Dungeon in a Bottle Reviews

I knew this was a great game when not even 20 levels in I was wishing death upon the developer. It's got a long list of features; great art, loveable music, smooth and engaging progression of challenge, the sweet screams of your friend on discord at 25% volume as he dies on a level named "beatings will continue until morale improves" for the 200th time. As someone who is certifiably bad at the game and only hopes to one day, maybe, finish it, I can still tell you this a treasure decked out in some hipster new-indie-game clothing.

[h1] Only two hours played so far, but this is definitely a challenge I'm invested in. [/h1] The art, music and easy-to-learn/hard-to-master mechanics of this game keep me coming back. Not only is there a real ramp up of difficulty as the levels teach you how to play, but the game rewards you with even deeper mechanics as you progress. Each level starts as a puzzle of how you're actually gonna get the coins, the keys, and the heck outta there. And then you actually have to do it all without dying. I usually just throw myself at it until I figure it out. Either way, this game is hard, [b] and I'm glad it is. [/b] [h1] [edit after beating the game] [/h1] It took me more than 19 hours and 6000 deaths to fully complete this game. [i] Every level, every coin. [/i] The levels just got better and better. You get to a level and think, "There is [b] no way [/b] I can do this." Then you slowly work it out jump by jump, trying every possible move until you just don't die. Then you see the end of the level and focus even harder to pull off the solution you've figured out. Very little beats the feeling of spending an hour on a level, just to finally find the right combination of moves that gets the coins, the keys, and you through that door. [i] "I'm a gamer..." [/i] I highly suggest getting the coins. I highly [b] highly [/b] suggest getting [b] all of the coins. [/b] And I highly [b] highly H I G H L Y [/b] suggest that you play this game :)

I am just listing out the features which may not be obvious to infer from the current description page. [olist] [*]If you are accustomed to Celeste-likes, then you [b]WILL[/b] be annoyed by the movement (which is slightly sluggish, i.e., slow to start and slow to stop). [*]This game implements wall-[b]KICK[/b] and not wall-jump, i.e, you have to press the [b]OPPOSITE[/b] of the intended direction. [*]There is no quick-reset button. [*]The music could have been a [i]tad[/i] more exciting. [/olist] The relatively high-cost does leave a sour aftertaste. I did get used to the mechanics but in the end, I felt that I paid a bit too much for this product. Nevertheless, it is a good game and though I couldn't appreciate it, someone else will.

Difficult but in a fun and satisfying way. Played until my hand got too tired to do what my brain wanted it to but I will return!

A charming and challenging precision platformer with a focus on different kinds of wall jumps and various mechanics to utilise them. Although I found the controls to be slightly sensitive in the air and the lack of coyote frames to be questionable, I definitely enjoyed my time with this game and would recommend it to fans of the genre.

It's clear to tell from the discerning level design and precise controls, that the developers have an intimate relationship with platformers. Not an obstacle is out of place, but levels will often present more flexibility than one 'set path.' Platforming aside, everything from the animations to the music is just crammed with style. I've been fortunate to have had the opportunity to play the game in it's earlier stages. The final product is absolutely worth a look if you enjoy tough platforming. And, allowing the player to skip some of the more difficult levels is a nice accessibility feature. Overall, a great indie title with uber-refined platforming and tons of charm!

Very good platformer game. Main mechanic of the game is wall jumping, which keeps expanding after each of the 3 artifacts you collect during the playthrough. The game keeps the focus on this mechanic, the complexity of the stages comes from stages hazards and the way they interact with the player and wall jumping. I like how there is a mechanic that punishes the player for pressing the jump button too many times, its like the game wants you to be careful with how you act, just like a thief should.

This platformer offers a captivating and demanding experience, even for individuals who may not excel in this genre. The game implements a gradual difficulty curve that gradually increases towards the conclusion, allowing players to adapt and grow. For those who possess adept platforming skills, I highly recommend challenging themselves to collect all the coins, as this endeavor enhances the learning curve and amplifies the overall enjoyment derived from the game due to the heightened complexity. In terms of constructive criticism, the game's primarily lacking aspect lies in its musical diversity. Though the existing soundtrack is pleasing, the repetitive nature of the music becomes apparent after spending several hours within the same world, potentially diminishing the overall immersion. Additionally, it would have been an appreciated addition if the developers had incorporated some form of reward or acknowledgment for successfully obtaining all the coins, even if it consisted solely of a commendation at the end. Overall, this game stands out as a remarkable experience that I wholeheartedly recommend. I would rate it 8 out of 10.

I'm not the target audience for this game. I don't like splatformers, generally (ie, very hard, generally single-screen, platformers with instant re-spawn). Playing a difficult game, for me, is not a pleasurable experience. So, while there's no way I will ever be able to fully complete Dungeon in a Bottle, I have played enough splatformers (I beat Celeste...that's impressive, right?) to know that fans of the genre will enjoy this game. Dungeon in a Bottle strips out a lot of nonsense to allow the player to focus only on what needs to be focused on: pixel perfect platforming. The music is beautiful, but it says back. The art style is beautiful, but it stays back. Even the color palette--mostly warm tertiary hues--stays back. If you like Celeste, Super Meat Boy, N++, and similar quick-death, quick-learn platformers, give Dungeon in a Bottle a chance. And if you don't like those games, give Dungeon in a Bottle a chance at least for the absolutely captivating animation.

1 ) Very short playtime thus far and I will definitely update this as I play more, but I just wanted to give a review to say it seems to run perfectly on Steam Deck and it really does some interesting things with platform mechanics that will appeal to fans of games like Celeste or N++ if you're into them. Definitely more on the challenging side, but a level select appears after the first "tutorial" levels and you can skip levels that are too difficult via that method, so it has a nod to accessibility as well without gating content. 2) Okay, a full 45 minutes of play in this game and I can say it's great if you like tough as nails platforming that follows a really tight and fair set of rules. I'm pretty good at platform games, so I enjoyed the difficulty and I felt like it ramped in such a way that worked perfectly for my skill level because it essentially taught me how to play the game better. It truly treats platforming like a puzzle in a way that can feel frustrating, but extremely gratifying when you accomplish a level you've been trying for several minutes. It's still holding up amazingly well on steam deck and I haven't had a single issue with it throughout my time with it.