War for the Overworld

Good successor to Dungeon keeper 2

Well, I was sceptical of buying this at first, mainly just because of the Year it is, and how there have been a lot of Games being released which look like something good at first, and turn out to be not what they are cracked up to be.

So, is it basically Dungeon Keeper, but without the IP Label that EA Stole from the Community... YES. IF EA didn't just hog the Intellectual Property that is Dungeon Keeper, this would be a SOLID Entry for Dungeon Keeper 3.

Any Good: YES, SOLID Entry
Rating: 18+ (Combat, Graphical Detail when Zoomed In)
Graphics: Wide Range
> Got a Toaster, use Lowest Settings
> Got a 4090 RTX, use Highest Settings
CPU Load: My AMD 7900X didn't notice even on High Settings

Note:
So, I've only checked out the Pet Dungeon thus far, but that was what I liked from Dungeon Keeper 2 anyway, and the Pet Dungeon is a DLC in this anyway. However, I can tell, this is a SOLID Entry (I know I've said this 3 Times, it's that good).



OK, to the Review's Details:
I will admit, I set my Standards very low here, since most Games releasing this Decade are basically All Looks and No Substance. So, maybe I'm just still in stock by the fact I've run into something that is actually Good for once (it's been a while).

For those who've playing Dungeon Keeper (I started with DKII), you will remember the Quotes, and the funny lines that were narrated to you while you were playing. While I haven't heard any Copy and Pasted Lines, I'm sure that is more to do with licencing. That said, we've got a whole bunch more lines instead. Funny, and very in line with everything we liked about Dungeon Keeper 2. So, if you came for the Funny Quotes, you're in the right place.

Gameplay:
Having come from playing Dungeon Keeper 2, I wasn't left clueless about what everything was. The Settings do have Tutorial set to 'Default' Mode, but there is an 'Advanced' Mode listed too. There is also a, what I can only assume is a 'Cryptic' Mode, likely for additional Comedy, I've not checked it out yet though. All of the UI Elements are in similar enough places for a Player to not be entirely lost. That said, they added a few things too. Not too much as to be overwhelmed though.

They added what looks like a Tech-Tree Skill-Tree thing, that you spend 'Sins' (yes, that's what they called them) in order to Unlock whatever you like. This means you can unlock various Spells OR Construction Options as and when, and if you know what you want, you can buy the Skills you want, and leave the ones you don't want to save cluttering up your UI.

I did notice a few Classic Spells being changed:
Sight Of Evil, is now split up into TWO Spells, and both do different things. First of all, they are now Rituals, so you need the corresponding room in order to use them. One Scans for Gold, and Neutral Gateways. The other Scans for Enemy Territory owned by whomever.
Create Gold, again, this has been changed, and now works very differently. Again, it's now been turned into a Ritual, and will Deplete your Mana Pool to ZERO over 30 Seconds, in exchange for giving you Gold. I think it's Percentage Based to 25% of your Capacity, but I might be wrong. I had a Capacity of 100K, it gave me 25K. Your Mana will replenish after a very short delay after the Ritual is completed.

New Additions we always wanted:
So, there is now a Spell for Building. Yes, you no longer need a Foundry worker to Build Defences. Obviously, the Spell is there to act as a Quick Tool, or as an Emergency Measure. It can be a bit costly. It's not meant to be efficient, thus, it encourages you to have a Foundry.
OOPS, I didn't mean to Destroy that Wall... No need to worry, you can now Replace Walls. So now, you can build your Dungeon how you want it. There are two Skills that do this, one appears to be Unlocked automatically. 150 Gold + 1 Imp to place it = Earth Wall. There is an Improved Version that you can use, but this is deployed using the Defence TAB. Thus, you use Defence Parts to build it. Building a lot of them will need a Foundry, OR, a lot of Mana.

What I haven't seen yet:
Magic Door, maybe the way things were changed has meant, there is no need for one now. You can get a Glacial Door though. the Glacial Door, when set to 'LOCKED' will increase its HP several times over, and will 'FREEZE' the connected Walls and thus give them more HP too.



