Dungeons Of Hinterberg Review

Has there ever been a time when you’ve questioned what exactly you’re doing in life and where you’re at? Maybe you’re just burnt out and need a change of scenery? Or perhaps you’ve thought about quitting your job, moving to a new country or city, taking a huge risk and a leap of faith? If you have, then Microbird’s action-RPG-puzzle-platformer Dungeons of the Hinterberg’s premise will likely resonate with you, and if it doesn’t, its eye-catching art style, contagious charm, and fun gameplay loop will certainly have you hooked.

Picture this: three years ago, 25 magical dungeons full of monsters and puzzles appeared in a fictional picturesque Austrian alpine village, turning the once quaint area into a tourist hotspot with people from all over the world visiting to escape the daily grind and slay monsters. That’s how the game’s protagonist Luisa came to be in Hinterberg – putting her life in Vienna as a junior lawyer on hold for an adventure to reinvigorate herself after career burnout. Thus beginning your ‘slaycation’, which will see Luisa explore Hinterberg, completing its dungeons, and making friends with the locals and other slayers along the way.

Welcome to Hinterberg!

On her first day and first dungeon, an earthquake rocks Hinterberg, and while Luisa makes it out alive, she’s knocked out and a bit shaken up when she comes to, leaving her to question whether coming to Hinterberg was the right decision. But after a conversation with Alex, a fellow slayer, she’s convinced to give it another go. The earthquake sparks rumours that all is not as peachy as it’s made out to be though, and that is the basis for the secondary narrative that evolves throughout your time in Hinterberg.

Each day begins with Luisa being visited by one of the townsfolk before heading off to tackle a dungeon in one of the four areas: Doberkogel (mountains and caves), Hinterwald (forest), Kolmstein (snow) and Brünnelsumpf (swamp). Each area is an open zone with several dungeons of varying difficulty spread throughout – some of the dungeons are easily accessible while others must be discovered by exploring and using each area’s unique magic skills.

Before we get into the nuts and bolts of the gameplay, let me wax lyrical about the game’s stunning art style, which uses a thin line cel-shading with bold and vibrant colours and a little bit of halftone for good measure. Its charm is infectious, and it all feeds into the fun and magical vibe that courses through the game’s DNA. Each of the four areas has a distinct colour palette fitting with the theme of the area – Hinterwald’s forests have a lot of amber colours, the swamps of Brünnelsumpf use a strong green palette, while Kolmstein is covered in off-white snow backed with a heavy presence of teal and purple that combines perfectly. All of this coalesces into one of the most beautiful games I’ve ever seen.

Each location has a beautifully distinct colour palette

All of this coalesces into one of the most beautiful games I’ve ever seen

Once Luisa has chosen her destination for the day, she’s able to explore her surroundings and engage in the town’s signature attraction. Combat encounters are mini arenas where Luisa must defeat several monsters before progressing. Armed with a sword, combat is mostly simple hack and slash mechanics, with Luisa having a quick attack and a heavy attack, as well as a dodge which has a stamina meter (allows for two dodges and three once upgraded). But spicing things up are the Attack Conduits, which are special attacks that Luisa can perform once acquired and equipped (you begin with two slots but can upgrade to three). My favourites were the Destructive Leap that knocked down and dealt damage to enemies within a certain radius, one that stripped enemies’ magic shield (think armour), and another that dealt damage to everyone in front of me. These all operate on cooldowns, so you need to use them wisely if you’re dealing with a large horde or multiple waves of enemies.

The neat thing about Luisa’s magic abilities is that they can be used in combat as well as for traversal. For example, in Hinterwald, Luisa has a tornado ability that allows her to reach high areas and avoid taking damage from thorns on the ground but the tornado can also inflict damage on enemies. In Brünnelsumpf, Luisa can summon a jelly block that can trap and freeze opponents but can also be used to reach higher areas, while in Kolmstein, Luisa has a magical hoverboard that acts like a snowboard (which is awesome to use) and can muster a light ray that acts as a laser to deal damage from range and cut weak areas in the environment. At first combat can seem a little basic, but combining all of these elements makes for a satisfying and interesting mix, even though the enemy types are heavily recycled.

All of Luisa’s gear can be upgraded by spending Hinterbucks at the right store, and Luisa can enhance her sword with enchantments for further boons in combat. Charms are another great feature that gives Luisa perks such as Attack Conduit, physical and magical damage increase, and shorter cooldowns. Initially Luisa has 12 charm slots, and each charm takes up a different number of slots, so at first you may only have room for three or four, but scratching someone’s back in Hinterberg will allow you to reduce the size of the charms, letting you equip more at once.

Turning enemies into jelly blocks is just as fun as it looks

At first combat can seem a little basic, but combining all of these elements makes for a satisfying and interesting mix

Reaching the end of a dungeon will require brains as well as brawn, and whether it is solving simple puzzles requiring levers to be hit or more involved ones with increasing and decreasing water levels, all of the puzzles smartly use Luisa’s magical abilities and never feel like padding. What makes it work well – like most of Hinterberg’s gameplay – is that the unique magic abilities allow for the puzzles to constantly feel different each time you go to one of the four regions, and when you think it’s starting to get similar, the game will often introduce something new or a new viewpoint, such as an isometric angle to keep it fresh.

After completing a dungeon, you’ll spend your evening in Hinterberg where you’re able to do some shopping, upgrade your gear, hang out with the locals and boost your relationships. Each of the characters you can befriend in Hinterberg have their own stories to tell and perks to give, and spending time with them will boost your four social stats: Amusement, Familiarity, Relaxation and Renown. These stats serve no real purpose other than gating a piece of gear’s full effectiveness and a character’s desire to hang out with you, so you do need to manage these somewhat, but it’s fairly easy to keep on top of or to catch up.

Hinterberg’s characters certainly do become friends with benefits, as each one provides Luisa with a perk when their relationship levels up. One of Travis’ perks (a disgruntled journalist) is unlocking Photo Mode, while the famous slayer Renaud will give you a combo counter. You can check your logbook to see who will give what, to make your decision on who to spend time with easier. Or maybe you want to go solo and catch a movie, relax at the spa or watch some TV (at the expense of your HP the next day). How Luisa spends her time is completely up to you and it was a nice change of pace to be able to end the day however I wanted to.

No bridge is too far for this slayer

The unique magic abilities allow for the puzzles to constantly feel different each time you go to one of the four regions

My only real gripe with the gameplay loop is that you don’t have the option to simply spend your day in Hinterberg, as you’re forced to go to one of the four areas every morning. Every now and then I would have preferred levelling up one of Luisa’s relationships and her stats or upgrading gear over completing a dungeon, however there are spots in each of the areas where you can spend the day chilling to boost your social stats if need be (mostly relaxation).

Final Thoughts

Video games are often used as a form of escapism, and Dungeons of Hinterberg is a great example of this, allowing players to explore and fight their way through a breathtakingly beautiful and magical alpine setting. Each element is simple in its design, but the most impressive thing about Microbird’s work is just how well it all works together to create a compelling experience. Everything feels carefully balanced as not to overshadow something else, and the result is a game that is well-paced and engaging until the end. 2024 has been a stellar year for indie titles and Dungeons of Hinterberg is up there with the best of them.

Reviewed on Xbox Series X // Review code supplied by publisher

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