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KeeperRL, ambitious blend of Dwarf Fortress and Dungeon Keeper, hits 1.0 after eleven yearsMore updates to come
More updates to come
Image credit:Electric Succubi
Image credit:Electric Succubi
Back in 2014,KeeperRLhad a handful of alpha releases and a successful IndieGogo funding campaign, and was due to be finished that year. Then the ambitiousDwarf Fortress-lite orDungeon Keeper-heavy made its way throughthe player-voted Steam Greenlgiht process, at which point its developer decided, hey, why not work on this game for longer.
Ten years and several dozen more updates later, KeeperRL has just hit 1.0.
All of which sounds swell to me. “Sounds” because, although I’ve played just a tiny touch of KeeperRL, that was a decade ago, and I remember it not.
Dungeon Keeper and Dwarf Fortress have a lot in common, but are very different in other, key ways. KeeperRL’sSteam pagedescribes it as being “simulated on a very detailed level”, for example, with granular wounding, fire that spreads, and a rich variety of “items, spells, attributes and special attacks.” It lays no claim to simulating the inner worlds of its minions, and so I suspect your orcs and men will not be taking to a fey mood and demanding materials for great works of art. You probably know yourself whether that’s a disappointment or a relief.
It’s quite a good time to be a Dungeon Keeper fan, given an open source remake KeeperFxjust hit version 1.0 after 15 yearsof development.
KeeperRL will continue to receive balance patches and fixes post-release, as well as a 1.1 update to add “more content and gameplay that didn’t make it to the 1.0, including another playable keeper faction”,according to its developer.
If you want to buy it now, it’s £11.61/$15/€12.59.