Worried about Gore?
Just zoom out, and you won't see it. You can set your Settings to use a MAX Zoom Level of 50, which can see a large portion of the Map. That said, if you like Graphic Details, you can Zoom right in, and watch... Anyway, it is able to cater to those who like Graphic Detail, and those who really don't want to see it. Though, the design of the Gateways, I personally would like to see a Customisation MOD that changes them from the Default floating Bones, to something less Graphic. Don't like it, just Zoom out to 50 Zoom.



Summary:
It's on offer frequently enough, I got it at the Discounted Price. It was worth every penny. Get the DLC Complete Version, and you won't regret it. £20-£25 GBP when on Offer. Though, if Money is really Tight, the Base Game without the trimmings is less than £5 GBP when on Offer.

Great Game, especially considering the times. Better than ANY AAA Titles this Decade so far. Less Pricey too.

A great dungeon sim, a variety of levels, challenging but achievable and a good little story line. Well worth the purchase, a fun little throwback to games like dungeon keeper.

Fun Dungeon Keeper like game. I enjoyed the main campaign and aesthetics. The devs have a cool post-launch story on youtube for those interested.

Best Dungeon Keeper like out there...as long you have all DLCs for all content.

However, most people play it for the multiplayer and rush for a quick victory, so if you want slow and steady you play the singleplayer, but the AI both from the enemy dungeon and your minions start to breakdown after the hour mark.

Sometimes your own workers decide to ignore sections of the maps you told to dig for no reason, even if there is nothing else to do and you havent used a banner that prevents them from getting or working there.

Devs are giving small updates over the years but they are working on Galacticare now, so dont expect anything mayor or intense as fixing AI problems.

Workers have the stupidest AI i've ever seen, they disregarded placing traps, building rooms and mining gold to fortify floors and walls near the enemy base while we were being attacked. The worker AI also doesn't care about the impasse flag, straight up ignores 2nd version of it too so all my workers just walk and fortify the impasse zones when i've told them not to.

it's also pretty annoying when you have to micro-manage doors to let workers out to build things, and traps being able to be attacked around corners is another thing as well.

melee traps are essentially useless, they get hit by attacks from ranged enemies who don't get anywhere near it or any of your ranged traps so have fun hearing "blade lotus lost" 5 minutes after you put it down.

i really should've just refunded the game due to how broken it is still after a whole decade. i legit hope everyone who buys this game from now on buys it for 6$

if you loved the original dungeon keeper games this game will bring you back.

I loved Dungeon Keeper and this is that on steroids.

I love all the fan made content too.

Game doesnt work anymore. Getting error

For the Dungeon Keepers

This game is essentially Dungeon Keeper 3, DK2 was a favourite of mine, and I frequently return to this game. If you haven't played Dungeon Keeper before or heard of this, it is akin to a base-builder where you attack the forces of good after building up your dungeon. How you build your dungeon is up to you, adding plenty of replayability.

scratches that dungeon keeper itch with a bit of command n conquer sprinkled on top... very cool

Nice remake of Dungen keeper

Imagine if a resonant voice from the past suddenly spoke up, extolling the virtues of Evil...

This game is great. I was searching for a game like dungeon keeper (dk) and this certainly itches that scratch. While it does not have the original IP, it gives a similar feeling (especially with the original dk narrator) with updated graphics, hours of game play and new features. Additionally it even runs smoothly under Linux (currently Ubuntu 24.10) out of the box.

Listen, hear me out- it was an excellent call to get Richard Ridings to do his Daddy Pig thing. Big fan.

Apart from that, I just can't get into it. The creatures are boring to me.
The graphics are so cold and drab I fall asleep.
The soundtrack does not make me wanna get up and do a !JACKPOT WINNER! dance (i can't even hum a few bars of it in my head). It's severely lacking in charm, it's tinny-sounding, and somebody mistook squinty darkness for atmosphere.

Go back and LOOK at Dungeon Keeper 1 and 2 - they do not take place in an annoying pitch black void that promotes eyestrain. They had rich warm reddish/goldy colour palettes.
Very easy on the eyes. Even the blues looked warm.
Also- those games ran well.

I'm giving this a thumbs down. If that upsets anybody, idk.. sorry?
(if it makes ya feel better, the rating i'd give EA is a slap from the hand of evil)

Dungeon Keeper is back. Better, more beautiful, more evil. What EA didn't do is well done here. It's nice to be evil. If you liked Dungeon Keeper, clear purchase recommendation.

