Dungeon Keeper Video Game Series
A series of real-time strategy games (RTS), launched in 1997. The first two installments of the series were the works of Bullfrog Productions, a studio founded by the famous Peter Molyneux, which had previously made golden records in the history of video games with such projects as Populous or Syndicate. Later Mythic and TQ Digital Entertainment studios also contributed to the brand. Since the beginning of the series, publishing rights to it are in the hands of Electronic Arts.
The first game under this banner, namely Dungeon Keeper, saw the light of day in 1997. The production was an artistic and commercial success, quickly gaining cult status. Forging iron while hot, a few months after its release the authors released an expansion titled Dungeon Keeper: The Deeper Dungeons. Bigger changes came with a full-fledged sequel released in 1999, titled Dungeon Keeper 2, which repeated the success of the original and established the brand's high position in the mass consciousness of gamers. Unfortunately, it was the last part of the series that its original authors worked on. After just over 14 years, a mobile spin-off of the series appeared, simply titled Dungeon Keeper, which was met with massive criticism. In the meantime, another side production was being created, namely. Dungeon Keeper World, combining elements of strategy and MMORPG, although it ultimately never saw the light of day.
In the games of the series Dungeon Keeper we find ourselves in a fantastic world and take on the role of the titular Dungeon Keeper, whose task is to defend the underworld from the temptations of surface heroes and plot to ensure his unparalleled power. In the course of the game we dig tunnels and rooms for various purposes; among them you'll find chicken coops, necessary for the survival of our subordinates, as well as places providing them with entertainment (such as torture rooms or casinos) or the opportunity to develop (arenas, training rooms).
Under our command are a variety of creatures - from the weakest, whose life goal is to work hard for the Dungeon Keeper, to the stronger, living to fight for him. Since our sub-commanders don't perform their duties for free, one of the key aspects of gameplay is the mining of gold and diamonds, which are used to pay our salaries, among other things. When, on the other hand, heroes enter our dungeon, we must do everything in our power to prevent them from reaching the Heart of the Dungeon. To do this, we prepare our dungeon for the arrival of the invaders by setting up various traps, as well as training soldiers, who we can drop on the scene and support them with various spells.
In addition to the conventions and gameplay ideas, the hallmark of the games in the series Dungeon Keeper is the ability to view dungeons from the eyes of one of our sub-commanders. In most cases, the pillars of these productions are single-player story campaigns, but they also offer multiplayer modes. Although the first installment of the series already used 3D gas pedals, only its sequel boasted fully 3D graphics.
Although after the release of the second part of the series the brand failed to regain its former glory, over the years it has lived to see imitators, among which the most noteworthy is the series that draws handfuls from it. Dungeons. It borrows from Dungeon Keeper both the idea and mechanics, as well as other elements, such as replacing the cursor with a characteristic clawed hand.
Dungeon Keeper Series Evolution
2013
Dungeon Keeper
1999
Dungeon Keeper 2
1997
Dungeon Keeper (1997)
Dungeon Keeper
Strategy
October 10, 2013
Mobile remake of the best-selling game Bullfrog studio from 1997, combining elements of real-time strategy, RPG and modern tower defense. In the game we play the role of the title guardian of the underground, who, using an army of various monsters, must protect his estates from the temptations of celebrity daredevils.
Dungeon Keeper 2
Strategy
June 26, 1999
Continuation of Bullfrog Productions' perverse and humorous real-time strategy. In the cellars it is again crowded with troublemakers looking for fame and riches. The dungeon guard has his hands full of robots setting traps on intruders, and he dreams of conquering the world on the surface.
Dungeon Keeper (1997)
Strategy
June 26, 1997
An innovative real-time strategy game set in a fantasy universe. Dungeon Keeper was created by Peter Molyneux’s Bullfrog Productions, the studio known for the Populous and Syndicate series. Unlike many dungeon crawlers popular in 1990s, Dungeon Keeper does not put you in the shoes of an adventurous hero, instead letting you play as a demonic lord of dungeons. Your main task is building an expansive net of dungeons and defending them from raiding heroes. To achieve this you have to put up various fortifications, set traps, and fill endless corridors with armies of monsters. At the same time you have to keep an eye on your economy, by looking out for new deposits of gold and diamonds, needed for dungeon expansion as well as recruiting and training of your warriors. Dungeon Keeper offers a single player campaign made up of 20 main missions and 5 extra missions, each one with specific objectives. The game also offers 4-people multiplayer with 15 dedicated maps. Gameplay uses isometric view, which is typical of the RTS genre.
- Dungeon Keeper: The Deeper Dungeons November 30, 1997
Dungeon Keeper World
Strategy
cancelled
A strategic MMORPG, referring to the Dungeon Keeper series. As the Lord of the Underground, we manage the dungeons, the goal of their development and direct more and more subordinates. What is new is the opportunity to develop the hero and his individual travels through the world of underground corridors, solving tasks, gaining experience and treasures.
Dungeon Keeper Series News
Strategy, Which Defined the Genre, Is Coming to Steam. EA Has Given New Life to First Command & Conquer and 8 Other Games
The first installment of Command & Conquer is now available on Steam. Besides it, other classic Electronic Arts titles have also hit Valve's platform. Among them are, for instance, Dungeon Keeper 2 or Populous.
video games
Maciej Gaffke
March 8, 2024
Iconic Dungeon Keeper Received Version 1.0 of Fan-made Remaster Called KeeperFX
After several years of work, version 1.0 of the KeeperFX project has finally been released. It's a mod that ported the iconic strategy game Dungeon Keeper to a new engine and introduced many improvements and new elements.
Files and Mods
Adrian Werner
November 15, 2023
Peter Molyneux Has an Idea 'Not Seen in Any Game Before'
The father of the Fable series and the unforgettable Black & White, Peter Molyneux, has revealed that his upcoming project will be reminiscent of the greatest hits he created.
video games
Kamil Kleszyk
July 7, 2023