Indie game developers come up with some interesting twists on classic game play. A lot of them are of course retro inspired, which if you know me or read this blog that’s right up my alley. Now that doesn’t mean all retro inspired Indie games are great. I’ve played a fair amount of them over the past two years and played some…not so great ones. Thankfully, Dungeon of Elements is one of the great ones and I had a blast playing this fun and interesting game!
Take RPG elements, along with a dungeon crawler feel and Dr. Mario game play, throw them in a blender and you got yourself one interesting take on a puzzle game. Yes you read that correctly, the game play is based off of Dr. Mario! You play in a grid area as little pill shaped objects fall from above. Your goal is to match four of the same color to destroy the enemy. It is an actual enemy which I though was kind of neat and there’s even a nifty beastiary to look at the stats of various baddies but you must obtain an enemy scroll first.
On the bottom right hand corner of the screen is a field map which at first confused me. As I played more I started to notice how useful this little map was. It displays your playing field in a 3D isometric view so you can see the playing area in better detail. This is handy for levels that have benches or bar stools that will block your “pills” from falling. These obstructions are view-able in the play field, but at first I wasn’t aware what they were and my pills got stuck there. A nice little difficulty spike! So be sure to keep an eye on the 3D map to see a what may block you! Another neat thing is some levels have holes in the floor. Say you get a pill that you don’t need. Simply let it fall in a hole and go about your business! I like this a lot better than the cliche puzzle way of “holding” the piece until you need it.
Killing enemies sometimes results in them dropping items. Be it weapons, shields, gold etc. You don’t obtain these automatically though. Be sure to click on the items to collect them. Between levels you can equip your character with different gear like any basic RPG. You can actually attack enemies directly by clicking on your weapon first and then click on the enemy. Each weapon is different though and there is a timer until you can use your weapon again so be sure to use this option sparingly! You can see what your character has equipped by looking at him/her in the top right corner of the screen. It’s always a nice feature when equipment actually changes appearance on your character!
Along with all this you can craft weapons and armor that isn’t available elsewhere! For those of you who like Monster collecting, Dungeon of Elements has you covered. There are quite a few monsters to find and befriend who will help you along your way! I’m amazed at the amount of content this puzzle game has. You can tell some thought and love went into making DoE. Your typical puzzle game this is not! The music is pretty darn good as well! I’m a big fan of game music. It’s all I really listen to and I recommend picking up the soundtrack if you enjoyed as much as I did. You can buy it from the website directly!
Right now Dungeon of Elements is trying to get on Steam. If any of this sounds like a game you’d be interested in, why not help get them on Steam by voting for it! Or if you must play it now (which I recommend you do), you can buy it from Frogdice’s website. I’ll provide a link at the bottom for those interested. I really do not have any negative to say about it. It’s a fun, pick up and play, retro puzzle themed game that anyone can play! Now that you’ve read my thoughts on Dungeons of Elements it’s time to go and play!
Final Verdict: 9/10
Buy Dungeon of Elements and the Soundtrack here: http://doe.frogdice.com
Retrocious 
Thanks so much for covering our game. We are thrilled you enjoyed it.
If anyone has questions about the development, feel free to ask!
It’s good to hear more getting out about this game. I’ve been playing games by the individuals responsible for this one for over twelve years. You are right that they put thought and love into all their projects. I could go on about that, but I’ll move on to this game:
I love the crafting system most myself. I’ve got a tad bit of OCD when it comes to systems like this one and I’ve spent more time trying every possible mixing combination I can come up with than I’ve spent on the rest of the game so far. Figuring out which armor set looks best and what weapon will be best for a particular, troublesome dungeon is fun too.
I also enjoy that treasure drops can be left on the field if you want as a temporary platform for making a match (or avoiding screwing one up below). And since all uncollected treasure is automatically grabbed when you win a level, there is no worry about having to collect it *now,* unless it’s in the way.
Figuring the right tactics for a few of the bosses was trickier, but is again a fun addition.
All-in-all, I totally back you up that people should definitely give it a go!
I didn’t get too far into the crafting. I just did what I needed to progress because I wanted to get the review out. I was already late with the review but luckily they understood. I do plan on returning to DoE frequently as the crafting was fun and I didn’t finish the game. I didn’t know that about the treasure drops being able to be used as a platform! That’s pretty awesome! I always picked up the loot as soon as it was dropped!
Thanks for the tips! I’ll be sure to try these out next time I play! This was my first FrogDice game and I really enjoyed it! I may have to try some of their other games and I’m on board for any future games they release!
I remember this game because SlimKirby played it as sort of a promotion thing. It reminds me a lot of Dr. Mario, and if I had the money, I’d snatch it up right away. Dr. Mario + RPG = this game. And win.