If imitation is the best form of flattery, then Dungeons of Hinterberg is making a slew of video games blush. It takes a slice from The Legend of Zelda’s dungeon designs, a pinch from Persona’s “Social Link” system, and a dash from Okami’s visual aesthetic and combat encounters. Yet, even through all these blatantly apparent inspirations, Microbird Games has found a way to make their action-adventure RPG unique in its own right. Dungeons of Hinterberg is equally frantically addictive as it is serene and quiet, all the while telling an intriguing grander story about greed and corruption, and a more introspective one about purpose and the magic around us.
You play as Luisa, a law student stuck in a rut, who decides to take a vacation to the small town of Hinterberg located within the Austrian Alps. The town has attracted droves of tourists after portals to otherworldly dungeons and magical creatures began erecting around its outskirts. Hinterberg’s newly elected official, Mayor Wagner, has chosen to effectively commodify these dungeons with the hopes of putting Hinterberg on the map. What starts as a magical escape to a quaint town, getting acquainted with the townsfolk and letting off some steam slicing through hordes of monsters within these dungeons that are made to feel like theme park experiences, eventually turns to a more sinister story of corruption and overexploitation.
As soon as you arrive in Hinterberg, you’re greeted by a picturesque town that looks like something straight out of a Christmas postcard. The scenic Nordic vistas are brought to life with a striking visual design that melds the painterly water-coloured cell-shading of Okami with a distinct cross-hatching flair akin to that from a comic book. The result is an art design that should no doubt be in consideration for when award season comes about. Hinterberg itself, though small, is quite well-realized and charming. From the cobblestoned streets to the bustling alleyways that are filled with quirky shops and tourists, the town truly feels like the cozy getaway of your dreams. Unfortunately, the scarcity of available activities for you to do keeps it from feeling truly immersive.
Much like Atlas’ Persona games, Dungeons of Hinterberg separates itself into two sections: completing dungeons and deepening your connections with the town’s NPCs. Once you’ve gone through the frankly laborious and a tad hand-holdy tutorial, each day begins at a breakfast table in Theresa’s Inn. After a short conversation with one of the NPCs, most often Alex, the woman who helped you get your bearings upon arrival, you then must select one of four areas to travel to in the town’s outskirts. Each of these locations has a few things you can do, from talking to tourists that offer some hints about the area, to doing a reflective meditation session that increases your health to, of course, completing a dungeon. There are several dungeons to complete in each of these locations, with each having a difficulty level ranging from one (easiest) to nine (hardest). Magic being the driving force in this game means that the first thing you must do when entering one of these areas is visit its shrine–a massive magical orb that grants any who looks deep into it a pair of magical abilities that must be used to complete the dungeons.
Each of these outskirts has its unique pair of abilities, with you not being able to use them outside of the designated location. This means that the tornado ability you get in the lush forests of Hinterwald cannot be used in conjunction with the hoverboard in the icy glaciers of Kolmstein, and vice-versa. Though it would have been interesting to see how these abilities could have been used in creative ways across all locations, it does make each area distinct and allows for more focused dungeon designs. Speaking of which, the dungeons themselves are quite well done. There’s a nice balance between Zelda-like puzzles and Okami-like combat arenas, with some leaning toward one or the other.
Throughout the twenty-five puzzles, there were only a couple of times where I felt frustrated, with those times usually stemming from Luisa’s magic abilities not working as efficiently as I’d like. The puzzles themselves were neither too complicated, nor too simple, with their difficulty often appropriately correlating with the difficulty number of the dungeon. The only consistent pest during my time within these dungeons was any time platforming was involved. Whether it’s jumping, running, or climbing, Luisa feels far too stiff and a smidge too floaty to control. Her locomotion didn’t bother me too much during combat or regular traversal, but any time simple platforming was involved, it was a nuisance. Thankfully, platforming isn’t a key part of Dungeons of Hinterberg.
Microbird Games has done a nice job of sprinkling in some truly creative dungeon designs as well. While most flow from puzzle to puzzle, combat to combat, some play with perspective; going from the regular third-person view to either a side-scrolling or isometric one. Each dungeon also follows the visual aesthetic of the outside area, which compliments the overall art design nicely instead of feeling as if these dungeons were separate from the outside world. Where the dungeons do exist in a bit of a vacuum, however, is with the narrative. There’s mystery and intrigue surrounding the shady undergoings of Hinterberg, but this story only exists once you’ve completed your day and returned to town. It’s there where you can deepen your connections with other characters and are able to see some plot elements move forward. While in the dungeons themselves, however, you’re not given any more snippets of narrative through either character interactions or environmental storytelling. It was because of this siphoning of gameplay and narrative that had me oftentimes rushing through a dungeon to get back to town just so I could see some more of the story.
