Unicorn Dungeon

Why will Sir Typhil’s eyes fill with tears?
He wanted the answer all of these years.
He’s a dancer, romancer, advancer, and knight,
who solved sliding puzzles out of sight.
He resolved the tutorial; rescued a princess uxorial,
and climbed down a dungeon scansorial.
He pointed; he clicked;
but disappointed, could not evict
the unicorn from the knave goblin’s cave,
for only the witty and brave could save
the benign equine aligned with pure heart.
Use a video guide, if you’re not so smart.
I admit the 8-bit dungeon was the hardest part,
but I’d remit my frustration when I’d depart.
Convinced he’s a prince since he slays mighty jackals,
this game will give you almighty cackles.
Will he bring the unicorn to the king?
I cannot wait to see what the series brings.

Unicorn Dungeon, the latest addition to Sir Typhil of Creulor's series of escapades, is a point-and-click adventure that transcends the mundane and catapults players into the fantastically absurd world of Artovya. Brace yourself for a rollercoaster ride of hilarity, puzzling quests, and unexpected twists, all neatly tucked away in the confines of a dungeon.

From the moment you step into the whimsical realm, Unicorn Dungeon captivates with its vibrant, hand-drawn art style. The visuals are a vivid tapestry of colors that bring the fantastical inhabitants of Artovya to life, each character seemingly plucked from the zaniest corner of a dream. The attention to detail is impeccable, making exploration as visually rewarding as it is entertaining.

The heart and soul of Unicorn Dungeon, however, lie in its brilliantly crafted narrative. Sir Typhil's quest to crown himself king by bringing a unicorn to the castle might sound straightforward, but it's the unexpected detours, eccentric characters, and clever humor that make the journey unforgettable. The dialogue is sharp, witty, and filled with the kind of absurd charm that keeps you smiling throughout the adventure.

What sets Unicorn Dungeon apart is its seamless blend of genres. While primarily a point-and-click adventure, the game introduces a rogue-like dungeon-crawling section, adding an extra layer of excitement and unpredictability to the experience. Navigating the labyrinthine depths brings a fresh dynamic, ensuring that every playthrough feels unique and challenging.

The puzzles scattered throughout Artovya are a delightful mix of brain-teasers and laugh-out-loud absurdity. They perfectly complement the game's tone, encouraging players to think outside the box while reveling in the sheer whimsy of it all. Whether you're negotiating with a sassy goblin or outsmarting a mischievous wizard, each encounter is a joyous dance of wit and humor.

Unicorn Dungeon is a triumph in the realm of comedic point-and-click adventures, a testament to the creativity and charm that indie games can bring to the table. It's a must-play for those seeking a delightful escape into a world where laughter is the ultimate quest reward. Embrace the absurdity, embark on the journey with Sir Typhil, and discover why Unicorn Dungeon is a whimsical masterpiece that will leave you grinning from ear to ear.

Part silly point’n’click adventure, part retro-inspired dungeon crawler. Go figure. For fans of genre-bending, mixing of styles and wacky humor.

Sir Typhil of Creulor learned that King of Artovya, who has no heirs, is willing to give the kingdom to the courageous knight that will bring him a unicorn (a reasonable guy, clearly), so off Sir Typhil goes, for he has his eye on the prize. Many perilous travels later, our hero stumbles upon the famous beast in a rather random dungeon. The poor unicorn follows around a goblin who gave it a snack. The goblin can’t get rid of the damn thing and is none the wiser of all this “kingdom potential” under his nose. What luck! Sir Typhil will now pull all the stops (braving the treacherous dungeon included) to secure his fortune, while also rescuing the Princess, who might or might not have locked her own self up. What a weirdo. At the same time… he doesn’t have to rescue her or anybody else. Besides the unicorn. He must secure the unicorn. It’s complicated. But hey – you do have choices!

This is a fairly short game (actually, part one in the series), but narration is, perhaps, one of its strongest suits if you’re keen on absurd humor and Monty Python-like jokes. While the set-up is relatively simple, the dialogues and the fact that you’ll almost always get a unique response for combining any items/hotspots makes trying everything on everything an adventure on its own. If/when you get a Princess to join your party, point her at the dungeon and Sir Typhil will proclaim in the knightliest voice ever: “Go in there. And check for monsters.” Later, he might ask the shopkeeper how much will he give him for the Princess…What? It is a SHOP, after all. It’s possible to miss many quips going through tasks in a straightforward manner, so trying few odd things here and there will make it all worth it. I rarely laugh out loud playing games, and Unicorn Dungeon allowed me that pleasure. Then again, I’m a peculiar person and this is an off-kilter humor, so it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, depending on the kind of humor you enjoy – this might be “hell, yes” for you or “God, no”.

