Neverlooted Dungeon - a physics-focused dungeon crawler RPG

[LESS T_T]

https://www.wildmagegames.com/almost-epic-adventures-neverlooted-dungeon/

Spoiler

I was put off by the flat-shaded graphics, but gameplay looks rather interesting.

Almost Epic Adventures: Neverlooted Dungeon, first-person dungeon exploration game, focused on physics and devious traps. Made by one man French indie dev:

STORY
Live the Almost Epic Adventures™ of a mighty adventurer who has just purchased the map of a mysterious dungeon from a shifty old man in a tavern. "It is said that the dungeon contains a legendary treasure, that has never been looted. Try your luck now, extraordinary wealth and eternal glory await you!". However, you feel like something is wrong since you entered the dungeon, and there may be a good reason why no one ever returned.

ABOUT
Almost Epic Adventures™: Neverlooted Dungeon is an adventure-exploration game with a unique and tense gameplay based on defeating hidden treacherous traps. Explore a massive dungeon filled with a wide variety of traps, that will keep surprising you throughout your descent into its depths. Meticulously placed by a deceitful dungeon master, they await imprudent adventurers. To survive, you better be careful about what you see, what you hear, what you touch, where you step, what you open, and even what you loot...

With its physics-based traps and interactions, the game offers an immersive gameplay where your creativity will be rewarded. Whether you are a careful explorer, an outstanding acrobat, a clever adventurer, find your own way to progress and overcome the dangers. Throw an object to trigger a trap from a distance, block its movement with an obstacle, make a very risky jump, and much more, it's up to you.

KEY FEATURES

• Unique and tense exploration game focused on avoiding hidden treacherous traps.
  
• Physics-based interactions and traps. Find your own way to overcome the dangers.
  
• Dying is not the end. Restart the level, loot your corpse, try to progress even further.
  
• Great variety of levels containing unique traps and triggers.
  
• Satirical dark fantasy world filled with humor.
  
• Tons of secrets to discover, tons of treasures to loot!

About Wild Mage Games
Wild Mage Games is an indie one man studio, crafting fantasy adventure games with love and against all odds since 2015. The studio was founded by “PhD gone Indie” Arnaud EMILIEN, to develop first person adventure games for PC, inspired by PC golden age games like Deus Ex, Thief: The Dark Project, Ultima Underworld, and by Dungeons&Dragons pen and paper RPG.

Streamlined and comedic version of Monomyth? (RatTower) Or Maybe Underworld Ascendant that actually works.

 

[Curratum]

That looks like a 2.50 EUR game if I ever saw one.

 

[Zombra]

A first-person dungeon crawler, not an RPG because there are no classes, stats, or levelling; you're just a first person dood picking up tools and weapons and using them in a physics-based environment.

I played some of the demo for this and had a good time. The (one-man) developer ir0n is a cool person and very open to discussing the game on the Wild Mage Games discord. For example, I was annoyed that in the demo, brushing against a spike for a trap that had already been sprung meant instant death; he took the feedback on board and talked a bit about his decision making process. (It's not going to stay like that!) As LESS T_T observed, it is a little like if Underworld Ascendant wasn't a horrible buggy mess, but obviously with a much narrower scope. I discussed with ir0n that I had found a solution for a trap he hadn't planned for and should be rewarded; he countered with how he thinks it should be solved. So I don't know if lots of solutions for things will be supported.

But still, it's fun and the guy is cool so you should all try the demo and support the project.

 

[LESS T_T]

Finished the demo. It is a nice little game indeed. I salute how the developer put efforts into physicality and analog-ness, and didn't make a glitch fest. From subtle ways of interactions, movements (usual im-sim things like vaulting, leaning with forward one), and of course the traps. Using the bodies (also physical) of my previous lives to avoid trap was... interesting. And after manually moving thing around it was joy wielding the levitation staff (well, until it expires and is broken into pieces).

I'm still not fond of the visual though. It's not just about the style, also about visual cues for level design. While I understand the scope and that it would be hard to do pretty things up when you're decided to make almost everything physical, I'd imagine there must be ways to break thing up from blocky hallways and monotone bricks.

