Luisa is on the holiday of a life-time . After walk forth from a life history in law , the red - haired hero ofDungeons of Hinterbergdecides to solve her one-quarter - sprightliness crisis with a trip to the Alps . She sink into a mountainside townsfolk , a small village that ’s become a hot travel destination after a series of magical dungeons appeared out of thin air one day . It ’s on that trip that Luisa is determined to chance herself , finding her true calling and rediscovering the magic in her biography . Sound familiar ?
You do n’t have to look far to feel media with this kind of premise — minus the dungeons , of course of study . There ’s a long custom of work that romanticize traveling and its healing index , fromUnder the Tuscan Sunto theappallingSex and the City 2 . ButDungeons of Hinterbergis unlike . This is n’t another unproblematic story of a cleaning lady finding her 2d act in a extraneous country ; it ’s a much - needed deconstruction of that narration told in a way that could only be done in a video recording game .
Dungeons of Hinterbergis a razor - sharp debut from developer Microbird that tackles the complexness of the tourism industry from every angle . From its impact on political relation to how it backs local businesses into a corner , the legal action - adventure game delivers a nuanced dissection of a restrained townspeople turned global attraction . And like any good tourist cakehole , it hooks player in with wondrous amusement , from ingeniously designed keep puzzles to magical powers that sour its raw landscape painting into amusement parks . It may not be the slickest action game , but it contains one of 2024 ’s most critical story .
Tourist trap
dungeon of Hinterbergtakes place in a witching realist version of the Alps rooted in folklore . After 25 dungeon suddenly pop out up around town , as well as regional magic go that any visitor can harness , Hinterberg ’s mayor seizes the opportunity and deform the Ithiel Town into a tourist destination . That draws the aid of Luisa and other “ killer ” who go from afar to complete each dungeon . It ’s advertised as a once - in - a - life-time experience that make visitors feel like hoagie as they solve puzzle , harness abilities , and slay monsters just like The Legend of Zelda ’s Link .
An fascinating enigma that ’s finely threaded throughout the risky venture .
In realness , the spot is much more complex . dungeon of Hinterberg ’s narrative success comes from how deftly it deals with that premiss across a 20 - hour runtime where not a second base of dialogue is wasted . Right from its opening tutorial donjon , it ’s open that something ’s not quite right about the dream scenario . A rogue earthquake make it clear that the magic trick may have fetch some side effects with it . Local leaders influence to underplay those problem all to protect the town ’s bottom line . That set the stage for an gripping mystery story that ’s finely threaded throughout the risky venture .
While the assumption share in supernatural problems , those are clever stand - ins for more run aground issues surrounding the touristry industry . Locals feel their tranquil way of life changing as influencers inundation into town for pic ops with gaudy new watershed . Small businesses are motor out of Ithiel Town as foreign - second megastores open . There ’s even an environmental consequence of it all as sudden temblor and magical pollution rock ‘n’ roll the town with increasing oftenness . Each twist brings a new layer to Hinterberg ’s mounting problems .
Luisa encounter herself at the center of that conflict , and her situation is just as complex . As a tourist , she ’s part of the job . As she eats breakfast at her quaint inn and spends her days traveling to dungeon clearly marked out for her in a cutesy stamp book , locals mourn as their old way of biography mistake away to commercialization . ButDungeons of Hinterbergisn’t out to remonstrate people like Luisa ; it ’s only understanding of her perspective . She ’s a cleaning lady in need of a life - affirming import , and the township holds a special power . Is it fair to shut it all down when so much healing comes from it ? Is she wrong for want that experience ?
Those questions get even more Byzantine when it becomes absolved that Hinterberg trust on touristry to hold up . The influx of visitors result in a boon to the town ’s economic system . Local businesses were formed around it that sell gamble gearing . Hotels and eating house are able to thrive thanks to well - off tourists coming in and out of town . Without the donjon , Hinterberg might give . Can a town like this ever go back to normal once the jinnee has been let out of the bottle ? Those gnarled questions had me absorbed throughoutDungeons of Hinterbergas I struggled to unravel a vane of complicated moral yarn alongside Luisa .
Into the dungeons
What ’s noteworthy about donjon of Hinterberg is how well it uses the medium to reinforce its grave topic . It ’s a surefooted action - risky venture plot that pulls clear inspiration from The Legend of Zelda and Persona . Each day I spend in Hinterberg is rive up into four contribution . aurora give me a bit more story over breakfast , while the good afternoon is where I trek out to one of four biomes to hunt for dungeons . Evenings are spent in town buying gear and sharpening my social relationships , while dark has me deciding if I want to stay up belatedly to boost my stats even more at the expense of having less wellness the next day . It ’s a rigid itinerary , as if it ’s been map out for me by a change of location planner . keep of Hinterbergalways maintain players in the headspace of a holidaymaker .
The center of that experience get along in the afternoon when I pick out my field trip-up for the day . After blame a location , I ’m dangle in a small open area dotted with commodious trail makers point me to landmarks , dungeon , and each area ’s magical power that I ’ll need to learn . Scenic landscapes ( paint in a colorful pop nontextual matter style that works much better for scenery than the toy - like characters ) sour into playground . It feels like I ’m free , but I ’m always being led around by the nose ; even underground chest obscure around or restful spot that ’ll boost my stats if I choose to spend my day there feel like they were carefully constructed to maximize my entertainment .
Each dungeon deliver an ingenious set of puzzler .
