When you get right down to it, Dungeonmans is about stepping up to legions of terrible monsters and taking them apart. Shiny swords, explosions, magic tricks, arrows, whatever, just make sure when you’re done that all the baddies are separated into a smooth ankle-deep mush.

You’ve got the tools to do it. Dungeonmans lets you mix and match powers to create just the hero you want. How many times have you run in with your big sword, lucky to get in one or two swings before your wizard buddy in the robe and silly hat calls in snowstorms full of meteors made of bees and steals all the kills? No more of that. You’ll balance spell and steel, wear heavy armor while shooting a long bow, or maybe be full of sneaky tricks that get you in range to use that giant hammer you’re lugging around. Or maybe you just want to specialize? You go and become the best robe and silly hat wearer you can be, and leave the swords to the mooks on the stink end of your fireballs.

There’s plenty of gear just waiting to be recovered from the severed tentacles and headless lumps you leave in your wake. Weapons a-plenty: swords, axes, hammers, bows and arrows, spears, staves, all of varying quality and make. Walk out of the Academy with some raggedy boots and Yesterday’s Knife, strut back in with huge swords and glimmering shoulders that look like someone vajazzled a linebacker.

Don’t forget about the various other items of wonder. Bubbling fizzy potions, untested wands buzzing with power, and old scrolls scratched out by ancient demons with a D in handwriting. What they do is a mystery, a mystery you solve using knowledge and powerful research, or by crossing your fingers and chugging one of those potions down. Learn more about the mysterious items of the world, and stock up on the good ones for when things get really interesting.

Danger is everywhere in Dungeonmans, and once you’ve made your share of scrobold salsa you’ll be ready to take it to the Champions, serious monsters with powerful abilities and real trouble. Champs lurk everywhere you’ll find monsters, and are usually surrounded by lesser monster admirers, just waiting to be crushed. Did you do a good job lining up your powers and picking up loot? You’ll know one way or the other.

Sometimes the bad guys get the entrepreneurial spirit and form lairs of their very own. Maybe one of them got a lucky shot in on a Dungeonmans of yore and now is the big boss man of his own fancy dungeon. Use everything you’ve got! Set up a Decoymans to soak fire while you dash across the room unloading arrows. Hold up your shield and summon a whirling Coldnado before charging in to hack the opponent to bits. Tap into the Terrible Secrets of Necromansy and bring the once-crushed back into action, bravely holding the front line while you fling destruction from afar.

The boldest heroes often end up parked six feet under a heroic statue with a pithy quote. As the graveyard grows at the Dungeonmans Academy, your new heroes will graduate with some of the strength and knowledge passed down by those who crushed before them. You’ll find rare tomes of knowledge or arcane equipment that can be used to expand the academy and give newer students a leg up. If you’re lucky, you’ll discover entire new fields of study to expand the monster fighting power of all your heroes, each generation better than the last.

The world grows as you play, with each hero coming back stronger than the last, all of them working together to forge a legacy of heroic adventure. The dungeon layouts are always new and different, but the villains who need some payback remain. Did some bandit get the drop on Sir Hardfight VIII, ending his career far too soon? Well Sir Hardfight IX can saunter right in and earn bloody revenge, assuming he too doesn’t get added to the pile of victims.

Player built classes.

Ever changing encounters.

Generations of Heroes from the Dungeonmans Academy.

Piles of outrageous loot guarded by hungry, terrible monsters.

A sprawling world of adventure, with high mountaintop fortresses, deep cavernous dungeons, and all the locations in between.

Since the last dev update, work has indeed continued on the implementation of the power system. I had a bit of a eureka moment earlier in the week which required a touch of refactoring but will end up making it much easier to do more permanent area effects, like a lake of fire or teleportation wall. I’m excited to have more to show there.

Greenlight trucks along, and I’m always happy to see a new comment, even the critical ones. While I can’t get much use out of “This game is fail” there’s been plenty of comments that help me see places where the game, or more accurately the Greenlight presentation of the game, falls short. The game is ever improving behind the scenes, and I need to make sure to keep the Greenlight up to date.

In other news, the Dungeonmans Development Headquarters Castle is making a cross country move in a couple of weeks, so development is not quite running at full speed. Preparations for that take up some time; can’t really code while packing boxes and hauling things, but the tile like array of packed goods does inspire dungeon based thinking while working.

