The protagonist of Dungeons of Hinterberg is at a crossroads in her life. Feeling burnt out by her big city job, Luisa travels to the easygoing town of Hinterberg, Austria, to check out the sights, cut loose in the social scene, and try her hand at monster slaying to score some sweet loot. Dungeons of Hinterberg is what you get when you combine the cozy vibes of a Persona-style social-sim RPG with the sprawling adventure of The Legend of Zelda – and all wrapped in a charming package that strikes a chord for those longing for a break.
In my extended preview of developer Microbird Games’ action- RPG, I got to play the early hours of this oddball yet delightfully charming dungeon crawler that tasks you with making the most of your monster-filled vacation in the Austrian Alps.
When a mysterious magical force has turned the town of Hinterberg and the surrounding mountains into an actual high-fantasy realm filled with mythical monsters and dungeons, the small community becomes a tourist hot spot for thrill seekers and social media influencers. WhenFollowing Luisa’s first crack at a dungeon run leads to an unexpected boss battle with the mythical Krampus, she resolves to stick with her vacation and learn the ropes of being an adventurer and citizen of Hinterberg.
As Luisa, you spend your “slaycation” in Hinterberg getting to know the quirky residents and exploring the surrounding magical zones outside of town. Within a daily schedule, you have to manage Luisa’s time while out and about across Hinterberg – which includes getting some quality “me-time” by checking out points of interest while deciding on which dungeons or overworld activities to dive into. Along the way, you’ll upgrade Luisa’s skills in combat and exploration to make her a more capable adventurer and uncover what led to magic forces seeping into the real world.
What immediately jumped out to me was Dungeons of Hinterberg’s gorgeous visual style. The vibrant colors and stylized characters all come together to give off a warm and exciting vibe to the adventure. It’s very much giving a comic book-style aesthetic, and coupled with the cozy vibes and generally exciting exploration, it’s a unique take on a dungeon crawler that’s all about making the most of your time and enjoying yourself while doing it.
An average day for Luisa starts with catching up with friends to learn about current events in town before spending her afternoon exploring the magical wilderness of Hinterberg, which includes mountainside plains, dense forests, and other bizarre locales infused with magic. To cap off her day of adventuring, Luisa spends her evening bonding with one of the many characters in town, such as the owner of a spell shop or an aloof pop-culture journalist not impressed by the magical city, to earn an upgrade or stat bonus. You can turn in for the night or stay up late to watch TV or read a book, but at the cost of lower health for the following day.
On the surface, this seems like a strict structure that can put some pressure on your activities, but in practice, it works as an engaging game loop that keeps me focused on what sort of threads I want to follow. Dungeons of Hinterberg keeps a mellow pace even when you can only do a limited number of daily activities. Moreover, you can revisit social threads and check out areas you may have missed in the following days.
And even though it’s a dungeon crawler RPG – which carries some expectation of tension and challenge – Hinterberg maintains that “vacation” vibe throughout, especially when taking on the meat of the experience with the exploration and combat. The starting zone of Doberkogel is an excellent onboarding that shows off the scope on offer, and the inherent quirkiness of seeing a modern community trying to embrace magic.
As you explore the zones, you’ll be able to fight monsters in engagements that feel inspired by both Nier Automata and The Legend of Zelda, with Luisa being able to dodge attacks, counter with follows, and whip out some powerful spells or combat moves to take out her foes. However, it can be easy to wander into some fights that you’re completely outmatched for. While I sometimes felt the slowed pace and somewhat dodgy camera in action added some unintended challenges, I was impressed by how varied the battle mechanics were, and seeing Luisa dish out some truly stunning moves was particularly satisfying.
Luisa’s versatility also comes into play during the titular dungeons. With 25 bespoke dungeons to explore, each presents unique puzzles and combat encounters that lean into the zone-specific magical spells you’ll need to master. Some of these encounters involve some Legend of Zelda-style thinking to resolve, such as using magical bombs to blow up groups of enemies or open passages. It was super fun to see how each dungeon and set piece event felt unique, leaning into particular skill sets to make it to the end.
Dungeons of Hinterberg leans into its quirky setting, especially the cast of characters — many are either annoyed by the increased attention the town has received or welcome the opportunities the notoriety brings. One of my favorite moments saw the Mayor of Hinterberg tout the community’s popularity by announcing the filming of a new streaming series in town and unveiling a monster slayer-themed statue, which the residents quickly dunk on for looking ridiculous.
What makes Dungeons of Hinterberg such a neat take on a dungeon crawler is that it not only shows a self-awareness of the type of game it is, but it uses that conceit to focus on building up Luisa and her friends within Hinterberg. Exploring the town is an enjoyable and intriguing activity, as the community has so much personality. I often walked around just to hear some of the quirky dialog and see the sights.
It’s such a fresh take on a dungeon crawler, and the experience of embracing new horizons in an unfamiliar yet still inviting setting and the friends you make along the way make this such a novel take on a familiar conceit. From my early hours, Dungeons of Hinterberg and its laid-back approach to an action RPG show some great promise, and it could end up being a pleasant surprise for those looking for a decidedly new type of dungeon crawler to dive into.
