Picture the PC classic Dungeon Keeper (but with cute animé graphics) crossed with the film Groundhog Day and you're halfway to understanding what Dungeon Maker is like to play.
Only halfway though, because Dungeon Maker is curiously difficult to describe. It's got both the critter-collecting of a Pokemon title (but none of the adventuring) and the sedate pace of Harvest Moon (but without the cabbages).
Unusually for a game in this genre, Dungeon Maker feels ageless. Not like Nicole Kidman, but more in the way that any age group could play it. It's got cute visuals, but it's got pin-sharp humour too. It's easy to play - those fans of a more hardcore dungeon trawler might say too easy - but despite the lightweight menus, it's still an epic slog to the end.
An ambitious but novice dungeon maker arrives in a small town known to suffer periodic attacks from violent monsters. He buys a vast plot of land at the outskirts of the town to create a grand dungeon in hopes of luring in various enemy monsters which to hunt to collect gold and items. He envisions his complete dungeon to be one so appealing as to lure the legendary Wandering Demon. Defeating this menacing monster would free the townspeople from the fear he casts upon them, while winning acclaim as a true dungeon maker for the "Architect."
Dungeon Maker is a nice little game package which will suit younger gamers - ideally those who haven't had too much experience of other role playing, turn based battle games with constant monster battling and grinding. It will no doubt be good training, and stand them in good stead for the future with its 30+ hours of gameplay.
Although being the idea of being a dungeon master is oddly appealing at first, it doesn't take long for tedium to settle in. Rising Star would have been better off bringing the Rune Factory games over here instead.
