Deep dungeon crawler Oubliette is a must-play for serious gamers

Platform: Android

RATING
4 out of 5

PRICE
FREE

TASTY
Real fans of dungeon crawlers with some serious time on their hands will find Oubliette to be an exquisite, team-based challenge.

BUMMER
Too much of a challenge for casual gamers who tend to give up after a few party wipes. Players who enjoy a real challenge, don’t give up easily, and relish a chance to put some real strategies to the test will be generously rewarded with a very long, deep, multiplayer experience. Need to purchase the $3.99 full version to get the most out of the app. (And .99 for 20 temporal gems will also make the game less frustrating.)

COOL
Special temporal gems let your party “save” a given time and place, so if the enemy hordes get the best of your group it’s a snap to turn back the clock and try again. (Thanks, GabySoft!)

SIMILAR APPS IN THE MARKETPLACE:
Dungeon Quest
Star Traders RPG Elite
Dungeon Defenders: First Wave
Majesty: Fantasy Kingdom Sim

Read all of my Apple iPad and Google Android application reviews at Appolicious and Yahoo! Tech.

As a teenager, Dungeon’s & Dragons was definitely a fun time-sink for my friends and I. We’d spend hours planning, then running dungeon crawls, which tended to end in our untimely deaths more often than not. But with our heads held high, we roll new characters and figure out how to work our away around the monsters, traps, and other obstacles that stood in our way.

If you’re an Android owners with a serious sweet tooth for deep, multi-hour, multiplayer dungeon exploration that requires the same level of commitment to research, character creation, and multiple raids to tackle each location, then Oubliette is right up your alley.

A quick review of user comments and two hours of personal playtime out of the way, I can honestly say that this app will pose too much of a challenge for casual gamers who tend to give up after a few party wipes.

That said, players who enjoy a real challenge, don’t give up easily, and relish a chance to put some real strategies to the test will be generously rewarded with a very long, deep, multiplayer experience. Spending some time with the free version will help you see whether you’re up to this challenge, with a quick $3.99 purchase empowering you to get the most out of the app.

I also recommend picking up the wholly optional .99 download that drops 20 temporal gems into your inventory. These pink wonders let your raid party “save” at a given time and place, so if the enemy hordes get the best of your group while deep underground it’s a snap to turn back the clock and try again.

Gameplay is less first-person shooter, and more fantasy strategy in execution. You’ll need to team up with nine other players to form a full raid party to successfully explore many dungeons and get out alive. Your skills meld with the others to help you overcome the groups of vampires, trolls, orcs, and dragons that lie in wait. These baddies tend to hunt you in packs, so expect ambushes!

With eight player races available along with a small set of available occupations, your orc, elf, swarf, or kobold can become a ninja, paladin, ranger, sage, fighter, mage, or other class depending on how you allot your limited attributes. Plan well, and you’ll quickly amass better armor, spells, and skills, which will help you progress to tougher dungeons more quickly. Rush into battle and you’ll be wiped mercilessly.

Real fans of dungeon crawlers with some serious time on their hands will find Oubliette to be an exquisite, team-based challenge.