 

[Siveon]

This game has the right idea about dungeon crawling. Throwing rocks down long tunnels to search for traps, climbing on top of boxes to avoid a treasure trap, it's great.

It does feel like an obstacle course, but, that's clearly intentional. And I'm okay with that gimmick, since I'd rather dungeons be obstacle courses sometimes over the common meat grinder.

 

[Mortmal]

Sounds cool but that game should be ported to VR i can see its true potential there.The visuals and graphics are even possible on a quest 2 i bet.

 

[irnnn]

Hey, thanks a lot LESS T_T for posting a link to my game here!
I am glad to see that some people tried and liked the demo.

So yes it is not a pure RPG if you consider player levels and stats, it's an adventure game with RPG elements (progression of equipment and tools)

I discussed with ir0n that I had found a solution for a trap he hadn't planned for and should be rewarded; he countered with how he thinks it should be solved. So I don't know if lots of solutions for things will be supported.

I think I failed to clearly explain what I meant. Of course I want to support and encourage a lot of solutions from players, especially creative ones and some I did not think about. For that particular trap, I designed it as opening it from behind was obvious and not a solution, but part of being trapped in the middle of spikes. But I know this trap is imperfect and I am working on it, it is just that opening it from behind was also part of the trap. I am still working on the spikes damage sensitivity though.

I'd imagine there must be ways to break thing up from blocky hallways and monotone bricks.

Yeah, the first levels are a bit "Grimrock"-like. The next ones have more variations and are less blocky, and I am working on it.

That looks like a 2.50 EUR game if I ever saw one.

I am sorry you dislike the visuals. I wanted a simple and stylized style, with simplified yet detailed geometry and dynamic lighting, to match the gameplay (looking for trap clues in a very detailed style is impossible), but also to match my resources as a solo indie dev.

It does feel like an obstacle course, but, that's clearly intentional.

The first levels of the demo are indeed pretty linear, this changes rapidly after when you explore other types of environments.

Sounds cool but that game should be ported to VR i can see its true potential there.

I agree. The first release will not be for VR, but depending on the release it is something I will seriously look at.

Do not hesitate to try the demo, it's still available on Steam for a few days!
Give it a chance even if you think it's ugly, and when you play I am sure you will realize it's in fact rather nice-looking and the gameplay really fun.
> https://store.steampowered.com/app/1171980/Almost_Epic_Adventures_Neverlooted_Dungeon/

 

[Zombra]

I am sorry you dislike the visuals. I wanted a simple and stylized style, with simplified yet detailed geometry and dynamic lighting, to match the gameplay, but also to match my resources as a solo indie dev.

Not everyone dislikes the visuals, by the way. I very much appreciate the strong and simple style. It reinforces the "game show" atmosphere without being downright cartoonish, and communicates elements very well. Don't go changin'.

 

[Stormcrowfleet]

irnnn I was pleasantly surprised by the game. Wishlisted.

Are you guys french btw?

My only suggestion would be to have some kind of light always accessible when you respawn. I know resources are important in the game and all, but I did find myself without any possible light because I had tried too many times to do something which wasn't supposed to be done and unable to get back my body and resources.

 

[Zombra]

My only suggestion would be to have some kind of light always accessible when you respawn. I know resources are important in the game and all, but I did find myself without any possible light because I had tried too many times to do something which wasn't supposed to be done and unable to get back my body and resources.

I meant to say something about this on the discord. Weapons and tools come and go, but a struggling player shouldn't have their ability to see taken away. I became anxious when I realized that failing a challenge meant reducing my basic ability to interact. I hated those crappy little candles.

It's good of course to have a strong motivation to not fuck up, but this is the kind of thing that might make me hesitate to play the game at all - if I don't play, I can't fuck up and have the game taken away from me. That's the extreme version of the response, but a low key version of that feeling is there.

 

[Stormcrowfleet]

My only suggestion would be to have some kind of light always accessible when you respawn. I know resources are important in the game and all, but I did find myself without any possible light because I had tried too many times to do something which wasn't supposed to be done and unable to get back my body and resources.

