It’s time to do battle with the Dungeons of Hinterberg achievements, as the monster-slaying, magic-wielding, relationship-building, puzzle-solving action RPG is out on Xbox Game Pass today. This one has been one of our most intriguing upcoming Game Pass games and, as one of the only upcoming Xbox exclusives with a confirmed 2024 release date, has been high on our radar. Thanks to Curve Games and Microbird Games, I’ve had the chance to get started early. I’m loving Dungeons of Hinterberg so far — read on for our full Dungeons of Hinterberg first impressions piece to find out why!In Dungeons of Hinterberg, we play as Luisa, who feels stuck in her life as a law trainee and comes to Hinterberg for a break and a complete change. Hinterberg, already a gorgeous town in the Alps, is now a different place entirely: a worldwide sensation thanks to the magical monster-filled dungeons which popped up a few years before Luisa arrives. These are quickly capitalized on as a mega tourist attraction, and soon people from all over arrive to take them on. It feels weird at first, that everybody’s so happy-go-lucky about the sudden appearance of magic in an otherwise normal world, and that monster-slaying has become such a light-hearted tourist activity, advertised as something fun and happy: bring the kids for a fun family activity! Never too early to start their training! However, Dungeons of Hinterberg does a good job of showing how quickly Luisa readjusts this way of thinking after actually seeing a dungeon, and of how not everybody in Hinterberg sees monster-slaying as something to be monetized; raising awkward questions about monster sentience and the ethics of advertising slaying.That last paragraph made things sound a bit heavy, but the actual Dungeons of Hinterberg experience is very enjoyable. The days are split into segments: morning, afternoon, evening, and night. The pace of progression is very satisfying, at least in what I’ve played so far, with new features unlocking at an enjoyably rapid pace and Luisa leveling up quickly so that each day has you feeling stronger than before. After choosing which area you want to go to, you head there for the afternoon. Each area is different, with its own gorgeous scenery as well as its own dungeons and spells (more on that in a bit). You spend the afternoon exploring, relaxing, or tackling a dungeon, but there’s no rush. The game makes it very clear when time will advance, so you can finish up everything you want to do before moving on to the next time slot, and don’t need to be keeping one eye on the clock. It’s a good way of balancing how much there is to do, with the feeling that you’re still meant to be relaxing on your holiday.In the evening, you choose who to spend your time with, whether that’s improving a relationship with a single character or an activity such as chatting to a group around the bonfire, and hit the shops to stock up on what you need for the next day. There’s a night slot too, but early on in the game, Luisa just wants to head to bed. Understandable after a day of facing magical creatures when you’ve spent the rest of your life dealing with normal non-magical stuff. Speaking of!There are a variety of magical beasties to face in the dungeons, and a variety of ways to tackle them. Luisa is armed with a sword and can dodge around opponents for physical attacks, but soon learns spells with which to mix up her approach. Each large area has different spells which only work in that area, and which you also use to solve puzzles and progress through dungeons there. On top of this, you can start adding in charms and more powerful attacks as well as potions and better gear. Monster parts and other resources are all over the place, as are chests with better rewards, and it’s worth checking out all the nooks and crannies to make sure you’ve got them. Once you get too close to a group of monsters, you’re locked in for a fight to the death, so it’s important to have a good idea of whether you’re ready to face them. It’s too early to say whether enemies and combat will get repetitive, but so far, the option to keep switching up spells and powerful attacks keeps things feeling enjoyable. Improving relationships with other slayers and Hinterberg’s townsfolk also comes with its own rewards. The better you know them, the more they’re able to help you, whether that’s to boost your health, help you unlock chests, or point you to hidden dungeons. There’s a range of interesting characters and I liked the different interactions available (although some people won’t talk to you unless you have the sort of stats they want). It was also interesting to continue hearing more about what people really think about making magic into a monetized tourist attraction: chucking newcomers straight into danger, for instance, or else how the local teenagers feel about not being able to use technology because of the town’s magic. The breakup of each day into these slots works well to keep each part feeling fresh and to give Dungeons of Hinterberg’s strengths time to shine. It also helps give you a good place to put the controller down for a bit, if you’re looking for a natural stopping point for the day. The art style is incredibly eye-catching. To be honest, I wasn’t too sure about it before I picked up the game, but while some elements of the world can occasionally look a bit messy, the whole thing is actually very beautiful. It’s an interesting choice for a game with such a focus on the beauty of its Alpine scenery, and it takes a bit of getting used to, but the vividly colorful trees and lakes, and the movement of the wind through the meadows, all mesh well for a gorgeous backdrop. Visual effects such as the dotty shadow after you swing your sword look pretty darn cool too. It helps, too, that Dungeons of Hinterberg feels very polished so far. The dialogue and sound effects have been very smooth, and apart from the occasional awkwardness with depth perception, it’s been a very satisfyingly clean playthrough.Mixing the “relax, you’re on vacation!” feel with the idea that there’s always something to do and numerous dungeons to explore is actually a very successful combination. If you want to focus on relaxation and exploration, you can, and you can also blast through combat encounters every day instead. The game makes it clear you can play your way. I like the nods to the setting and the vacation idea — loading screens are postcards, for instance, and cows were often obstacles blocking paths I wasn’t meant to reach yet — and I really like the fact that although the days are split into segments, you can spend as much time as you want in free exploration in the afternoons.SummaryI’m really enjoying Dungeons of Hinterberg so far. It somehow does exactly what it promises, but is also surprisingly different from what I expected. I want to go back each time I put the controller down, but I also appreciate that splitting the day up allows for a natural stopping point. I’ve been playing on Normal difficulty and enjoying the combat so far, but you can switch back and forth between difficulties throughout. I can’t comment on achievements yet as they weren’t live at the time of writing, but as for the game itself, I can’t wait to play more.*Heidi spent several hours exploring Hinterberg, fighting monsters, and learning spells. A review copy was provided by the publisher and played on an Xbox Series X.
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