A fun dungeon diver, but limited in scope
This game is a Rogue-like dungeon diver. Basically, your character is customized with 7 skills at creation and is then thrown into a very long dungeon with the goal of reaching the end. There are no towns, quests, or even a real story; the goal is just to put your RPG skills to the test hunting monsters and loot while avoiding traps.
The game had a $5 price at release, which would normally suggest the game has either major problems or very limited gameplay. Dredmor falls in the latter category; even though the combat/trap/loot gameplay starts interesting, it doesn't change at all from start to finish; every single monster has the same AI, the loot never changes, and the traps are always the same little squares on the floor.
The saving grace of the game is that the skill customization is remarkably fun to mess with. Each skill brings something unique to your character, and 7 skills is just barely not enough to get everything you want out of your character. Skills include: combat masteries, magic types, crafting skills, and really oddball bonuses like vampirism, archaeology, and burglary. Your character can could become an archetype mage/warrior/rogue, or one of a number of crazy combo's that somehow seem to work in this RPG. For instance, I tried a 100% melee damage vampire who would take way too much damage but just barely be able to lifesteal enough through sheer offense to sustain himself. It worked decently in melee, but then my character got murdered by traps and the inability to heal out of combat.
The game is also hard enough to actually make you use all your abilities/items, which is something many RPG makers seem to have forgotten in today's games. If you think dungeon diving is something you would find enjoyable, this game could be for you, just don't go in with too high expectations.