The plot itself, though thematically interesting, feels jagged in its presentation. For one, it takes far too long to actively get going and provide some genuine conflict, and that aforementioned siphoning of gameplay and narrative makes for an annoying stuttering in pace. That being said, the Persona-esque life sim aspect of every evening wherein you can spend time with characters does make up for some of those broader pace issues. Each NPC feels distinct, both visually and in terms of their characterization. They are each written well and have their own desires and conflicts, providing interesting conversations that touch upon an array of human struggles; from questioning one’s capabilities amidst the pressures of family to dealing with social media and online notoriety. They all bounce off of Luisa well and offer opportunities for us to get glimpses into her life as well.
Yet, for as decent as these character moments were, my interest remained in the broader themes that the story was tackling. Dungeons of Hinterberg tells a story of how capitalistic structures, formed by a corrupt mayor, can destroy the history and heart of a once beautiful town through the exploitation of resources (magic); using the town’s beauty to act as a veneer that conceals the corrupt practices of the officials running it. It’s a captivating premise, but one that isn’t explored as thoroughly or as actively throughout the game, which made for its ending, while still emotionally interesting, lack a certain well-rounded punch due to the plot not exploring these themes more effectively. Furthermore, there seems to be a lot of Nordic folklore surrounding the lore and enemy designs but none of that is touched upon in any meaningful way aside from one passing conversation with one of the townsfolk. Even an in-game compendium of sorts that acted as reading material would have gone a long way to illustrate the rich mythology that the game has taken inspiration from.
The core combat and upgrade mechanics of Dungeons of Hinterberg are a mish-mash of several other aRPGs we’ve seen in the past. Luisa is fitted with a primary melee weapon, some armour, and a small arsenal of magical abilities including the two that she receives for whichever location she’s currently fighting in. You also have charms that you can equip on both Luisa and her equipment that give you anything from increased physical damage to MP generation upon each enemy kill. All of these systems work as you’d expect, though do veer on the side of generic without anything feeling particularly unique to the game and its world. It would have been interesting if magic was somehow interwoven more meaningfully into the RPG mechanics, instead of feeling like so many other games of the same ilk. Like Okami, each combat encounter puts a magical barrier around you and the creatures, and will only disappear once you’ve taken care of all of them. Melee strikes are punchy and satisfying, though are simple in terms of their combos and don’t require much thought. You’ll need to rely on your magical conduits if you want to rid enemies quickly, and it’s here where the combat becomes a little more fun and robust. These abilities range from AOE attacks and traps to distractions that help separate enemy groups. There is an assortment of conduits you can either purchase or receive from levelling up your character connections, though you can only equip a maximum of three at a time. Having perks like conduits or an increased charm slot be attached to NPCs and your “bond level” with them is also a nice addition as it provides a gamified incentive beyond just the narrative, which itself would have been enough for me.
The combat is not without issues, however. Firstly, the framerate stutters for a split second nearly every time I had Luisa perform one of her AOE conduits, and at times struggles when there are multiple hordes of enemies on screen at once. The experience was never enough to hinder my playing, though I am more forgiving than some. Beyond that, the camera often finds a way to get behind a tree or some other environmental asset whenever I tried to make quick and precise camera movements to lock on to certain enemies. Once again, never enough to truly hamper the experience, but enough to be frustrating. I was impressed, however, with how balanced the difficulty and equipment progression felt throughout my twenty hours of play. I never once felt I was out of my depth, or coasting through a dungeon. Though I wished enemy designs varied a little more at later levels, or that there were a few more boss fights, I was continually impressed by how the game kept a near-perfect sense of balance as it pertained to difficulty. I only wish Luisa’s equipment upgrades also changed her appearance rather than just giving her superficial stat boosts.
Dungeons of Hinterberg falters to execute on some minor details and its broader narrative never coalesces with the gameplay. Its themes of corruption and resource exploitation are compelling but take too long to be explored and never go as deep as I would have liked. That being said, the sense of magic and wonder is never lost, especially in the hearts of the characters you befriend, which in essence is the real message of this game. Though some gameplay hiccups hinder its overall polish, this is a solid aRPG that takes inspiration from all the right places but still manages to feel unique. Dungeons of Hinterberg is an audiovisual treat whose residents are charming and filled with soul. The game’s dungeons are creatively designed and properly balanced, and its gameplay loop is incredibly addictive. If you’re looking for some magic and an escape to the mountainous countryside of Austria to slay some monsters and solve some puzzles, then this game is well worth your time.
Shaz played Dungeons of Hinterberg on Xbox Series S via Gamepass
