KeeperFX retains Dungeon Keeper alive by making it truly playable

In an interview about The Making of Karateka, a beautiful interactive documentary and game-about-a-game, Chris Kohler of Digital Eclipse notes that, based mostly on the corporate’s information, individuals do not truly play the video games inside “classics” collections. Perhaps they spend 5 minutes inside a number of video games they bear in mind, however that is about it. Presenting traditional video games, precisely as they had been after they arrived, might be traditionally necessary however usually falls in need of actual engagement.

That is why it is a thrill to see (as first noticed by PC Gamer) a triumphant 1.0 launch from KeeperFX, an open supply “remake and fan enlargement” of Dungeon Keeper, the 1997 Bullfrog technique sport that had gamers tackle the opposite aspect of a dungeon crawl. The undertaking had already, over 15 years, carried the sport fairly far, giving it fashionable Home windows assist, hi-res assist, and a great deal of bugfixes and quality-of-life enhancements. Now, says the crew, all the unique code from the unique executable has been rewritten, liberating them as much as change no matter they need sooner or later. There might be greater than 2,048 “issues” on the map, maps can have greater than 85 sq. tiles, and scripting and mods can go a lot additional.

However take observe: “Possession of the unique sport remains to be and can at all times be required for copyright causes.” You’ll be able to, like I did earlier at present, rectify that with a $6 GOG buy, no less than whereas it is on sale at present. After downloading KeeperFX, you unpack it, run its launcher, level it to the place you’ve got put in the unique Dungeon Keeper, and launch it. And then you definitely get able to click on.

I distinctly bear in mind making an attempt to play Dungeon Keeper a number of years in the past after studying one retrospective or one other about the way it was, like many titles from Bullfrog and sport designer Peter Molyneux, massively influential on so many video games. I gave Dungeon Keeper greater than 5 minutes, however clicking time and again on sprites that appeared like graphical errors (whereas listening to audio samples from the Sound Blaster heyday) grew previous earlier than an hour was out. Computer systems had modified, I had modified, and I not felt like beating my head in opposition to a closely pixelated wall.

Loading up KeeperFX felt as an alternative like I used to be enjoying an homage to Dungeon Keeper in the very best sense. I guessed about half the sport’s shortcuts, may simply configure the remaining, and wasn’t stunned by how any button or keyboard click on responded. The artwork model was the identical, however on a 4K monitor, the sport wasn’t painful to take a look at, and it ran at a tempo that did not really feel like a retro race automotive. The first marketing campaign and its tutorials are nonetheless a bit opaque, however the sport feels smoothed out. The discharge notes for 1.0 and prior variations counsel a whole lot of little tweaks to each enemy and drone habits and maybe some extra truthful habits by the pc opponents. Nothing is spelled out, however not like my first foray, studying as I am going does not really feel fairly so cumbersome.

I solely meant to play one map of KeeperFX for the needs of this publish, however I ended up enjoying … a number of greater than that. Every stage within the major marketing campaign introduces a brand new mechanic, some new voiceovers, and a non-patronizing enhance in issue. That is along with the little jolts of nostalgia for that late-90s Bullfrog mixture of darkish humor, deep programs, and deeply rewarding technique challenges.

Present IP holder Digital Arts hasn’t accomplished a lot with Dungeon Keeper, moreover rework it right into a micro-transaction sinkhole so unhealthy that regulators demanded it cease calling itself “free to play.” Molyneux stated again in 2008 that, whereas he’d love an opportunity to take one other crack at Syndicate, Populous, or maybe Dungeon Keeper, he would not maintain his breath ready for EA to name. “I’ve acquired no qualms of someone else doing it,” Molyneux informed VideoGamer.com. “I would just like to see it up to date, the idea saved alive.”

KeeperFX, and tasks prefer it, are protecting foundational previous video games alive past merely shoving their code awkwardly ahead into our period. It deserves reward, possibly a couple of dollars, and as few roadblocks as doable to doing so.

Itemizing picture by KeeperFX