Dungeons of Hinterberg

10/10 — Went to Hinterberg for the dungeons, stayed for the vibes. Came for the puzzles, stayed because apparently I now need to 100% every single thing this game has to offer. The dungeons are genuinely fun, the puzzles are clever without making me question my life choices, and the whole game has this ridiculously cozy atmosphere. Exploring, solving puzzles, beating monsters, hanging out in town, upgrading gear... somehow it all just works. Also, shoutout to whoever decided that a game about dungeon crawling should be this relaxing. I should have been saving the world. Instead I was wandering around admiring the scenery like I was on holiday. Just finished 100% achievements and I'm now experiencing the traditional post-game condition known as: "Well... what am I supposed to play now?" Highly recommend if you like adventure games, puzzles, exploration, or simply being given a beautiful little world and an unreasonable number of reasons to poke around in it. Excellent game. No regrets.

Slayer by day, small town socialite by night. Dungeons of Hinterberg finds a lovely gameplay loop that works for some semi-cozy gaming. Drenched in Germanic myths and magical biomes, it tells a story that is at the same time rooted in reality and poses questions about tourism, authenticity and how you spend your precious time. It manages to do so with a chill vibe, strengthened by its cartoony looks and relaxing music. The dungeons reuse art props, but all have their own creative puzzle. Yet sometimes the puzzling feels a bit _too_ easy. Same goes for the combat: enjoyable, but slightly repetitive and in need of some more variations in its enemies. Then again, that might go against the more cozy nature of the game. On the completionist side: getting all achievements is relatively easy and doesn’t require starting the new game +! Played this game on Steamdeck and worked well, though performance in some locations took a hit out of nowhere.

This is the kind of game every indie studio wishes they made - the fights are entertaining, the puzzles add a bit of variety, and the townsfolk are enjoyable to befriend. Is it absolutely perfect? Of course not - the controls can be a tiny bit clunky at times, and some keybindings for 'standard' things aren't there (e.g. why does 'i' not open inventory??), but after ten minutes of playtime the annoyances basically disappear. Highly recommended - if "three-quarters Zelda and one-quarter just the relationship building from Stardew Valley" sounds appealing to you, play it.