What game has the best dungeons?

[pakoito]

After a really disappointing thread about coop-dungeoneering and a run of Enderal I am experiencing Dungeoneering Blue Balls. There are so few games that have dungeons designed the way a PnP TTRPG would have, with ecosystems, factions, exploration and puzzles. Most are focused around encounters, trash mobs, or would play like a boardgame.

Before I open felipepepe's book and start searching, I was wondering what game the Codex would recommend, either modern or classic.

is there any action or action RPG game that can give you the experience that you're exploring a dungeon, cooperating to solve puzzles and traps, discover secrets and has decent-to-good combat and itemisation? I don't care about story or simulation, just have some good environment design. I'm having trouble thinking just about single player games that are good at this, I cannot even think of online coop ones.

 

[Geckabor]

Icewind Dale sounds like a good fit, you can even play it with friends online via stuff like GameRanger.

 

[CryptRat]

Hired Guns has coop and good dungeons.

 

[MrMarbles]

Depends on whether your yardstick is production value or that more hard to define quality of making a lasting impression on the player.

For the first, I'd probably say Watcher's Keep in BG2 ToB. It still holds up as one of the most interesting and layered dungeons around. For the second, I'd say the Glow in Fallout 1. There is just something about the atmosphere of that place that sticks with you.

Edit: If all you are looking for is an endless coop dungeon crawl, then I agree with Geckabor that IWD is a good bet. I enjoyed playing through Grim Dawn coop, but that's moving over into arpg territory.

 

[Strange Fellow]

Do these have to be action RPGs as well? Because if not my nomination is Dark Heart of Uukrul, which has tremendous dungeons. If that's not the sort of thing you're looking for, Knights of the Chalice has cool dungeons with factions, exploration and puzzles in them (no idea what you mean by ecosystems).

Divinity: Original Sin would've been my suggestion for co-op if the action requirement weren't there.

 

[Butter]

If it has to be an action RPG, then Ultima Underworld or Arx Fatalis. Otherwise, Dark Heart of Uukrul, Grimoire, Wizardry 7.

 

[V_K]

Most games in the Dungeon Master lineage have great dungeons: DM and CSB themselves, The Summoning, Anvil of Dawn, Grimrock 2, to name a few highlights.
In turn-based games, D.W. Bradley's dungeons are hardly surpassed, but especially Wizards&Warriors has some of the best dungeons ever, combining everything you'd expect in a classic blobber with Daggerfall-style verticality and Ultima-style interactivity (which, unlike Ultima, features prominently in puzzles).
Speaking, of Daggerfall, it's main quest dungeons are pretty neat and sprawling AF - and even procedurally generated ones are a lot more exciting than you'd expect from procedurally generated dungeons (I'd recommend using DF Unity with smaller dungeons feature turned on though).
And speaking of procedural generation, Unexplored is a roguelite that uses some advanced algorithms and simulations to produce levels that are actually fun to explore, with puzzles, hazards, environmental interactions, monster ecosystems and multiple floor-spanning sidequests.
Finally, freeware games Dark Disciples 1&2 also have some great dungeons, made even better by there being lots of different paths through them.

 

[DaveO]

Perhaps Drakensang? It is action and RPG. Although I've heard of enemy exploits against you. It does have the advantage of not being well known.

Otherwise...


Realms of Arkania(not remake)

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Realms of Arkania HD

 

[octavius]

Chaos Strikes Back

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Perhaps Drakensang? It is action and RPG. Although I've heard of enemy exploits against you. It does have the advantage of not being well known.

Otherwise...

The original Drakensang has nothing noteworthy in its dungeons that I can recall.
pakoito you're better off giving Dungeons of Naheulbeuk a gander.

 

[Calthaer]

So...it has no traps or puzzles, but the most intense dungeon experience I can recall is the original EverQuest (currently embodied pretty well in Project 1999). You go into a set of crowded corridors and you and your team have to be on your game - there's danger all around. Crowd control is key...it's perilous and you could lose your stuff, so you have to pick the right party for the more dangerous places, of the right level, and of sufficient skill at their class. Have to have a plan of escape as well as a plan for how you're going to retrieve your corpse if you die. The co-op combat is pretty balanced if you pick the right spot and getting loot feels good.

Somehow the single player stuff never felt quite that intense - not as dangerous (you can just reload if you die), not as exciting. Even if you do have traps and stuff.

 

[Fluent]

this is an amateurish response i'm giving, so i apologize in advance, but Nethergate: Resurrection had a smashing opening dungeon. That leads me to believe Jeff Vogel crafted some nice dungeons in that game. The opening dungeon has a bit of everything - meaningful, hand-placed encounters, resource management to overcome the challenges, hidden loot and secret encounters, advanced encounters that are the toughest opponents there but guarding the best loot, and so on. I need to get back to that game sometime!

 

[wolfbane]

Might and Magic III: Isles of Terra

 

[J1M]

The first Legacy of Kain game, Blood Omen. The dungeons are extremely well designed. They put you in situations that expose a gap in your character's skillset. Then you earn a new item that fills that gap and are put in situations that are instructive on how to utilize that new tool. Unlike modern games that attempt this formula, the design does the work. There are no intrusive characters or messages telling you to press specific buttons.

For JRPGs the dungeons peaked with Lufia 2.

 

[laclongquan]

Might and Magic 8. it's built around dungeons~

 

[Pink Eye]

Ravenloft: Stone Prophet. Dungeons are way better than Strahd's Possession. Lots of puzzles and riddles to seek. It also helps they didn't flood every area with lame teleporters and spinners - I never want to see a spinner ever again!

 

[CryptRat]

 

[Comte]

I always thought Ultima Underworld 1 was a cool dungeon.

 

[Peachcurl]

Dungeon Keeper 1 and 2.

More seriously, I second Arx Fatalis.

 

[octavius]

Other than CSB my favourite dungeons are in
Dungeon Master
Wizardry 4
Dark Heart of Uukrul
Bard's Tale 2
Ultima Underworld
Might&Magic 6

Of these only UU feels "real" and not like something made by some diabolical dungeon designer.

 

[Sacibengala]

Let's not forget King's Field. Any of them. 3 (2 in the states) is the best one, though.

 

[gurugeorge]

Dungeons & Dragons Online has excellent dungeons, with puzzles and all sorts of shit. Not long, but nicely designed.

 

[Bad Sector]

There are so few games that have dungeons designed the way a PnP TTRPG would have, with ecosystems, factions, exploration and puzzles. Most are focused around encounters, trash mobs, or would play like a boardgame.

I wouldn't say it has anything like ecosystems and factions, but recently i played Wizards & Warriors which does have some good exploration (you can even place notes on the maps) and puzzles.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Dungeons & Dragons Online has excellent dungeons, with puzzles and all sorts of shit. Not long, but nicely designed.

The ravenloft content is good enough to compete with any of the best singleplayer cRPGs

plus the direct adaptations of pnp content