Incredibly buggy on Apple computers (mine is Apple M1 Pro, 2021). The top bar is cut off in game, and there are no known fixes. Some theorize it is due to the game not recognizing the notch at the top of the computer, so the game thinks is is using the correct resolution to fit the whole game in the screen. You can minimize the window not to go full screen, but then the controls get glitchy. The controls in general are poorly done - if I hover over buttons, instead of explaining what the button does, the game returns info on the graphics below the button, which is usually dirt. Yes, I know it's dirt. ... super helpful. /s

Nice Dungeon Keeper remake ... probably didn't reach an agreement with bullfrog, but it definetly is dungeon keeper in all but name, and oh well ... the horned reaper. The menu is a bit bad, it loads very slowly, and it often crashes on my system. The in game engine works fine though ..

fun

My minions are asking for a sequel.

so buggy i wish to duy

If you love Dungeon Keeper 2 then you will love this game.

“Isaac: I'm alive! I'm mother******g still alive!
G: Yeah, just my luck.”
~The House of the Dead: Overkill

Remember Dungeon Keeper 3: War for the Overworld? No? I really wonder why... Oh, wait, wait! O know! It's because those a-holes from EA canceled it! That's why. Sure, they did that to focus on games based on The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, some of which were actually quite good, but come on. We're not praising EA here, we hating 'em. Focus! Anyway, the story of Dungeon Keeper was our usual EA thing from 90s / early 2000s. They've consumed the original makers and they've killed their love child. The end. Dungeon Keeper, a unique franchise, beloved by many, was no more. EA still tried to milk its name by making some crap, though. There was that canceled tower defense game for Facebook, there was that MMORPG for Chinese market (which looked a lot like WoW for whatever reason) and, of course, there was that f2p game for smart devices. Naturally, nobody liked that. Facebook game didn't even make it to release, Chinese MMO was shut down in, like, a year (which makes it one of the shortest-lived MMOs ever made), while mobile game was our usual “pay to win and invade random people” crap. DK was dead. And with it being EA, instead of doing some smart necromancy, they've just buried the corpse. But.

Like I said, despite having only two proper games, the series had a very strong fan base. You know where this is going. It's always the same story. There are some dedicated fans, there's that website... When it's about Ion Fury (Duke Nukem 3D total conversion) it was Duke4.net. In Dungeon Keeper case? It was Keeper Klan forum. As you can easily guess from this game's title, guys just refused to give up on Dungeon Keeper 3. I mean, come on. We even got ourselves the official trailer back in the days. It was one of those games. Those that were so heavily teased that many years later, people still kept dreaming about 'em. Thankfully, the torture is finally over. Because guys from Keeper Klan finally made our dreams come true. Did they, though?

My first thought when I started playing this game was “OMG! It's Dungeon Keeper 2!” Like Dungeon Keeper Online, this game uses BLIZZARD-like visuals, but all in all, it's impossible not to notice just how similar the design here is to what we had in DK2. Not to the original game from Peter Molyneux and his team, but to that bright and colorful sequel. Which, in my book, is not really a good thing. Say whatever you want, the first Keeper had way superior design and the atmosphere. But OK, OK. They wanted to deliver us third game in an unofficial way (akin to what was done in The 13th Doll in a way), I can understand that. Unfortunately, while not having enough experience, guys made lots of mistakes. Let's start with gameplay.

Despite the game's name, you should not expect real overworld here. Yes, Dungeon Keeper 3 trailer showed us Horned Reaper (the most badass creature in the series that also served as its face) appearing on surface. No, there's nothing like that here, in War for the Overworld. In this game we're back to dungeons. I may sound like that dog from KC Green's comic, but honestly, this is fine too. Dungeon Keeper was dead for OMGWTF how long, nobody really expected this to stay true to the original lore. I mean, The 13th Doll did, but judging fan projects too much is always a bad idea. Just keep that in mind – this game does not really continue the original story, OK?

