves (RPG Fan), and misbehavior when alt-tabbing (Steam review)
- Twinfinite scored it 40, calling gameplay stiff with unintuitive controls
- Difficulty spikes: bosses in the second dungeon and around character level 10 can one-shot players, and triple-stacked tigers became a well-known killer
- Windows only (no Mac or Linux) per the Steam store data
- Name and naming quirks, such as no duplicate character names and no random name option
- Some reviewers say builds are unbalanced toward ranged combat and that replayability trails other roguelikes
Can feel tedious
- Pre-mid-game stretches can feel repetitive, with one reviewer finding early game slow before it opens up
- Academy progress is tied to dying, which some players find forced and others find it makes losses feel like a chore
- Over-the-top humor and forced jokes grate on some players to the point of killing motivation
- Being one-shotted by bosses or special enemies after long runs feels unfair to some players
- Finding the right item in a clumsy inventory takes time mid-fight
- A gold-statue gambling mechanic was heavily nerfed, which annoyed players who enjoyed the risk and whose characters were wiped by its punishment
What's unique
- The Academy hub is a persistent, growing base that turns every death into long-term progression instead of a pure reset
- Dead heroes leave graves, loot and deeds for successors, and legendary heroes can eventually train later characters
- Lighthearted, tabletop-RPG tone that deliberately lowers the intimidation of the traditional roguelike genre
- Multi-mastery characters rather than fixed classes, so you can build combinations like a necro-archer
- Whimsical extras such as battle poultry and a daily challenge that doesn't add to your graveyard
- Open overworld with wilderness zones, ruined strongholds and places of power alongside dungeons
Players want
- Scalable UI and larger fonts
- Better inventory handling and quick-access bar, with more forgiving controls so abilities cannot misfire a turn later
- More build variety, more passive skills and deeper skill trees; some builds are clearly stronger than others
- Clearer feedback on what upgrading each Academy room actually gives you, since some rooms feel cosmetic or one-time
- More crafting, alchemy and enchanting options beyond NPC services
- More end-game content, requested in Steam community threads; also Steam Deck camera pan/zoom and control improvements
Summarised from Steam reviews and community discussion.
Steam tags
Traditional RoguelikeRogue-likeGrid-Based MovementRPGIndieTurn-BasedStrategyAdventureLootDungeon Crawler
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Tier list Part 1 (2023)
Dungeonmans is a turn-based, top-down roguelike where you explore areas and unlock different abilities. PepperHead admits he did not play it much; it felt overwhelming on first try and he never fully got into it. The minimalistic, older look put him off, and he found there was a lot to manage and keep track of. He might return to it someday but has more fun with other games in the genre, so it lands in low C.
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