The Crypt of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos is a video game that falls under the genre of tactical role-playing. It is developed by Artefacts Studio and published by Dear Villagers. The game is based on a French audio series, "Le Donjon de Naheulbeuk," which has gained a cult following. The story revolves around a group of adventurers who embark on a quest to retrieve the Amulet of Chaos from the titular crypt. The players control a varied cast of characters, each with their unique abilities and skills. These include the Elf, the Ranger, the Barbarian, the Dwarf, the Magician, and the Ogre.
These include the Elf, the Ranger, the Barbarian, the Dwarf, the Magician, and the Ogre. The gameplay is turn-based, and players navigate through a series of dungeons and encounter various enemies along the way. They must use strategic thinking to overcome these obstacles and progress in their quest.
The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos
The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk is a pain in the ass to keep typing, so I’ll just refer to it as DoN from now on. DoN is inspired by a European parody of Dungeons and Dragons, and as such features stereotypical role playing party members and tongue-and-cheek references to the craft. This parodical writing is wrapped around a strategy RPG core that doesn’t deviate too far from its genre trappings, but has just enough depth to engage players. DoN has a simple formula of story bits, move to a main quest marker on the minimap, then SURPRISE! encounter! The actual circumstances are very reminiscent of a Dungeon Master winging it and trolling his players a bit, which does play into the whimsy and fantasy aspects well.
The characters are fully voice acted, although I’d say it’s about a sixty forty whether or not you’ll tolerate it. Funny enough, the developers preemptively included a silence Elf and silence Dwarf option as if to say, “We KNOW they’re annoying as all hell”. Personally, Elf is just a mostly harmless dumb blonde, and Dwarf is just a drunken walking stereotype with an admittedly decent voice to match. I found the leader of the group to be pretty charming, and it’s fun to see the other classes join your party and add to your repertoire of abilities. So speaking of character customization, there are standard character specific equipment to collect, a variety of consumables to equip into your utility slots, which can vary depending on if you can use a belt and whatnot, which switched things up for me, and a skill tree. Whenever you level up, you get stat points you can dump into your character statistics, a skill point for an active ability, and a skill point for a passive ability tree. Most of the passive abilities involve stat boosts based on your proximity to other characters, which rewards proper positioning and specific party combinations as you unlock new characters to swap in. The active abilities all had their uses, but I wouldn’t say every tree felt equally viable.
Combat in the game is relatively standard of the XCOM style of gameplay. You have a standard move and the ability to forego your action to sprint further. You can delay your turn first passing it until after another character to line up sequencing and combos. There is incentive to box in your characters to block out your opponent’s because moving outside a character’s zone of influence will incur an attack of opportunity, AKA free damage. Although this option, along with the overwatch, was a bit finicky in combination with orienting your character to a specific angle a la Final Fantasy Tactics. I honestly really disliked this aspect of the game because of the lack of leniency with an undo option, the mechanic tended to just bog down my play and befuddle my tactics. The one positive is using the orientation alongside allies to set up flanks, “supporting fire” bonuses, and backstabs. An interesting twist is the addition of critical failure and more random effects. There’s a meter that builds up if RNG is not favorable towards you, which allows you to leverage things like critical hits against you or missed attacks into full party heals or extra actions per turn. Otherwise, the game tends to be insultingly easy or stupidly cheap depending on how well you can adapt to whatever board-state the game throws at you. More often than not, you will have to suffer through trial and error at certain difficulty spike levels.
All in all, I’m torn on how I’d review DoN. I think it barely misses the mark for me. I can definitely recommend it and not feel too bad, but I just don’t think it’s without its red flags. It really depends on whether or not the silly atmosphere and humor gels with you. Gameplay itself is more frustrating than not, but there can be some fun with the skill trees, looting, and dungeon exploration. I’d wait for a price cut if anything.
The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos was developed by Artefacts Studio
Available on Steam and Epic Game Store for $34.99
A copy of the game was provided by the developer.
Hellfirebam has begrudgingly not awarded Dungeon of Naheulbeuk the Indie Seal of Approval. Check it out if you think you can afford it. I wouldn’t pick it over another game if your budget is tight.
The characters are fully voice acted, although I’d say it’s about a sixty forty whether or not you’ll tolerate it. Funny enough, the developers preemptively included a silence Elf and silence Dwarf option as if to say, “We KNOW they’re annoying as all hell”. Personally, Elf is just a mostly harmless dumb blonde, and Dwarf is just a drunken walking stereotype with an admittedly decent voice to match. I found the leader of the group to be pretty charming, and it’s fun to see the other classes join your party and add to your repertoire of abilities. So speaking of character customization, there are standard character specific equipment to collect, a variety of consumables to equip into your utility slots, which can vary depending on if you can use a belt and whatnot, which switched things up for me, and a skill tree. Whenever you level up, you get stat points you can dump into your character statistics, a skill point for an active ability, and a skill point for a passive ability tree. Most of the passive abilities involve stat boosts based on your proximity to other characters, which rewards proper positioning and specific party combinations as you unlock new characters to swap in. The active abilities all had their uses, but I wouldn’t say every tree felt equally viable.
The game also incorporates humor and satire, poking fun at traditional fantasy tropes. One of the key aspects of the game is its emphasis on choices and consequences. The decisions made by the players during dialogues and interactions can have a significant impact on the story and outcome of the game. This adds an element of replayability as players can explore different paths and experience alternate endings. The graphics of The Crypt of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos are colorful and cartoonish, adding to the whimsical nature of the game. The voice acting is also well-done, capturing the humorous tone of the original audio series. Overall, The Crypt of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos is a fun and entertaining game that combines tactical gameplay with humor. It is an excellent choice for fans of role-playing games looking for a lighthearted and comedic experience..
Reviews for "The Crypt of Naheulbeuk: Deepening Your Understanding of The Amulet of Chaos"
1. John - 1 star
This game was a complete disappointment. The graphics were outdated and felt like I was playing a game from the 90s. The controls were clunky and unresponsive, making it frustrating to navigate through the game. The storyline was confusing and lacked depth, leaving me feeling unconnected to the characters and their motivations. Overall, I found "The Crypt of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos" to be a boring and uninspiring experience.
2. Lisa - 2 stars
I had high hopes for this game, but sadly, it fell short of my expectations. The dialogue, which I expected to be witty and entertaining, was often cringeworthy and forced. The combat system felt repetitive and lackluster, and the AI of my companions was incredibly frustrating. The game failed to engage me and keep me interested, and I found myself losing interest quickly. While I appreciate the effort put into creating this game, it unfortunately did not deliver the immersive and enjoyable experience I was hoping for.
3. David - 2.5 stars
"The Crypt of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos" was a mediocre game at best. The humor that was touted as one of its strongest points felt juvenile and forced. The character development was lacking, and I found it difficult to feel invested in their stories. The puzzles were unremarkable and didn't offer much of a challenge. Overall, I found the game to be forgettable and not worth the price tag. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for a truly engaging and enjoyable gaming experience.