As far as puzzles… The basis (and about 60% of this game) is a classic point’n’click with all that entails. This element is actually nicely balanced, has a logic base and is not so easy that a player can plow right through it, considering how small this game is (very few locations, very few NPCs to interact with). It’s a bit of a nice surprise - to be stumped for a second when you thought you were just going to sprint through. Now the other part of this game is honest to goodness rogue-like dungeon crawler. You will be going into this dungeon quite a few times, and you would have to fight some (easy) enemies. This is a turn-based segment, so once you figure out a simple strategy how to traverse it – it won’t be difficult at all, and yet… I can absolutely see how most adventure lovers can find it a daunting affair. I quite enjoyed this part, but I’m always open to creative genre mixes, however strange. If you prefer adventure in a pure form – this won’t be for you, but if you like occasional rule-bending – this very much might tickle your pickle.

Graphics. Well... It’s a mix. I’m getting tired of typing this in every paragraph, but I’m stuck with it, as this game contains two such different elements in it. Point’n’click part is done in what looks like early 2000s version of 3D that someone couldn’t get enough of. Purposefully, of course. With all the recent love for everything “pixel art” and now an obsession with PS1-inspired graphics (I like both, by the way, but trend is a trend), I’m not going to lie – I dig this look. It just adds to the silliness of everything on screen or, rather, reflects it. The dungeon crawler is done in some kind of 8-bit reincarnation which might inject you with a shot of temporary nostalgia or make you do an epic eyeroll if, so far, you preferred to avert your eyes from this game rather than discuss its visual merit based on the game’s screenshots. It’s very indie and, in my opinion, very fitting, then again – I can see someone laughing at “the look” out loud. The question is – which player are you?

Sound element is on par – varied and solid. We’ve got an array of appropriately fantasy-ish, forgettable themes humbly playing in the background and a retro-inspired tune in the dungeon, but what really stands out is a surprisingly good voice-over, Sir Typhil’s in particular. Sure, it still has an indie quality to it, but in general – this was a job well done. All the one-liners were voiced with proper attitudes and tones, which brought a layer of polish and smoothness to this oddity of a game and made enjoying it a lot easier. Honestly, anything with a British accent just makes things sound more pleasant somehow. I don’t know how they do it, the charming bastards.

All the information above is supposed to be followed by a brief re-cap and a recommendation to a potential audience. Here, however, it’s almost impossible to do, because this game is essentially a mix of two in one, and both are equally strong in their presence. Whether or not they will mesh wonderfully or terribly will depend solely on your preferences in games. For a lover of all things experimental and indie (and an absurd humor) this could totally work; for an adventure purist or a person that prefers the classic, standard side of things this might be a turn-off or, at the very least, a total head-scratcher. There’s no way to easily recommend Unicorn Dungeon to anyone who isn’t open to a foray into familiar (and yet so strange) waters that might turn out to be a disappointment - and I’m saying it as someone who enjoyed the game. That’s about as helpful as I can be with this review. Which is way more helpful than goblin that runs the shop. So at least there’s that to make your day significantly better, as you torturously puzzle over buying or not buying this game in yet another bout of sleepless nights.

Amusing Pn'C coupled with a keyboard-handled dungeon crawler maze that was not shown in the demo, otherwise it would not have been bought.
Which makes the demo useless, if not misleading.

The maze seems to be an annoying arcade thingy at first, but it becomes bearable and easy once you realise that it's actually not arcade but tactical, turn-based.

The Pn'C part itself is pretty good, with sensible puzzles, and humour that makes me laugh, or at least giggle, quite often.

I recommend.
Note however that this is the 1st episode of a three-parter, and I strongly recommend against the 2nd episode, which is annoying beyond belief.

This is highly recommended if you are an open minded fan of the genre. It breathes fresh air into the dusty pipings of P&C. I was surprised how well it was done on a technical level, judging from the kind of B-Movie charme it emanates. The voice acting is superb. It is a hard game though. The rogue-section really tested my will and i had to check a guide to make it all the way through. But in retrospect it made the game all the more enjoyable, because it challenged my rusty synapses. And that makes it oldschool too, in a good way. And lastly it is comedy gold. Other games try and force the humour. With this you will notice that its genuine and the developer must ne someone you'd like to have a drink with in a pub.
Brilliant!

P.S.: If you like it, check out the other parts of the series. It gets better and better.

I whole heartedly recommend this delightful and insightful game.

10/10 can't wait to play the next in the series

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It's a very weird point & click adventure with a bit of humor (very weird humor). The game is very short. Is it worth playing? Perhaps yes - if they took it at a big discount.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CvQFTNDY0o

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It has plenty of charm and humor. These are sadly completely overshadowed by the tedium and unbearable randomness of its dungeon section.

