Other settings for dungeon crawlers than "Generic fantasyland #x+1"

[bartholen_v1legacy]

With the upcoming release of Diablo 3 this popped up on my mind. Why is it that all dungeon crawlers (and I mean specifically games with an isometric view about killing tons of monsters, leveling up, gathering loot and improving your character) seem to be exclusively set in medieval-to 15th century fantasy worlds when there are a lot more possibilities? Darkspore is the only example I can think of that did this with a sci-fi setting. Other than that there seems to be some sort of law that dungeon crawlers cannot possibly be set anywhere where there aren't goblins, swords and sorcery around. Torchlight, Titan Quest (counts although it's greek mythology instead of usual fantasy), the Diablo games and the sacred games are all just basic fantasy fare.

Here to mention a few examples hpw to move the formula to new territories:

1. Military setting

It seems to be generally accepted in video games that the military is always conducting some sort of covert research, either to make supersoldiers (Resident Evil, F.E.A.R., Crysis, Far Cry) or super weapons (Prototype) so how hard it is to make a dungeon crawler out of that?

- The army rarely has a shortage of supplies, so in this way the copious amounts of loot would actually be more easily explained.

- The "super soldier experiment gone wrong"-plot device would let designers go and invent all sorts of varied and colourful monster designs.

- The "super weapon experiment gone wrong"-plot device would let the designers go and invent all sorts of varied and colourful weapons and equipment designs.

- In addition to monsters you could fight all the real military fare: tanks, helicopters, soldiers, special forces, entrenchments etc.. This would also open up interesting AI behavior like, say, a troop carrier: requires a lot of damage to bring down from a distance, but if it gets too close, unloads a squad of soldiers to attack you. There would be mine traps to surprise you, barbed wire to slow you down or prevent you from moving altogether, snipers shooting at you from outside your view so you would have to figure out their position by finding cover... fuck, why hasn't anyone made this yet?

2. Sci-fi setting

I mentioned Darkspore, but I don't really even have to list the things that would make a good sci-fi dungeon crawler. Just replace everything with laser swords, plasma rifles, super-powered electric hammers, gigantic space tentacle monsters, slick, futuristic locations, beautiful space vistas... do I really even have to say this? A sci-fi dungeon crawler practically writes itself.

3. A Mario-esque setting

I literally came up with this one while writing the previous paragraph's last sentence. A kid-friendly, colourful adventure where you... oh fuck it, just imagine Diablo with Mario as the player character, the mushroom kingdom instead of caves and dungeons and Mario enemies instead of monsters.

The reason why I think nothing like these will be made anytime soon is because they always get compared to Diablo. Fucking hell, game critics, you're always asking for originality and creativity, why not allow dungeon crawlers to be different.

Thoughts, please.

 

[Ordinaryundone]

Hellgate: London used a futuristic/sci-fi/horror design.

Space Siege is Dungeon Siege IN SPAAAAACCCEEEE

X-Men Legends and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance are the BG: Dark Alliance games but in the Marvel universe

Dead Island takes place on a modern day resort island populated by zombies

Borderlands takes place in a sci-fi/post-apocalyptic setting on another planet.

Three of those are first person shooters, but they are nearly identical in gameplay design. Really, I think you just aren't looking hard enough.

 

[Smooth Operator]

There are plenty of different attempts at this and they mostly fail on being interesting.
The dungeon crawler formula is paper thin, but the devs don't seem to realize that this means they need to put tons of work into the few elements they have and rather just take it as an easy way out and slap it all with random.

 

[NerfedFalcon]

Borderlands takes place in a sci-fi/post-apocalyptic setting on another planet.

If you can get past the robots and the giant skeletons, it's a bit like a space western, actually. Though, I wouldn't strictly call Borderlands a 'dungeon crawler'; more a first-person shooter with elements of Diablo.

 

[spartandude]

Two words "Space Hulk"

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

This is a good question. I can think of several sci-fi roguelikes, but something tells me you want something descended from Diablo, not something that Diablo is descended from. I guess if you want to stretch the definition, Alien Swarm and its spiritual predecessor, Alien Breed come pretty close. Beyond that, I'm drawing a blank.