I meant to say something about this on the discord. Weapons and tools come and go, but a struggling player shouldn't have their ability to see taken away. I became anxious when I realized that failing a challenge meant reducing my basic ability to interact. I hated those crappy little candles.

It's good of course to have a strong motivation to not fuck up, but this is the kind of thing that might make me hesitate to play the game at all - if I don't play, I can't fuck up and have the game taken away from me. That's the extreme version of the response, but a low key version of that feeling is there.

Yeah handing out a club and a candle isn't something that will drastically alter the difficulty of the game, but at least lower-skill player and people fucking around won't be put into a failure state.

 

[deama]

Definitely would be great in VR, but don't break your back over it, you can take a few several years.

 

[irnnn]

irnnn I was pleasantly surprised by the game. Wishlisted.
Are you guys french btw?

Thanks! And yes, I am french.

My only suggestion would be to have some kind of light always accessible when you respawn.

I agree with all of you about the candles, there is something to improve with the management of light sources. I currently thought there would be enough candles in the levels for all cases but it appears that in some situations you can run out of them.
I think I will at least add an infinite light source near every checkpoint so you can always have one, even if it is just a candle.
Candlesticks are rare but this is because they are supposed to be bought on the shop, and managing good light sources was part of the difficulty.
With the shop removed from the demo it can feel unfair, and this is maybe too early in the game to add that difficulty, or this should only be in hard mode.

I hated those crappy little candles.

Haha, sorry, they may need to be slightly tweaked ^^


Do not hesitate if you have more feedback.

 

[Mortmal]

Definitely would be great in VR, but don't break your back over it, you can take a few several years.

No, he should break his back on this, there's a push in vr headsets, Quest 2 release made half life alyx top seller again. On my rig the unlooted dungeon run at 400 fps on average , so its likely portable on everything. This is the best opportunity right now, that thing will be the new wii at christmas. Also send your game to popular streamers, that's how indie stuff like amongst us get ultra popular .

 

[deama]

Definitely would be great in VR, but don't break your back over it, you can take a few several years.

No, he should break his back on this, there's a push in vr headsets, Quest 2 release made half life alyx top seller again. On my rig the unlooted dungeon run at 400 fps on average , so its likely portable on everything. This is the best opportunity right now, that thing will be the new wii at christmas. Also send your game to popular streamers, that's how indie stuff like amongst us get ultra popular .

Oh, I didn't realize it ran that well, I thought it'd be pushing 60fps with a 1080.

 

[Siveon]

Definitely would be great in VR, but don't break your back over it, you can take a few several years.

No, he should break his back on this, there's a push in vr headsets, Quest 2 release made half life alyx top seller again. On my rig the unlooted dungeon run at 400 fps on average , so its likely portable on everything. This is the best opportunity right now, that thing will be the new wii at christmas. Also send your game to popular streamers, that's how indie stuff like amongst us get ultra popular .

The level design thus far favors VR, but if the linearity does open to more Thief like levels... all the better I'd say. I don't think many VR games have big exploration in them.

While I'll be playing this traditionally, I can imagine this doing very well in that medium.

 

[LESS T_T]

Devlogs from earlier this year.

February devlog talks about feedback from demo, improving graphics, decision to include some monsters and combat, https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1171980/view/3041588241743455572

June devlog talks about progress on monster/combat development and art style improvments, kicking the most immersive action in imsim history, and release roadmap (aiming for this year): https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1171980/view/3043850633883339558

June 2021 Devlog
Hello everyone, here is the news from the front!

The last few months have been very productive, the development of Neverlooted Dungeon has progressed well. The new features are complete and integrated into the game, and bring the hoped-for richness to the gameplay. Let's see all of this in detail.


Monsters

Still at the prototype stage during the last devlog in February, they are now complete and integrated into the game. From now on, beware of the lurking monsters when exploring the dungeon.

There are several types of monsters, each with their own ambush specialty, to better surprise you. I won't reveal them all so as not to spoil the surprise, but here is at least one: the giant rat, a monster essential to any self-respecting dungeon.