My first real complain here is... the pace. Brightrock Games (that's how our guys decided to call themselves) added lots and lots of new stuff to our usual DK2 formula. We've got consumables (like those bombs that'll help us clear certain kind of terrain), we've got rituals that'll require some of our Cultists (new name for our ol' pals Warlocks) to gather, we've got skill points similar to what we had in, say, Command & Conquer: Generals... No, seriously, there's heck of a lot of things here to bother. And it's not a good thing. How's a lot of content is a bad thing, you may ask? Well, like I said, it breaks the pace. Both previous games were thought through. They allowed us to speed things up during the boring parts (like early excavation), they did understand that having too many things can make us feel overwhelmed... Technically, new stuff here isn't a huge problem either. I mean, you can regulate speed in War for the Overworld. Unlike some of the other RTS projects (new guys under EA did that in the “new” C&C games and even the original makers from Westwood did that in their post-EA projects), Brightrock Games didn't forget to include speed slider, but there are no hotkeys. That's right. Every time you'll need to slow the game down or speed it up, you'll need to go to menu. Every. F*cking. Time. Ruins the single player campaign quite a lot.

Talking about single player mode. Not like I'm judging guys for being heavy on DLC (hard work, after all, requires proper payment), but it's important to mention that, while Dungeon Keeper games had about twenty-missions-long campaigns, this here only has thirteen. And DLC adds only eleven (Heart of Gold adds four, while The Under Games has seven, even though there's more replayability in it). Which... Isn't a lot. Sure, you may say that there are always skirmishes and multiplayer and... Yeah. Can't argue with that. War for the Overworld does feel like it was made with all that in mind. I mean, they didn't really bother with the atmosphere and just repeated the same mistake the first Dungeons game made by adding cheap parody humor, akin to what we had in, say, Magicka. It does feel like this game was meant for online sessions and since multiplayer in DK 2 was buggy as heck it does make sense, but here comes our biggest problem.

While DK2 was buggy, this game is downright broken. Not like Brightrock didn't try. There's a support button sitting right in the main menu and they do reply both on their own website and on Steam, it's just... Despite all of the major problems being reported ages ago (we talking, like, ten years here), they never managed to do anything 'bout 'em. As the result, the game's suffering from all sorts of crap. It may crash, maps got 50% chance not to load properly, leaving you with no way but to shut down game's process, there's a big chance to get black screen after beating a level, sometimes critical scripts just won't work, leaving you with a game-breaking situation on your hands, etc. It also criminally unoptimized, which can (and will) render some of the big maps unplayable at some point, even if you'll use the lowest settings possible. Heck, even cutscenes here are broken! Like, after a pretty intense final level I was supposed to enjoy the ending, but guess what? Cutscene just froze on its first frame! Nice job, Brightrock. Really nice job. NOT!

So yeah. Imagine your favorite series you considered dead for ages making a big comeback and you wishing it didn't. Just because of how poor that comeback is. Again, I totally appreciate the effort and all the job. Must be fun for the guys to work on their dream project too. But as a random paid customer I just can't give a thumb up to a product that barely works. And even if we'll forget about all the bugs and other technical difficulties, War for the Overworld is a meh game at best. The first couple of minutes were probably the only good memory I've made with it. As sad as it is, Dungeon Keeper 3? Is still a dream. Dixi.

Dungeon Keeper if EA never got their grubby hands on the IP.
Same Voice Actor as the original DK games, so that's sick.

As a long time fan of the Dungeon Keeper series who played it extensively back in the day I can say this is indeed quite the spiritual successor. Feels like playing DK II for the most part with certain updates to mechanics. The face that the original narrator was reengaged for this games says it all when it comes to a true love of the original franchise by the developers.

Do like Dungeon Keeper 2?
Would you like that exact experience but in a newer game?

Just play this.

I just love the ''My Pet Dungeon'' game mode where you just get to chill out, build your dungeon, create 1 more room, mine 1 more patch of gold, do 1 more wave of enemies and before you know it you're 4 hours into a session.

10/10 - It scratches that dungeon keeper itch for me

old times

If you ever played a lot of Dungeon Keeper, this is the perfect clone of that game. It has all the features plus new fun ones, and the game play is a lot more in tune with DK than the Dungeon games. 10/10

Good game, wish there would be another release. Multiplayer is dead and requires port-forwarding. I bought all the DLC and beat everything, game is not long but haven't done all the challenges.

great game

If you liked the old Dungeon Keeper game then you'll love this! The old-school vibe of Dungeon Keeper II but with updated graphics, mechanics and gameplay. Definitely worth it.

