When comparing Cataclysm Dark Days Ahead vs Dungeonland, the Slant community recommends Cataclysm Dark Days Ahead for most people. In the question“What are the best free PC games?” Cataclysm Dark Days Ahead is ranked 16th while Dungeonland is ranked 22nd. The most important reason people chose Cataclysm Dark Days Ahead is:
Get taken back to when games were completely made of ascii letters and your imagination. Venture forth as an @ and survive the wild. With the classic ascii art, it is hard to ignore that this is not a graphical powerhouse, but of course that is part of the fun, allowing your imagination to fill in this void.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Classic computer gameplay that offers a lot of nostalgia
Get taken back to when games were completely made of ascii letters and your imagination. Venture forth as an @ and survive the wild. With the classic ascii art, it is hard to ignore that this is not a graphical powerhouse, but of course that is part of the fun, allowing your imagination to fill in this void.
Pro Open source and very moddable, making for a game that anyone can change to their liking
The mod community is pretty active on this game, and you can create some really cool things with the tools they already provide. This way anyone can change their game to how they like.
Pro Super involved gameplay that allows the user to dive deep into the mechanics of the game
Everything from weather to crafting to martial arts are accounted for in Cataclysm. You can spend hours mastering the depths of this games systems that allow you to play however you want.
Pro Being in constant active developed allows the game to constantly grow
Experimental releases exit a few times in a single day. Many people are working on finding bugs, and developers are quickly fixing them and adding new features. This makes for a situation where the game is constantly growing and improving.
Pro Free for anyone to download and try, which leave no one out
The game is free of cost as well as open-source, meaning that anyone can download the game, install it and play it.
Pro Graphics can be used instead of ASCII, for those that would enjoy something more visual
Not supported on every version of the game, but you can have a graphical experience if you want by using a graphical tileset for the game. This will need to be done manually.
Pro Chaotic 1v3 gameplay in Dungeon Maestro Mode
Dungeon Maestro Mode allows for 1v3 asymmetric gameplay where three players face off against one more powerful player. It is through cooperation that the three players can defeat the other one player.
Pro Three playable classes with each having a choice in specialization
There are three playable classes a player can use that also have their own sub-classes. This makes for plenty of choices for the player to specialize in certain areas that will differentiate them from other players.
Pro Up to 3 player online or local co-op
Dungeonland supports up to 3 players for online and local co-op play.
Pro Great as a LAN game
Dungeonland has built in LAN support for up to three players.
Cons
Con Lacking hardcore survival feel
The game gets to be rather easy once you spend a little time with it. Basements full of everything one needs to survive in every other house, and stores that look like they were left as seem out of place since in a disaster scenario most items would probably have been taken already.
You can tweak the options to suit a more hardcore experience if you so desire. The options allow for a wide variety of difficulty and playstyles.
Con Difficult to learn at first
This could be a pro for some but for many this will turn them away from the game.
Con Buggy
There are quite a few bugs during gameplay such as dying immediately after a respawn. This can be frustrating for the player and makes for a subpar experience.
Con Difficult gameplay
Difficulty starts at hard and only gets harder from each setting after that making for a difficult game that is not friendly to people used to less difficult games. It can also take time to get used to the difficulty which some people do not have to spare.