After our evil heroine Thalya had proven that it had always been Evil nature over Good nurture, restored the body of the Lazy Absolute Evil after an unfortunate accident, defeated her adoptive father that went mad from the Runes of Power… The entertainment-loving Evil threw a massive bender of a party!
Her brother Tristan has disappeared, her father is dead (again), the Absolute Evil is back in power! Hooray, Evil wins and rejoices once again. But… as in all previous games from German development studio Realmforge, the other shoe drops right as you achieve all your goals and desires. The wild, feared and repulsed “But!” appears.
But, as always, a small thing that you’ve previously forgotten and decided it didn’t matter comes back to kick you right in your Evil rear and blow out your evil party candles. The Dwarven Queen Brynnhild decided to hijack the party by hijacking the Council of Snots, running away to the desert, and…
And this is where Dungeons 4: The Good, the Bad and the Evil DLC truly begins. It brings aspiring Evil Overlords 5 new extensive missions, several new enemy units, a couple of traps utilizing new mechanics, and a whole new Wild West-inspired biome. Continue reading to find out more but beware of spoilers!
The new DLC will take Thalya and the Absolute Evil to the backdrop of cowboy prairies, shown against the backdrop of the endless desert, comical cities, imbued with the spirit of the Westerns: dry coarse sand that gets everywhere, huge scorpions, and… dwarves. Dwarves with guns, dwarves with rotary machine guns, with sniper rifles, cowboy-dwarves that love beer and explosive barrels. A whole. Lot. Of. Dwarves. There are also trains, endlessly moving locomotives filled with even more dwarves and sheer, unbridled hatred.
Momentarily putting the terrible jokes aside, the DLC will introduce players to a wonderful style of the Wild West, in which (glory be to the wonderful Evil!) we will not have to build and develop from scratch.
From the start, overworking but still fashionable Thalya will have access to all upgrades, all spells and all traps, immediately and readily available for leveling up and being used against the forces of Good. Hooray! The DLC provides you with a dungeon at our complete disposal, without rushing players to get to the surface immediately. You can develop at your own pace, and only them submerge to bring malice and injustice to the world.
However, missions 4 & 5 somewhat break that rule a little. But when did Absolute Evil ever abide by the rules, even self-imposed?! At that point, it will be brought around by the plot component that, much like a badness exam, will force you to show all your skills in the last stretch before the victory.
The DLC introduces an incredibly detailed Wild West biome, filled with trains, dwarves, cities, and various other surroundings built with great skill and attention. New traps allow the Insidious Evil to effectively protect the Dungeon Heart from various do-gooders and creepy crawlies, with the special mention going to the lava/water dragon-cannons. Just their view fills the forces of Good with completely rational doubt, but imagine the sheer usefulness in skillful hands of a dungeon architect!..
Just imagine a crowd of valiant heroes, wandering through your personal labyrinth made of a long, winding path and dozen traps, being shot at with chickens and poured with lava with the Dragon Cannons. A snack of baked chicken and some burnt heroes, delicious! New grates allow you to build up water/lava surfaces, and even create a lava-filled path to your Dungeon Heart. No one said being Good is an easy job!
Dungeons 4: The Good, the Bad and the Evil DLC is filled with comical throwbacks, references and jokes. The conversations between characters have a huge deal of sarcasm and irony, as well as the humor inherent in the series. Having played through all the Dungeons series along with the DLCs, I’m still amazed at how the developers manage to keep the humor going at the same level. Yes, it might be the level of a sarcastic beer-obsessed dwarf, but the developers are keeping to it!
There are references even in the names of locations, maps, cities, heroes, and all throughout simple conversations. The game pokes jabs at Netflix, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and a million other things. Just the sight of a train filled with dwarf cowboys armed to the teeth and crossing the desert is unforgettable. And when you get to the train race, and Thalya gets her very own Evil Train – these moments will bring you a lot of fun. And, if you are brave enough to venture to the high difficulty level, even a bit of a challenge.
The plot itself revolves around the return of the Council of Snots, and the appropriate revenge on the Queen of Dwarves and her beer stash. Did you really think Thalya and Absolute Evil ever needed a reason to be bad? Just an opportunity to bowl over some do-gooders is enough, bringing back your property at that is a welcome bonus!
Dungeons 4: The Good, the Bad and the Evil DLC offers even more goodness… or should we say badness? It is not too long or drawn out, the humor is on par with previous games in the series and preserves the unique satirical atmosphere of Dungeons.
However, it is also more of the same. If you have enjoyed the base game and simply want more of it, you will love the DLC. But if you were looking for something equally Evil but totally new? You will not find it here. The humor stayed largely the same, and the expansion does not offer any brand-new troops or buildings. A couple of new traps don’t revolutionize the gameplay, they only simplify the process of defending your Dungeon Heart.
