Dungeon Master
Reviewed by Amber
Dungeon Master was one of those games that defined a genre.
Originally released on the Amiga and IBM PC in the late 80's, it
then made its way to the Super NES. It is a first-person dungeon
crawl, in the spirit of The Bard's Tale, Arcana, and their ilk; but a
case could be made for it being the first first person shoot 'em up.
No, it doesn't have cool texture-mapped walls like Doom, it's strictly
square-by-square, 90 degree turns only. However, what made Dungeon
Master unique among its genre was that all action took place in real time.
You could see monsters coming in the distance, and hear them coming even
before that. If you made noise, they would hunt you down. For its time, it
was an experience like no other. But how did the Super NES version fare?
Graphics: 4 out of 5
Dungeon Master's graphics are drab, gray, and spooky. Exactly what you
would expect for a trip through a dark, dank dungeon. Detail is excellent,
with just about every wall and floor having a little bit of window dressing,
like a drainage grate here or a water fountain there. Monsters are creepy and
evil, and even though you can hear them coming, you -will- jump when one
pops out from around a corner.
Music and Sound: 4 out of 5
The sound is atmospheric and fits the mood well. Every monster has
distinct footsteps, shuffling, slithering, scuffling, or other noises to
let you know that they're getting close-- and they mean business. If you
have stereo speakers, you'll notice that you can actually even tell what
direction the monsters are lurking in. For the Super NES version, some music
at various intervals was added, a decision I have mixed feelings about. It
helps with the atmosphere, but it detracts from the character of the sound.
Game Challenge: 5 out of 5
Oh yes it's a challenge. Save often, because you -will- die. However, there's
no senseless, unavoidable death in this game-- once you learn the skills of
budgeting your resources and planing ahead, you should be able to make it
through. That in itself is a challenge, because there is always the drive
to explore, to push just that much deeper into the dungeon. It's a balancing act.
Game Play-Fun: 5 out of 5
Even in the era of texture-mapped 3D first person shooters, there's still
nothing quite like good old Dungeon Master. It has the high-suspense "don't
know what's around the next corner" exploration feel of Doom, while retaining
a lot of RPG elements, such as leveling up, having to find weapons and armor,
and managing magic spells.
Frustration
The main frustration in this game will come when you die and you know
that just a little more leveling up, a little more planning, and slightly
nicer weapons would have saved the day. Of course, then, the only
solution is to jump back in there and do it again! However, for those
who have played it on the Amiga or PC, there is another frustration-- the
Super NES. It's sluggish compared to a computer (even one from 1987!) and the
response shows this. The game just doesn't perform like the original.
Replayability: 4 out of 5
Once you've been through and seen the ending, that's pretty much it, right?
Well, no, not really. There are loads of secrets in Dungeon Master, everything
from secret items just beyond illusionary walls to to entire areas of the
dungeon that could be considered "optional" in getting through the game, but
are still great fun for exploring. It will take a long time, and several times
through, before you've found everything there is to find.
Response: 1 out of 5
It's sluggish. It's slow. This will frustrate you, especially since there is
supposedly a real time element to it. I'm not sure if this was just laziness
on the part of the game designers, or if this game really does push the Super NES
to its limits. Based on what I've seen the Super NES do, though, I'd have to guess
it was the first, unfortunately. It's sad, because were it not for this annoying
detail, this would be a great game.
Overall: 3 out of 5
Dungeon Master is a great port of the computer classic to the Super NES. It
suffers from some minor response details, but it's still quite fun. My
advice for those wishing to play this game would be to consider the
Super NES version as a sort of last resort, and to look first in used software
shops for the old PC version-- or even the Amiga, if you're lucky enough
to own one. Still, if you can't find it on the computer, the Super NES version is
a worthy heir to the Dungeon Master name.