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The almost hypnotic quality of a good dungeon crawl is such a key asset for so many successful RPGs. Even if the story isn’t doing it for you, the mesmerizing rhythmic cycle of exploration, encounter, and reward is the backbone of the genre.
Ephiam has created several throwback RPGs, including the relatively successful Dragon Fantasy (a loving 8-bit tribute to, you guessed it, Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy). While most of their games go all-in on being classic RPGs, Scarmonde is a little different.
The blueprint is the same. It’s an 8-bit top-down style RPG inspired by the Japanese greats, but Scarmonde is almost laser-focused on the art of dungeon crawling. There’s a story, but it’s more of a background thing to frame the heaps and heaps of dungeon crawling.
You and your party are set to be the latest group to brave The Depths, an underground dungeon thought to hold the legendary treasures of the Dragon God. The legend tells us that anyone who finds all three treasures will find paradise (I’m sure the treasure is a nice bonus, too).
Scarmonde: Treasure Rove
As if to emphasize the futility of this dream, the party is nameless, only given an identity by assigning their classes ahead of the journey into The Depths. There are 12 classical classes, such as Cleric, Bard, Hunter, Paladin, and Thief. It’s up to you to decide which combination will be best suited for your run.
Scarmonde is not shy about throwing you right into the action. In relative terms, there’s barely any pre-amble, and instead, you find yourself in the dungeon-crawling action and up against tough monsters. It’s got the building blocks of a turn-based RPG battle system from yesteryear, but with a few modernizing tweaks to make the most of the dungeon-crawling focus. Crucially, it has that dungeon-crawling gameplay loop nailed down, and the modern RPG changes do a lot to enhance that.
It’s not all there is to it, though. The developer has ensured a variety to what could be a monotonous experience. Visually, the dungeons hold some distinct designs with notable thematic looks. The overworld, which can be traveled by boat, blimp, and more, offers some relatively brief bright respire from the murky underground dangers.
From a narrative perspective, Scarmonde may be more limited than other 8-bit RPGs, but in focusing on the joys of the dungeon crawl, Ephiam has made something distinct in the space.
Scarmonde is out now on itch.io.
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