When comparing Desktop Dungeons vs Out There: Ω Edition, the Slant community recommends Desktop Dungeons for most people. In the question“What are the best roguelikes/roguelites on PC?” Desktop Dungeons is ranked 20th while Out There: Ω Edition is ranked 75th. The most important reason people chose Desktop Dungeons is:
The game gets its roots from roguelikes, and the complexity of the combined genre really enhances the puzzle solving side of the game. Instead of being real time, or taking place in a large expansive world, Desktop Dungeons games take place on a small 20x20 dungeon. Although the map is small, there is tons of strategy to figuring out the optimal way to clear the dungeon. Unveiling tiles is how you recover health and mana, so the game is fundamentally about efficiently using the tools and resources available to you in each map and coming up with unique strategies in such a small space. You must balance the risk between trying to get experience from exposed monsters and exploring deeper into the fog of war.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Mix of puzzle and roguelike
The game gets its roots from roguelikes, and the complexity of the combined genre really enhances the puzzle solving side of the game.
Instead of being real time, or taking place in a large expansive world, Desktop Dungeons games take place on a small 20x20 dungeon. Although the map is small, there is tons of strategy to figuring out the optimal way to clear the dungeon. Unveiling tiles is how you recover health and mana, so the game is fundamentally about efficiently using the tools and resources available to you in each map and coming up with unique strategies in such a small space. You must balance the risk between trying to get experience from exposed monsters and exploring deeper into the fog of war.
Pro Tons of character combinations
There are 7 races and 12 classes that are combinable as well as 4 extra monster classes that do not allow choosing of race making for 112 unique combinations, all with their own custom avatar. There are also 6 additional special races as well as 9 different gods you can worship during the game for even more abilities.
Pro Great for short bursts of play
Since each game takes place in one small dungeon, it's a great game to play in small bits of downtime.
Pro Humorous tone
The game doesn't take itself too seriously with lots of clever dialogue parodying the fantasy genre.
Pro Deep amount of content keeps strategy interesting and fresh
Even though the core gameplay is simple, the amount of power-ups and enemies create a massive amount of ways to play the game which keeps the puzzle solving aspect fresh.
Pro Non complicated resource management
Out There's gameplay revolves around resource management, what the player can find and how they utilize it. It is quite a tight rope of choices that makes for a many "biting your nails" scenarios. Should one venture down to a planet for resources to craft new alien technologies or repair equipment and the ship, risking their fuel and air, or should the venture forward to a new system to try and find more fuel rich planets?
Thee great aspect about all of this resource management is that it is a pretty streamlined system, no weapons or crew to worry about, just fuel air and equipment/ship.
Pro Fantastic music
The music in game fits so well with the atmosphere, giving a very lonely yet somewhat hopeful feel. Created by composer Siddhartha Barnhoorn (The Stanley Parable) one knows quality is rightfully behind the whole score.
Pro Choose your own adventure aspects
Out There has many similarities to a choose your own adventure book where many choices end with a story and particular situation to each that can not be guessed or assumed before the choice is taken. So no game ever has the same outcomes to any particular choice within, which makes for a new adventure each playthrough.
The Omega edition has new voicework to go along with these stories behind each choice, which ads another level of immersion, which is nice. With over 350 unique texts, there is quite a bit to see before they become too repetitive.
Cons
Con While polished the graphics are still simple
Compared to other modern roguelikes the graphics are pretty minimal where the characters are tile based and lack animation when moving.
Con Hidden map means you can't solve the puzzles on logic alone
The map is hidden by fog of war until you explore it, meaning you can't devise a solution from the start. Because revealing the map regenerates your health and mana you can't explore everything at the start. You need to spend most of the game not knowing the state of the rest of the map.
Con Completely random
Being that the whole game is completely random, some sessions will not turn out that great. Many times there is the unavoidable bad luck that will make the player run out of fuel or air. Sure there may have been a choice the player should not have made, but really, there is no way to really know.