Dungeon Inn Review: Playing Both Sides for Profit (PC)

I am a sucker for fantasy games that mess with the standard formula. Potionomics might be my favorite of all time, but there’s a new contender in the arena today: Dungeon Inn. Once again, we look at the classical fantasy setting, but shift our POV. Where the latter game made you the shop keep, this one puts you in charge of a devious little inn.

Devious, you may ask? How could running an inn be devious? Normally it wouldn’t be, but in Dungeon Inn, you’ve made a deal with the devil. Er… dragon. Keep everyone happy, keep the fights to a minimum, and keep those profits high! Market your inn, stall adventurers, and don’t forget to charge extra for the pickles!

It’s a fun game that doesn’t require a lot of time investment. Open it up, running a day or even a week, and come back when you’re ready for more. But if you’re looking to binge, Dungeon Inn definitely makes that easy with simple, yet addictive gameplay. Just make sure you don’t get caught playing both sides.

Dungeon Inn is available on Steam for $11.69

Story – Working With Dragons for Fun and Profit

I’m not only a sucker for flipping the script on familiar tropes, I’m a sucker for being, shall we say, less than scrupulous in my games. In Dungeon Inn, you run a suspiciously well placed inn just outside of a popular dungeon. Two different guilds, the Seaside Guild and the Mountain Guild, frequent this dungeon. The catch? They hate one another and will fight on site. So what’s an entrepreneur like Sara to do? Use a magic portal so your door leads to two nearly identical inns.

A nearby dragon likes the cut of your jib, so he’s forwarding you the cash to invest in this little inn. But don’t think he’s an angel investor; he expects a monthly tribute. That’s okay, because Sara and her friends are devious and know how to wring the most cash out of those guildies. Dungeon Inn lets your advertise your inn, customize it for each guild, and of course, settle any disputes in front of your inn with a nice, diplomatic sword to the back.

But the longer you play the guilds against each other, the more dangerous things can get. Week by week, new challenges, new characters, and new hazards arise to threaten your precious pile of gold. But each character – Sara, Butter, and Bami – brings skills to the table (and bar, and grill, and general store…) that help you navigate these challenges, like Sara’s natural charm or Butter’s combat prowess. Even so, how long can you really keep it up?

Sara has a “unique” solution to the guilds finding out your plot.

Gameplay – Time to Make Some Money!

The gameplay for Dungeon Inn breaks down into two main phases: Preparation and Execution. First, get your rooms and other amenities set up, then manage how the adventurers approach your inn.

Preparation – Prep the Meals and Fluff the Pillows!

Before each week starts, you’ll be presented with a diagram of your inn. Being that it’s magical, the front door leads to either the Seaside Guild’s side or the Mountain Guild’s side. Here you can use tokens earned with each guild to add new facilities and improve existing ones. Maybe Seaside would like a snack bar? Or Mountain a training room? Make sure to use your limited resources wisely, because Dungeon Inn only gives them to you after each successful week. 

Completing the challenges and earning tokens during the Execution phase set you up with the tokens you need. Consider which guild you need to impress (or lower the suspicion of!) and try to cater to their needs. Set yourself up for maximum profit… then opens the doors.

Execution – Bring Them All In!

Once the doors are open, strings of adventurers stream down from two cities, all headed for the dungeon. Your inn sits right between their paths, a convenient rest stop for those heading in. Different adventurers – cats, turtles, spiders, lizardfolk – with different levels and different walking speeds. Some will naturally want to enter the inn, but you’ll need to lure others in. The trick is balancing their arrival so they don’t show up at the same time.

The big thing about Dungeon Inn is playing both sides. You don’t want to have Seaside guildies show up at your front door at the same time as Mountain guildies. If they do, a battle ensues. You can sit and watch to see who wins or you can intervene and help one side. That side tends to view you better, but you don’t want to attract too many fights.

As you manage the speed of the adventurers by slowing them down with Food Carts or speeding them up with Energy Drinks, you’ll come across challenges. A dwarf from the Mountain Guild might want a stronger brew. Perhaps a rabbit from the Seaside Guild ran out of cash for their meal. How you deal with these events affects how the guilds treat you – and more importantly, how much money you can make!

Each week you’ll face new challenges. Master them for profit!

Audio & Graphics – Cozy and Quaint

The music in this game, while not epic, is perfect. I’m a big believer that a good soundtrack for a game shouldn’t stand out, but help you ease into narrative. Dungeon Inn‘s soundtrack may not end up on your Spotify playlist, but works its magic perfectly. It sets the tone for the Fantasy Inn atmosphere and keeps your mind focused on your task without pulling your attention.

Likewise, the graphics are so wonderfully charming, too! The colors and art style feel like a something out of an old book. But unlike another fantasy trope twister, Potion Craft, the art is still pleasant to look at three hours in. Dungeon Inn‘s art is vibrant and colorful, but still feels perfect for a fantasy tavern keeper. Sara and her cohorts are gorgeously rendered and, despite being simple, the cutscenes are, well… charming!

Dungeon Inn was reviewed on PC with review key provided by Jesús Fabre PR.