Yet another case of "we have Dungeon Keeper at home". This one is one of the more 'professionally made' DK replicas, but that's about its best feature.

For the uninitiated, Dungeon Keeper, the game I'm referencing, lets you build an underground dungeon, in which minions will automatically spawn. You then have to build rooms for them to eat, rest, and so on. It's a very simple formula, and the complexity comes from some additional mechanics, like imprisoning your enemies (and converting them to your side), or minion abilities, that can vastly vary, depending on the monster.

For some reason, such a simple formula seemingly cannot be replicated, whether it's because the devs trying to copy it aren't talented enough (most likely the case), or because they fail to realize what made DK special. This game, for instance, suffers from the same issue as other DK copies: the controls are confusing, the UI is bloated, overly chatty characters, excessive amount of mechanics, and so on. Complexity can be good, specially in strategy games, but it has to be done well. It seems that, in this case, they just shoehorned in as many mechanics as possible, possibly to compensate for the lack of soul. This not only applies to this game, but other DK 'mockups', such as the 'Dungeons' series.

Despite this, do I still recomend this game? I guess. I don't think it's terrible, as it still features some great mechanics that were 'borrowed' straight from an otherwise excellent game, and it does add some quality of life improvements to the genre, but it still borders on being bad at times, as it has quite a few problems.

For instance, the pathfinding is quite poor. Your workers will constantly run into enemy troops, and proceed to get slaughtered by them. This isn't by design; they do attempt to run away, but often fail miserably, something DK had mastered over twenty five years ago. Also, your soldiers will also constantly attempt to reposition themselves during battle for no reason, leading them into moving around like headless chickens, sometimes dying without dealing a single point of damage to the enemy troops.

Another issue I've found by playing more of the campaign is that, in some of the missions, your base is constantly flooded by enemy troops, which wouldn't be such an issue if your own minions didn't need constant breaks to physically move away from battle in order to satiate their needs; sleeping, eating, drinking, getting paid, and so on. If they go too long without tending to their needs, they become unhappy, and might even rebel. In general, it seems that their needs empty too fast.

As for the nastiest problem I've encountered, it's one that makes loading a save if you're in a mission freeze your game, but in a weird way. It locks up your controls, but you can still see your dungeon, and units. You just can't do anything, not even open the menus up. Anyway, I had to ALT+F4 quite a few times because of this.

Buy it on sale if you're looking for a DK clone, and can tolerate some badness.

I love my dungeon

It's essentially pretty much just an off brand Dungeon Keeper. The art style isn't as tight as Dungeon Keeper was. But it does the job. What it does nail however, is the game play. If you ever wanted more Dungeon Keeper, this offers loads of hours of more fun.

I adore Richard Ridings, he is the perfect Dungeon Keeper and I have been a fan of the series for years, encouraged GOG to get it, it is a true favorite of mine. This is DK3, and truly fun for a revamp!

It's fun casual RTS. Being evil is also an enjoyable change of pace. It lives up to Dungeon Keeper's legacy so far.

This is what Dungeon Keeper 3 ought to have been, its been said a thousand times over by a thousand other reviewers but this is the spiritual successor. I own most of the dlc with the exceptions being the charity imp and the charity dungeon and i've unlocked every last achievement - this is a game you owe it to yourself to play, and if you haven't, why haven't you? It's outstanding! The only thing this game is missing is Horny himself but for obvious reasons that can't be a thing.

Good game, great devs

Great game, a true successor to DK.

Fun game done with the Dungeon Keeper idea for modern times

Great game. Wish there is a sequel for this game and being more polished

if you want to play DK is ii

There are better base builder games out there.

Great game, especially with dlc Heart of Gold. In the original campaign, you don't really get the time to build a good dungeon, but in this expansion, you don't get rushed and get the time to enjoy the base of the game.

Mmmyes.

reminds me of DK

DK3, greatest thing ever, it even tells you to sleep when its late, who knew evil overlords cared about your sleep schedule

Nice and easy and very reminecent of the old Dungeon Keeper. Super nostalgic and always a breath of fresh air.

I bought this game for cheap after wishlisting it for years and I wish I hadn't bothered. The controls are a mess and it fails to measure up to Dungeon Keeper. All around, War for the Overworld is a dud.