I’d like to show off a couple of screenshots in the mean time. Here’s a first pass at a new dungeon style, an underground labyrinth walled by stone etchings and ancient shapes. I’m worried that the floor doesn’t contrast enough with the walls and blocked areas, but we’ll see.

Here’s an example of one of the desert cities. Adobe style huts and waving trees line stone streets, leading the way to… a tremor wurm ranch? Who in their right mind would ranch tremor wurms? Soon we shall find out!



Finally, here’s a showcase of work from the most excellent Westly LaFleur, who has created a great number of the character sprites on display in the screenshots and Greenlight video. You can see a number of different character appearances, shapes, and sizes; some truly creative work that has tightened in focus over time to really bring home the heroic Dungeonmans style. Click on the image to see the rest of Westly’s portfolio!

This is where I recommend you stay tuned for next week’s exciting update, but it may actually just be pictures of boxes. Boxes full of loot!

Dungeonmans is a grand adventure filled with heroic monster crushing action! Primarily, it is a Roguelike, a genre of dungeon crawler with unique sensibilities:

* Randomly generated content: Dungeons that are different every time you play, mysterious unidentified items that you discover through trial and error, and constant surprises to keep you on your toes.

* Turn based action: Monsters only act after you do, giving the player time to evaluate every option between moves. Plan ahead, take careful stock of your abilities, and execute masterful moves that keep the monsters crushed and your hero alive.

* Permanent Death: Heroes have but one life to give! Death is final, there’s no respawning and no reloading. Danger lurks around every corner and the monsters play to win. Be careful, cautious, and on guard.

* Secrets everywhere: Roguelikes are notorious for hidden endings, special events, and secret knowledge. Dungeonmans is no different.

The Overworld

Dungeonmans takes place on a continent of forgotten legend, generated just for you at the start of your campaign. As you travel over forest and river, hill and dale, you’ll discover increasingly dangerous locales full of monsters and treasure. Small villages of courageous settlers trying to make their way in the wild, as well as strange native races to make contact with.

Adventure is wild and varied: sometimes you’ll set out with a destination in mind, only to discover something else along the way. Discover old hermits hiding in the woods, bold brigands demanding tribute on a road, and forgotten temples to ancient powers that may or may not still be present.

The Academy

Heroes begin their adventures at the Academy, which begins as a humble institution of learning but can grow and thrive according to your actions. You will discover old texts, artifacts, and other useful items that can be brought back to the academy to help it expand and deepen. When your hero dies, your next hero has the option of using this new knowledge, getting a head start in the world. Maybe you’ll have a couple of extra points in that Mastery you’re fond of, or advance knowledge of what potions do what. The Academy is the fount of all adventure, as well as the reminder of your great deeds.

The Campaign

When a hero dies, the world changes. First of all, the monster who landed the killing blow is hailed as a mighty hero, and founds himself a lair. All sorts of bad guys will flock to the banner of someone who felled a real Dungeonmans, so right away you’ve got a target on your Asses to Kick list. When your new hero steps forth, the dungeons of the world reset, but the townsfolk and other friendly people you’ve met will remember the impact of Dungeonmens past. The map you’ve made of the Overworld is passed down from hero to hero, so you can continue to explore. If you’re lucky, you may stumble upon the ghost of a felled Dungeonmans, and be given the chance to avenge him!

Free Form Class Creation

Starting Dungeonmens (and Lady Dungeonmens) leave the academy with their choice of starter training: small kits that give you the ground work for the way you want to fight. Maybe you took a major in Applied Wizardry, perhaps you studied Crushology or Combat Kinetics. Regardless, from the moment you step out, the rest is up to you. You can mix and match whatever powers you can find. Build a brawler with a bigass axe and a healthy knowledge of Cryoscience. Master the bow and arrow, with a little bit of Necromansy and Tricksonometry to keep the enemies busy while you feather them mercilessly. You can specialize deeply if you want, focusing on a specific set of powers and achieving true grand mastery. Your call, and you’ll have plenty of chances to try new builds as the Academy Memorial Graveyard continues to fill.

Heroic Combat

Combat in Dungeonmans is tactical and active. All different masteries give your Dungeonmans powers that change the battlefield. Mobility is important, and getting the drop on enemies matters just as much as getting out of trouble when you’re surrounded. In the beginning, it might be safe to just hang out in a doorway and clear monsters as they come by, but that won’t last for too long. Even melee characters have active abilities that go beyond the simple auto attack. Stay on your toes, line up perfect shots, and unleash tremendous damage with the end of a blade or a ball of raging foom.