 

[Kahunaburger]

I can think of several sci-fi roguelikes

My first thought as well. Also roguelikes where you play (or can play) tourists, dogs, harkonnens, mario, doomguy...

 

[forsaac]

It would be neat to have more diverse settings for these games rather than all medieval fantasy all the time heck a dungeon set in a modern setting perhaps a criminal lair?

 

[Terminate421]

An entire world populated by Pokemon

Do I win? Oh wait, yes I do. (Seriously, this game is fucking amazing)

 

[wintercoat]

An entire world populated by Pokemon

Do I win? Oh wait, yes I do. (Seriously, this game is fucking amazing)

It's such a shame that Explorers of Time/Space/Sky are passed over by a lot of people because it's Pokemon. They're great games with a great story and excellent characterization and character growth. I've got Time, keep meaning to pick up Sky for all the juicy extras added.

 

[Terminate421]

An entire world populated by Pokemon

Do I win? Oh wait, yes I do. (Seriously, this game is fucking amazing)

It's such a shame that Explorers of Time/Space/Sky are passed over by a lot of people because it's Pokemon. They're great games with a great story and excellent characterization and character growth. I've got Time, keep meaning to pick up Sky for all the juicy extras added.

You took the words right out of my mouth. Word for word.

I have time, but I have yet to pick up Sky.

Sky is recommended for all the little bits that were not in the first games.

 

[baddude1337]

Although the game gets a lot of hate (mainly due to its shitting on the lore and fans), Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel was a pretty decent post apocalyptic dungeon crawler.

 

[Muspelheim]

Perhaps a fantasyworld that has evolved beyond the 15'th century would do for a compromise?

Imagine a dungeon crawler where the player character is pretty much like a Team Fortress 2 mercenary. Magic, dragons and whatnot still exist, but they do so alongside telephones and radios and whatnot. Instead of a robed mage, the sorceror-class can be someone in a labcoat and some sort of amplification device for his icebolts or whatnot. The ranger-class could have a rifle or a scoped AK, while the tanking class got a modernized sword and a riot-shield.

Together, our intrepid graverobb... Eh, ancient company asset excavators dwelve into the few dark corners of the world to recover magic macguffins for one of several titanic corporations waging a silent mage-war beneath cubicles and cooking shows.

 

[DoPo]

Perhaps a fantasyworld that has evolved beyond the 15'th century would do for a compromise?

Imagine a dungeon crawler where the player character is pretty much like a Team Fortress 2 mercenary. Magic, dragons and whatnot still exist, but they do so alongside telephones and radios and whatnot. Instead of a robed mage, the sorceror-class can be someone in a labcoat and some sort of amplification device for his icebolts or whatnot. The ranger-class could have a rifle or a scoped AK, while the tanking class got a modernized sword and a riot-shield.

Together, our intrepid graverobb... Eh, ancient company asset excavators dwelve into the few dark corners of the world to recover magic macguffins for one of several titanic corporations waging a silent mage-war beneath cubicles and cooking shows.

You vaguely described Arcanum. There is magic and stuff, yes, but also trains, electricity, robots (so you don't get the wrong impression, they are more like automatons), telegraphs and so on. You can have a necromancer alongside a guy in clockwork armour wielding two pistols.

Hello,

did you mean something like this? ;]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFgeeQy1moQ

So. Much. Awesome. Dude, I think I love you. It reminds me of the Might and Magic games, and I've been waiting for such a long time a new one.

 

[Muspelheim]

You vaguely described Arcanum. There is magic and stuff, yes, but also trains, electricity, robots (so you don't get the wrong impression, they are more like automatons), telegraphs and so on. You can have a necromancer alongside a guy in clockwork armour wielding two pistols.

While it's a good example, of course, I ment more modern than that. Like a fantasy world equivolent to the 70's, or perhaps even the present day. Sort of what Secret World is going for, but with the clear references to our own world taken away.

A world much like our own, but with naturally occuring magic and fantastic creatures, which has gone through rougly the same development we have would be interesting to explore.