// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the data say about Dungeon Encounters? It had a cell-abration.
| Dungeon Encounters | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer | Cattle Call |
| Publisher | Square Enix |
| Director | Hiroyuki Ito |
| Producer | Hiroaki Kato |
| Designer | Hiroyuki Ito |
| Programmers |
|
| Writer | Hiroyuki Ito |
| Composer | Nobuo Uematsu |
| Platforms | |
| Release | November 14, 2021 |
| Genre | Role-playing |
| Mode | Single-player |
Dungeon Encounters is a 2021 role-playing video game developed by Square Enix and Cattle Call and published by Square Enix. It was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Windows.
Dungeon Encounters was the first game Hiroyuki Ito had directed in 14 years. The game has received positive reviews from critics for its gameplay.
Gameplay
[edit]Dungeon Encounters is a single-player role-playing video game with strategy and dungeon crawl elements.[1][2] The player controls a party of four members, and must venture through each of the 100-floor dungeon and reach the bottom level.[1][3] Before entering the dungeon, players can visit shops and purchase weapons, armor, and abilities.[1]
The game has minimalist presentation and gameplay, lacking proper visuals, story, and complicated systems like stamina or hunger. Instead, the dungeon is composed of the board game-like layout with squares and branching paths. Stepping on numbered squares triggers either an event or a battle.[2] White numbers represent a special encounter, providing character abilities, treasure chests, or an opportunity to heal the party. Black numbers represent enemy encounters, with player characters initiating battle.[1]
Battles are progressed through the Active Time Battle system. Each player or enemy unit has a meter that must fill to trigger their turn. In each turn, a unit can launch an attack with their equipped weapon or one of the party's abilities.[1] Each unit has a Physical and Magical Defense number, which are numerical soaks that prevent physical and magical damage. These must be fully exhausted before attacks can reduce the unit's health point, as even a single point remaining in the defense will block damage.[4]
Development and release
[edit]Dungeon Encounters was published by Square Enix and developed by Cattle Call, known for the Metal Max series and The Legend of Legacy.[2] The development team included several Final Fantasy veteran figures, such as director Hiroyuki Ito, producer Hiroaki Kato, character designer Ryoma Ito, and composer Nobuo Uematsu.[5]
Despite visual similarities, Ito and Kato denied that tabletop games were inspiration for the game. However, both developers agreed that tabletop games and Dungeon Encounters do share the universal fun of the role-playing games.[6]
Dungeon Encounters was first announced at Tokyo Game Show 2021, two weeks before its release date, 14 October 2021. It was released for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Microsoft Windows via Steam.[7]
Reception
[edit]| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | NS: 81/100[8] PC: 60/100[9] PS4: 82/100[10] |
Dungeon Encounters received "generally favorable reviews" for its PlayStation 4 and Switch versions, according to Metacritic.[10][8] The Windows version received "mixed or average reviews".[9]
Jenni Lada of Siliconera rated the Switch version 8/10 points, calling the game "made for the Switch" due to how it rewards the player for taking notes. Saying it was one of her best surprises of 2021, she commented that its looks were deceptive compared to how deep the game was and that she never had a short session.[11]
Roland Ingram of Nintendo Life rated the Switch version 8/10 stars, saying that it was more meaningful than other games despite its simple graphics. Calling it a "masterstroke of game design, character and narrative", he praised the game's storytelling, but criticized its music as repetitive, and the concept as not particularly novel.[12]
Adam Vitale of RPG Site rated the PC version 8/10 points, calling it "not for everyone" and criticizing its music as "squawky", but calling its design "tight-knit" and "well-crafted". He compared it to "a third-person Wizardry, only even simpler".[13]
Future
[edit]Kato said in an interview Dungeon Encounters is complete and there were no plans for any future updates, but he and Ito showed interest in producing a sequel.[14] Ito also considered releasing an easy version of the game, similar to Final Fantasy IV.[6]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 Shkreli, Paul (17 October 2021). "Dungeon Encounters Impression". RPGamer. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
- 1 2 3 Chiba, Yoshiki (2 October 2021). "Dungeon Encounters: Hands-On Preview - Tokyo Game Show 2021". IGN. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
- ↑ McWhertor, Michael (1 October 2021). "New dungeon crawler from Final Fantasy vets hopes you like grids". Polygon. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
- ↑ Wiltshire, Alex (14 January 2022). "Dungeon Encounters finds depth in stripping the JRPG down to its essentials". PC Gamer. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
- ↑ Vitale, Adam (1 October 2021). "Square Enix announces single-player dungeon exploration RPG Dungeon Encounters, set to release on October 14 for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC". RPG Site. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
- 1 2 Ronaghan, Neal (9 November 2021). "Talking Dungeon Encounters with Square Enix's Hiroyuki Ito and Hiroaki Kato". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
- ↑ Feit, Diamond (2 October 2021). "New Square Enix RPG Dungeon Encounters Revealed, Coming in Two Weeks - Tokyo Game Show 2021". IGN. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
- 1 2 "Dungeon Encounters for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2022-12-03. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
- 1 2 "Dungeon Encounters for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2022-11-02. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
- 1 2 "Dungeon Encounters for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2022-01-08. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
- ↑ Lada, Jenni (2021-10-21). "Review: Dungeon Encounters is Made for the Switch". Siliconera. Archived from the original on 2022-10-04. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
- ↑ Ingram, Roland (2021-10-25). "Review: Dungeon Encounters - Square Enix Strips Away RPG Finery To Expose The Meaty Bones Beneath". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 2022-08-01. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
- ↑ Vitale, Adam (2021-12-05). "Dungeon Encounters Review". RPG Site. Archived from the original on 2022-08-01. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
- ↑ Rods (18 January 2022). "Dungeon Encounters developer interview – from math riddles to player approval". Automaton. Retrieved 20 April 2026.