| Pixel Dungeon | |
| Screenshot Alt: | Shows the logo and 4 options: play, rankings, badges, and about. |
| Developer: | Watabou |
| Released: | late 2012 |
| Latest Release Version: | 1.9.2 |
| Latest Release Date: | 1 December 2015 |
| Programming Language: | Java |
| Platform: | Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Linux |
| License: | GPLv3 |
| Language: | English |
| Genre: | Roguelike |
Pixel Dungeon is a 2012 roguelike indie game created by Oleg Dolya. Through turn-based gameplay, the player must descend and battle through dungeon floors to obtain the Amulet of Yendor. Initially developed for Android, it expanded to iOS and PC platforms. Dolya stopped updating the game in 2015. Since it is open source, the game's small community have created mods and games based on Pixel Dungeon
Pixel Dungeon is a simple roguelike video game with pixel art graphics.[1] [2] Players are tasked with obtaining the immortality-giving Amulet of Yendor by descending down the floors of a dangerous dungeon filled with monsters. Like other roguelikes, death is permanent and requires the player to start from the very beginning with a new game.[3]
Before every game, the player must choose a character class to play as: the melee Warrior; the wand-wielding Mage; the evasive Rogue; and the ranged, unlockable Huntress. Gameplay is turn-based and tile-based. Every time the player character moves or uses an item counts as at least one turn; in-game time progresses and enemies move every turn.
The player descends through maze-like floors such as sewers, abandoned prisons and buried Dwarven cities. New floor layouts are procedurally generated every game. There are 25 levels, with shops and a boss fight every five levels. NPCs can appear and give players quests in exchange for items.
The player can attack enemies with an equipped melee weapon, or use wands/ranged weapons from their inventory. Armor can be equipped which provides absorption against melee attacks. Rings can be equipped which provide bonuses to the player. Equipment can be upgraded, which enhances their stats. Weapons and armor can also be enchanted, giving them an extra effect. It is important to note that a player must become familiar with a piece of equipment to know its upgrade level. Some pieces of equipment may even be cursed, making them harm the player instead of helping them. The player has a range of items at their disposal. The player can find and use potions and scrolls, but they start off unknown to the player. For example, a player may not know the effect of an "orange potion" until they identify it.
The player levels up by gaining experience points from killing enemies. This increases their max health and effectiveness in combat. Enemies often sometimes drop equipment or money. The money can be used in shops that are on the floor below every boss level. Another mechanic is hunger. The player must find and eat food, or they will starve and take damage every turn.
Pixel Dungeon was created by independent developer Oleg "Watabou" Dolya, who was inspired by another roguelike titled Brogue (2009). By July 2014, it had over one million downloads on Google Play. Dolya released the game for iOS in July 2015, but shortly after stopped working on the game, considering it complete.
Pixel Dungeon was highly praised by players upon release. In a 4.5-star review, TouchArcade
Pixel Dungeon attracted a small community of fans who started a subreddit and Wikia for the game, which Koziara recommended for confused players. In 2014, Dolya made Pixel Dungeon open-source. The community has since developed mods for Pixel Dungeon and their own games based on its code.
Evan Debenham, a novice Canadian developer known as Shattered Pixel, started working on Shattered Pixel Dungeon shortly after Pixel Dungeon went open-source and he released it for Android. Debenham intended to work on balance out item benefits in Pixel Dungeon for several months, but it took seven years of continuous updates for Version 1.0 to come out in August 2021, coinciding with the iOS release. It is currently Debenham's primary project and main source of income.[7]
TouchArcade
Other popular variants include Skillful Pixel Dungeon, Yet Another Pixel Dungeon, and Remixed Dungeon: Pixel Rogue. These games all have the same base mechanics,[14] something Bo Thompson tried to avoid when developing Pixel Odyssey.