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 on Android?” Desktop Dungeons is ranked 2nd while Out There: Ω Edition is ranked 5th. 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
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
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 Each playthrough is unique thanks to the procedurally generated levels
Out There procedurally generates the game by generating random modular elements on each playthrough, making for a unique experience on every play through.
Pro Fun turn-based resource management where you are always juggling items on the fly, which requires a lot of quick thinking
Out There features a great mix of turn based strategy with complex resource management. The resource management works by only allowing you so many slots to store needed materials. These materials are collected on and around planets, and vary depending on where you are. So it makes for a situation where you need to carefully manage your inventory in order to have the necessary materials on hand to survive, which is no an easy task.
Pro Beautiful art that shows off tons of polish, making for a gorgeous looking game
The game has beautiful hand drawn graphics as well as a great score with lonely overtones, which creates a fantastic and original feeling atmosphere. This sort of polish in a mobile game is not always the norm, which is why Out There tends to stand out above many other options.
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 Uninspiring gameplay
There is an extremely limited number of actions to undertake. Playing it sometimes feels like a grind.
Con The graphics are a power-hog
While the graphics are beautiful, the 3D graphics are a hog and if you're going to be playing this on the go you should probably grab a powerbank if you want to play it for any extended periods of time.
Con Each replay feels very similar
There is a multitude of ways to die in Out There, and being that the game is a roguelike, there will be a lot of restarts. Each and every death brings the player back to the beginning, to do everything over again. This can be frustrating, and a cause for lulls in play at each beginning.