The independent attraction is the 25 donjon , which feel like a center between The Legend of Zelda ’s full donjon andBreath of the Wild ’s morsel - sized shrines . Each one hold a combining of arena engagement against folklore - inspired monsters and puzzle resolution . The latter is whereDungeons of Hinterbergexcels . Each dungeon delivers an ingenious hardening of puzzles that takes each country ’s two magic trance and finds no shortage of ways to twist their public-service corporation . In one area , I ’m able to muster a gooey cube and frivol away a magical zip ball that block up on command . Initially I think that the cube simply permit me get up to gamy ledges and the ball powers on electric switches . That ’s just the start . By the end of that area , I ’m using the cube to block laser , declare down switches , lift up with child gates , and even freeze enemies in place . One puzzle has me inject the zip lump into a tobacco pipe and reflect it off transferable surfaces to arrive at a door switch . Microbird flex some impressive mystifier chops here that should make it a meridian candidate to revive the classic Zelda formula if Nintendo ever need help .
Each dungeon is a distinct attraction , couch my king to good manipulation . In one , I ’m grinding down a rail on my magical snowboard as I fight off a giant moth ’s rocket blasts with my ranged laser . In another , I ’m drip in a spin onMonument Valleyas I rotate piece of a level to navigate a brain - bending labyrinth . It ’s like I ’m experiencing everything a resort has to provide , restrain myself entertain in newfangled way each daylight . And that amusement is wildly effective thanks to sharp puzzles that are always gratifying to solve . I can sense the haul of a tightly designed holiday like this , made to make me feel like the main character in an unfamiliar location .
The 2nd part of that comes throughaction - RPGbattles against weird Alpine critters , the one area whereDungeons of Hinterberg ’s magical charm loosens . scrap itself is perfectly fun ; I can cut at foe , use some special abilities on cooldown , and even use each region ’s magic spells as artillery . One field allow me summon a tornado to sweep over thorns and progress to eminent weapons platform , but I can also welt that out in battle to navigate through enemy . Since regional spells can only be used in their respective area , combat feels a little different in each expanse . Strong RPG hooks pump it up too , as I can call for resources that tone up my appurtenance and customize my loadout with perk - grant charms ( those introduce their own storage puzzle , as I only have a placed number of slots and each charm use up up a sure amount ) .
Like a college graduate on vacation , engagement eventually overstay their welcome . The foe motley dry out up too early on , and I ’m almost always give into a circular area where I just have to follow out the same strategy . There ’s a bit of experimentation to be done with my loadout , but I find myself on auto - buffer by the remnant preserve for struggling with some lock - on camera issues and some jerky animations that make ability like my whirlwind strike a morsel difficult to tame . Some day , I just like I could skip over fighting totally and spend time doing what I actually want to be doing .
There ’s an honesty to that flaw , even if it ’s an inadvertent one . There always seems to be that point in a planned vacation where you just get bored of what ’s been laid out for you . Do n’t like the daily activeness on a cruise ? There ’s not much you’re able to do in such a controlled outer space . The claustrophobic , unskippable nature of combat chew over that , always reminding me that there ’s something mechanical about my stay in Hinterberg . I ’m never permit to go off the rails , skip a dungeon , or free with anything that ’s been set out for me . Luisa is n’t mean to be a hero in her holiday , even if that ’s how it ’s advertised to her ; she ’s a cog . Without her , the tourism motorcar stops producing profits . Keep on execution until it ’s fourth dimension to go home .
A good tourist
WhileDungeons of Hinterbergacknowledges the exploitative nature of a lucrative vacation industriousness , its go message is a constructive one . Luisa ’s journey is about more than self - discovery ; it ’s about learning the remainder between being a tourer and a visitant . It is n’t just about what she can take from Hinterberg but what she can give back to its community of interests during her stay . That ’s the flake of nuance that makesDungeons of Hinterberga critical study in a blood line of “ biography - affirming vacation ” media .
I leave Hinterberg with a desire to be more respectful of my environment …
That ’s also represented through gameplay in the mannikin of a Persona - inspired societal liaison system . Each eve , Luisa chooses to pass the night out with someone in township . It ’s a strong progress system , as abstruse societal bonds grant her bonuses that pasture from increased HP to armor blacksmithing ( befriending a local hot dog even unearths a concealed dungeon ) . But the more in effect reward are the personal ones these scenes offer . Each fictional character has their own short history that intensify Luisa ’s understanding of Hinterberg and what its resident physician are going through .
One strong bond links me up with a local creative person who turn his feelings into statue . He tells me about one piece , an incomplete cube mean to represent how misshapen his town has become . Another electric arc has me aiding a small-scale business that ’s being pushed out by an American - financed store that ’s hurting local storage . The deeper I get into each report , the more I see the way that I can help alternatively of hurt . I leave Hinterberg with a desire to be more respectful of my environment , polite toward the residents welcome me in , and supportive of their businesses . I ca n’t just slay monsters all solar day , hold myself a hero , and result . An Alpine village is n’t my own personal theme park .
It ’s through that nuanced journey that Luisa truly finds the organic evolution she seek by the end ofDungeons of Hinterberg . A quest for cheap thrills in a pretty townspeople efflorescence into a series of life lesson about the room we mesh with the humans alfresco of our comforter zones . It ’s not that she needs a temporary distraction from her leaden business that ’ll live on in an Instagram provender ; she needs to call up that there ’s magic in literal human connectedness . mystifier are meant to be solved , devil to be slain , and donjon to be cleared , but Hinterberg is n’t a conquest for a bored traveler . It ’ll only cure you if you ’re willing to listen and learn .
donjon of Hinterbergwas test on personal computer andSteam Deck OLED .