Unicorn Dungeon is the first game in the Sir Typhil series. It's a decent adventure game, but it's very short and has an annoying roguelike-style dungeon crawl in it that is more frustrating than it is fun. Still, considering that I only paid 1 Euro for it (during a summer sale at 70% off), it was worth the price.

The adventure game part is genuinely good. It has humor, the puzzles are mostly logical, and there are enough hints on what to do so you can figure everything out on your own. The game makes fun of classic fantasy cliches and the writing is great. I loved talking to the few denizens of the dungeon and solving item-based puzzles.

But the dungeon crawl part... oh boy. It's not terrible, but it's not very good. The perspective is that of a typical roguelike: top-down view, your character is a little pixel dude, you move around with the arrow keys and attack enemies by walking into them. All you can do is attack, and with every hit you do a fixed amount of damage. That means the dungeon crawl should play a bit like a puzzle, right? That would fit to an adventure game!

But no. There is a small chance that you can miss an attack. And you only have 16 HP. You kill a jackal, the standard enemy, in one hit. But if you miss and the jackal gets a hit on you, that takes away 4 HP. Jackals can drop health potions that restore 5 HP, but they don't always do so. Whether a jackal drops a potion or not is random. So a lot of times, whether you make it through the dungeon or not is based entirely on luck. You lost too much health and the jackals didn't drop enough potions? You're gonna die and have to try again.

The dungeon has a fixed layout, but enemies respawn every time you leave. There's a point at which you use your sword in a puzzle and it gets stuck, which halves your attack value, meaning jackals take TWO hits to kill. And of course, you will have to return to the dungeon after that point... you gotta get lucky with your hits and with enemy potion drops, or you're toast. Luckily you don't have to go very far into the dungeon without a sword, but it's still the most annoying part of the entire game.

The dungeon crawl would have been better without the random attack rolls, and more reliable potion drops. The way it is now, I just found it annoying, and it didn't add much to the game.

The adventure game part was good enough to make up for it, though. I liked it more than I hated the dungeon crawl, so the game gets a thumbs up from me.

Be aware that it is a very short game though. I finished it in about 90 minutes.

Don't be deceived by this game's visuals: yes, Unicorn Dungeon can be seem rough around edges at times, but it's a very funny point and click adventure game with some 2D dungeon crawler mechanics.
It constantly refuses to take itself seriously and mocks the cliches of the fantasy genre. The latter is something I really appreciate me being a fantasy fan since childhood.
Definitely recommended to both fantasy fans with good sense of humour and adventure game fans that don't mind trying something a bit different.

Loved this one. Very very weird and funny

dad jokes galore.

it's really really really good

A highly addicting and difficult problem solver/puzzle game. Everything makes sense and leads logically from A to B but its up to you to recognize it and execute. This is a game for those who want to do something more than point and shoot.

Love it, funny, original, charming, good voice acting and a wacky story.

It is a bit on the short side but the price reflects that.

Parts 2 & 3 are also out now.

Con: A couple of the achievements are borked for me, same old, I'm jinxed.

Unicorn Dungeon's a short and silly adventure game/roguelike hybrid. It has voice acting and everything. I enjoyed this more than many AAA releases.

Great little game, I've enjoyed playing. Nice retro graphics that have great 90s aesthetic. The voice acting is fun and gives the perfect feel for the game. The gameplay shift into 8 bit graphics is different and I actually like it, not to everyone's taste but I think it gives it an interesting dynamic. A little slow to get into the main gameplay but other than that it's a good classic adventure. The dialogue is fairly well written and funny. All in all a good game if you want a nice, pleasant adventure game.

PAID: $4.99, full price.
HARDWARE: i5 3570, Win10x64, 16GB, GTX 1070, SSD. No problems.

I'm really enjoying this, one of the rare gems I found slogging through the entire STEAM catalog in my Discovery Queue.

It's absurdist, as the description says, and it's actually funny -- well written, well-acted, with nicely paced and timed jokes. I've laughed out loud several times, with my favorite line being when Typhil left the dungeon the first time.

The point and click adventure aspect is nicely satisfying, with some puzzles solveable entirely in the 3D world (which is just a few rooms), and others requiring adventuring into the 8-bit dungeon. I'm quite surprised at how well this combination works.

Spoiler-free tip for new players: The 8-bit dungeon is far more important than it initially appears to be. One very important aspect to surviving long enough to retrieve what you need is use of the space bar to allow monsters to approach you one at a time, so you can make your first contact an attack, and not get stabbed in the back. Also, be prepared to adjust your overall strategy to meet different situations; going for a full clear every time isn't the way to win.