The most interesting thing about these monsters are the new game possibilities and situations they bring, thanks to their interaction with all the other game systems, especially with traps and physics. Your sword is broken, are you running low on health? There are many ways to get rid of these monsters ...

Fights

The goal of adding these monsters is not so much to add combat like in all classic RPGs, but above all to add a different type of trap, the living traps, where the monsters wait in various types of ambush.

This did not prevent me from further improving the weapon and combat system to make them interesting, in the event that a fight takes place with one or more monsters.

The combat has therefore been reworked. It is based on dodging and endurance management, while remaining very dynamic. The different types of weapons have been enhanced, each with their own advantages and disadvantages.

Kicking

Kicking, a feature that I wanted to do for a while and that I finally took the time to do, and pretty quickly too! Now that it's in the game, I wonder how the game could have been released without it. For a game where all of the gameplay is physics-based, being able to kick things is a must have. It is therefore a new way to interact (violently) with the world, in particular to push obstacles, open doors, or push monsters into holes.

Style

I finished reworking the graphic style of the game, in particular by completely redoing all the textures of the floors and walls. I also reworked the lights and colors. I must say that I am very satisfied with the result. When I compare the current game with its previous versions, I'm glad I did, as the graphic and artistic improvement is important.

Dynamic music

The game's composer, Alexandre Sciré, continues to create great ambience tracks for Neverlooted Dungeon for exploring the dungeon. I made him a rather particular and difficult request on these tracks. The idea is to have dynamic music, using tracks played on several layers, with their intensity depending on the location and the context.

For example, a basic track sets the mood, a little melody is added when you are near a campfire, a dramatic track is played in particularly deadly places. The changes in the game are very subtle, but they help to subconsciously reinforce the tension or on the contrary to release it, to avoid monotony and to make the experience even more intense. And you, did you notice these changes while playing the demo?




Demo and playtests

Thanks to everyone who tried out the new private demo which featured monsters, combat, and kick. Thanks to the feedback I continue to improve the game in its entirety.

The next public version of the demo should be released soon. I still have to decide on its content, because the first level alone seems a bit short to me, but the first two levels seem a bit long for a demo.

In the meantime, if you are interested in testing the latest alpha versions of the game, do not hesitate, join the discord and join the playtesters!






Roadmap

In the last few months, an important step has been taken, I find that the game has finally reached its maturity in gameplay, narrative, visual and audio. My efforts having been mainly focused on the first levels, especially those of the demo, I now have to rework the rest of the game to offer a rich and interesting experience on all levels. A first full alpha release should go to testing in a few weeks, and I'll be working hard to get the game released before the end of the year.

See you soon,

Arnaud.

 

[irnnn]

Thanks LESS T_T for this thread necromancy

I was waiting for the new illustration of the game to be completed before trying to be a necromancer myself.
The new illustration is still in progress, but you can already see the updated trailer on steam, that includes the improved style and new features.

Also, there will soon be a new demo on steam and itch, and for very motivated people the closed alpha that will start soon (join the discord to be part of it).

 

[Infinitron]

Seems this was rebranded as an RPG back in December (probably).

 

[lukaszek]

just came under my radar? can demo be snatched from anywhere at this point?

 

[irnnn]

just came under my radar? can demo be snatched from anywhere at this point?

Yes, demo keys can be grabbed by anyone on the discord. The demo will be public again in a few weeks.
And anyone here that want a key but not join the discord just ask and I will send you a demo key.
(lukaszek, I am sending you a key by PM)

 

[lukaszek]

its good.

some points:
- toppled torch holder on a bridge - it didnt catch fire. Later on I found out that nothing can catch fire... and I really wanted to torch levels! In general its never clear to me which objects can be broken and which cant
- whats the difference between kicking breakable object and bashing it with mace? Was able to force open door with heavy obstacle behind with a kick - nice touch
- i dont know how to interact with a ladder to go down
- I love how traps are not in vacuum. Hate how I always find trapdoor by finding exploring pit first, only to forget about it and fall into it later. Thats all on me, any chance for newbie checkbox option to mark those? Perhaps allow me to throw rocks from below to release the plate?
- exploration reward sound gave me heart attack few times
- secrets in latrine are always welcome
- is it rpg though?
- is walking sound not implemented? Managed to get behind a rat while walking normally with a torch...

