Dungeon of the Endless is a roguelike and tower defense game under development by Amplitude Studios. The game is set in the Endless Space universe and will serve as a prequel to Endless Legend.
Production[]
Dungeon of the Endless was announced on August 12, 2013 at Gamescom simultaneously with Endless Legend. It was made available in an early Alpha state via Steam Early Access in December 2013.[1]
About the Game[]
Set many years before the events of Endless Legend and Endless Space, Dungeon of the Endless takes place on the planet Auriga, once a centre of science for the Endless that was devastated as the site of a cataclysmic battle during the Dust Wars, now thought to be an inhospitable rock. A human penal transport starship is attacked by the previously unknown and dormant planetary defence network while passing closeby to the world. Escape Pods are launched containing prisoners, guards, and other crew. These pods enter the atmosphere and appear to make hard crashes, but instead punch through the surface into previously undetected subterranean Endless ruins, which are inhabited by highly modified native lifeforms that feed on the omnipresent Dust which serves as the basis of their sunless ecosystem. The survivors who crashed on the planet fight their way through the Endless facilities to the surface, the advanced technology of the Endless and the sci-fi setting give way to the fantasy setting of Endless Legend.[2]
Dungeon of the Endless combines aspects of the roguelike and tower defense genres in its gameplay. The object of the game is to guide a party of various Heroes through a randomly-generated dungeon festering with dangerous creatures. The Heroes must protect a Dust-based energy Crystal, initially part of the power supply for their Escape Pods, from creature attacks while exploring the dungeon searching for the exit to the next area and transporting the Crystal with them to that exit, as it represents their only controllable source of light and power. The generator is capable of supplying power to the various rooms of the Dungeon, turning on lights to ward off creature spawns (new creatures only enter the dungeon through darkened rooms) and activating technological Modules which may be constructed in each room, such as weapon turrets or other useful devices. This effect of the Crystal is limited by the amount of Dust it contains - at first it holds relatively little and may only power a handful of rooms, but over time Dust is found by the Heroes saturating various chambers throughout the dungeon, and this can be added to the Crystal to enable larger networks of rooms to be powered simultaneously. Creatures will attempt to eat the Heroes or the Crystal, with the Crystal's Dust content serving as its hit points as well - the longer creatures are allowed to attack the Crystal, the fewer rooms it will be able to power. Neutral Heroes may encountered throughout the dungeon, ranging from other stranded prisoners or guards to Aurigan native characters; these may be hired by offering them Food. However, if all currently active Heroes are killed, or if the Crystal is completely destroyed (defined as being drained of so much Dust that it can no longer power even a single room), the game is over.
The game will support up to four-player co-op with over 30 Hero characters to choose from, each with their own skill trees and points allocated toward different skills like combat, science, defense, or maintaining the generator.[3]
Storyline[]
"A few hundred condemned criminals were being shipped to the Auriga system on board the prison hulk "Success". While this was presented as a chance to earn back their place in society by working hard for the common good, they understood that in fact they would be slave labour, sent to colonize an unexplored planet. All they knew about Auriga Prime was what the probes told them: it had water, temperate zones, plant life, and plenty of metals in the crust.
In fact, the planet Auriga once hosted a major settlement of the galaxy-travelling ancestors known as the Endless. In addition, the planet was still orbited by a functioning (and well cloaked) defensive system, which sprang eagerly to life upon the arrival of the Success. Within a few minutes, the ship was nothing but a few large chunks of metal falling toward the planet.
Every set of holding cells also functioned as an escape pod, so the ship let itself disintegrate and the surviving prisoners fell bruised but (temporarily) alive and (momentarily) safe to the planet below. Safe, that is, until they realized that they had crashed through some sort of facility of the Endless, down to a sub-basement so deep and ancient it might as well be called a dungeon..."
Features[]
- Gather A Team.
- Form a team of heroes, each with their own strengths (and psychoses)… or die
- Equip them, deploy them, and earn powerful abilities*… or die
- Manage the balance between ex-prison inmates and guards*… or die
- Discover the hidden secrets and goals* of the survivors… or die
- Build Your Defenses.
- Use the Dust you gather to power the rooms… or die
- Use scarce resources to help your team survive… or die
- Build minor and major modules to hold off waves of monsters… or die
- Decode Endless ruins* to discover life-saving technologies… or die
- Open the Door.
- Each door is a danger; prepare yourself and your team for anything… or die
- Explore and discover an infinity of levels and layouts… or die
- Carry your crystal through waves of monsters to the exit of each level… or die
- Fight your way to the surface to discover the truth about Auriga*… or die
*These features, and others that will be discussed with the community via the GAMES2GETHER² platform, are not yet available. This Alpha Version is incomplete and will be replaced by a complete version when the final game is released.
Special Editions[]
Dungeon of the Endless released with two special versions exclusive to Steam Early Access that contain extra content and rewards in addition to the game.
Pixel Pack[]
The Dungeon of the Endless Pixel Pack includes:
- Official Digital Soundtrack
- "Dungeon of the Endless" Community Badge
Founder Pack[]
The Dungeon of the Endless Founder Pack includes:
- All Pixel Pack Content
- In-game Ship Pack: The Library
- In-game Hero: Josh 'Ntello
- The Vaulters faction for Endless Space: Disharmony
- A -50% Steam Coupon for Endless Space
- A -50% Steam Coupon for Endless Space: Disharmony
- Vaulters unit skins for Endless Legend
- "Dungeon of the Endless Founder" Community Badge
Videos[]
References[]
- ↑ http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/08/23/dungeon-of-the-endless-revealed-as-a-tower-defence-roguelike-set-in-a-sci-fi-fantasy/
- ↑ http://www.joystiq.com/2013/08/22/dungeon-of-the-endless-is-roguelike-tower-defense-sci-fi-and-fa/
- ↑ http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-08-23-endless-space-dev-announces-4x-strategy-prequel-endless-legend