Great Dungeon in the Sky

Developer: LordTim
Release: 2010
Platform: Browser
Genre: Action

Almost 20 years into the 21st century terms like “rogue”, “random”, “collectible” or “unlockable” can range from eye-rolling to cringe-worthy to some hardcore gamers, especially those with a soft spot for indies. But 10 years ago the indie scene was bursting with nouveau concepts derived from these very words, not necessarily because they brought something quite new to the table, but often for the apparent more feasible prospect they imbued a project with.

So we’ve come a long way until reaching Spelunky, and—groundbreakers like Braid and World of Goo aside—chances are we owe a good deal to Kongregate and Newgrounds Flash pioneers. Great Dungeon in the Sky falls into that category; it may not be a masterpiece of its time, but it sure packs a punch in every front it decides to show up.

Random dungeons aren’t as important here as random enemies, the meat of the collection/unlocking mechanic: kill anything and it becomes playable the next round. No lucky number, no dice rolling, no microtransaction (it was a bit early for that), no strings attached. Hundreds of characters—each with its own traits, moves, specials—lurk deep inside the dungeons waiting to be found, slain and then controlled.

Yup, IP break is also available.

Seeking out powerful avatars to inhabit could be, as far as gameplay goes, compelling per se; but here the “gotta catch ‘em all” appeal reaches higher levels mostly because of the terrific minimalist pixel work by ORYX—later featured in the more acknowledged Realm of the Mad God. Through that GDitS becomes more an interactive sticker album than simply an action game, and that’s for the best: bosses and weaklings (or even blatantly derivative characters) are loveable all the same.

A mobile expandable update could do the developer’s pocket wonders, but maybe we shouldn’t ask for that and just leave it where it is.