 

[irnnn]

Hey, thanks for playing and for your feedback

its good.

some points:
- toppled torch holder on a bridge - it didnt catch fire. Later on I found out that nothing can catch fire... and I really wanted to torch levels! In general its never clear to me which objects can be broken and which cant

Fire implementation is something that I could implement at the end of the dev but I am still unsure about it, because it can lead to very complex situations and gamedesign headache. I do not want that the whole level take fire like in Underworld Ascendant, because it only creates severe lag and I do not find it very fun. Setting fire to obstacles like doors could be a solution to open them but it could become a dominant strategy and break all the balance of the game.

- whats the difference between kicking breakable object and bashing it with mace? Was able to force open door with heavy obstacle behind with a kick - nice touch

There is no difference, but kicking add more physics force and do less damage, a mace do a lot of damages but don't add a lot of force.

- i dont know how to interact with a ladder to go down

Walk and look down. I will look how to improve the tutorial text.

- I love how traps are not in vacuum. Hate how I always find trapdoor by finding exploring pit first, only to forget about it and fall into it later. Thats all on me, any chance for newbie checkbox option to mark those? Perhaps allow me to throw rocks from below to release the plate?

You can ! If you through something from below, like a stone, the trap will open. So it's also an alternative path on some levels.

- exploration reward sound gave me heart attack few times

Sorry ^^

- secrets in latrine are always welcome

- is it rpg though?

I think it is. It has exploration, combat, dialogs, choices, inventory, your character gains new abilities from its new magic stuff. Only thing it doesn't have "experience points and levels" but a lot of games considered as RPGs do not have character levels (like Zelda).

- is walking sound not implemented? Managed to get behind a rat while walking normally with a torch...

I currently disabled most stealth mechanics I first implemented to simplify the npc detection system, and noise system is currently disabled. The rat you mention was probably eating the adventurer corpse, so it is considered "distracted", and it has a very small detection range, it mainly see in front of him, to favor "sneak" attacks from behind.
Most monsters are "ambushed" and there is currently very few situation where a whole stealth system could be interesting, so I would not want to add a huge complex feature for only a few situations.
As for the fire system, I will see in the final phase of the dev if it brings enough interest to be put back.

 

[lukaszek]

Walk and look down. I will look how to improve the tutorial text.

Thats what I tried but didnt work. In the end always resulted with me falling down. Im used to games showing that you 'lock on' ladder - usually at that point your character turns 180 towards the ladder

There was also weird case with double trapdoor path. Few times I tried landing in between and stop, then for whatever reason I couldnt execute 2nd jump. However if I went to jump twice without stopping, it was all fine. This one had me scratch my head a bit

As for the fire system, I will see in the final phase of the dev if it brings enough interest to be put back.

its not like its required. Its more about showing player that you can topple stuff, then there is this shiny torch stand and flamable bridge...

 

[lukaszek]

You can ! If you through something from below, like a stone, the trap will open. So it's also an alternative path on some levels.

had to check this again, you were right. Not sure what did I do wrong last time
Was also able to test pressure plates with spear, very nice.

Speaking of spear: that rat behind the bars encounter - I kept hitting bars more than rat. Also If I stood too close rat would hit me without issues. Perhaps spear trajectory isnt properly aligned with crosshair?

Walk and look down. I will look how to improve the tutorial text.

Thats what I tried but didnt work. In the end always resulted with me falling down. Im used to games showing that you 'lock on' ladder - usually at that point your character turns 180 towards the ladder

Im happy to report that I managed to walk down the ladder.
It appears that you must be looking all the way down, -90deg. Otherwise you will fall.
Its never clear when exactly are you counted as on the ladder. Only fool proof method I found was to walk backwards while looking down and every step move forward to see if you go down or not.
Whole thing I find clunky


anyway, I want more