Dungeons of Hinterberg Explores Finding Simple Joys While Fighting Monsters

Dungeons of Hinterberg follows a young lawyer named Luisa as she tries to find herself. She does this by exploring an Austrian mountain town. The tourist industry is booming after magic appears. Her easy going vacation is interrupted when her first trip to a dungeon ends with an earthquake. The game does a good job of balancing its dungeon crawling aspect with a larger narrative.

That isn’t to say fighting monsters takes a backseat at any point. Days are split into blocks, but the majority of time will pass in dungeons. It’ll be a tougher choice to decide when to relax and where since this affects which NPCs are accessible. The game stats and what increases them isn’t immediately explained except renown. This is gained by completing dungeons, which is the ultimate goal gameplay wise. 

While the combat felt smooth and easy to jump into, if you’re not a puzzle person, there’s some frustration early on. Each puzzle requires Luisa manually moving an object. Or she uses her magical abilities once they’re unlocked. It makes the frustration feel worth it because Luisa uses everything available to her. Instead of a convoluted solution when you can blow up rock walls. 

Instead of feeling like a chore between monsters, the NPCs have their own mini plot lines with dialogue that feels unique to them. If you want to spend your days talking to them and finding a scenic spot to relax, the game doesn’t punish you. It doesn’t make you push through the grind and this makes its message of rest being necessary hit harder. Dungeons of Hinterberg feels like a treat to play. It feels like a genuine vacation, even when you’re at home.