What began with Amplitude Studios' 2014 dungeon defense game Dungeon of the Endless continues with Endless Dungeon, a “tactical action game” that leans a bit more toward tower defense than rogue-lite. With eye-candy isometric graphics and an appealing soundtrack, the game promises an enjoyable dungeon-crawling experience with a diverse cast of heroes to choose from. And for the first several hours, Endless Dungeon really does seem like it will deliver.

The game’s story is rather generic, and ignoring it completely will have little impact. Basically, a group of refugees has gathered in a Saloon that serves as a hub world, and there’s an enemy hacker messing something up. A ragtag group fights its way through various floors of some facility to reach said hacker, while also escorting and protecting a critter called the Crystal Bot. And if the Bot dies, it’s game over. The reason behind any of these details may be unclear for newcomers to the Endless games, but those familiar with previous titles by Amplitude will be thrilled to recognize some established lore.

endless dungeon saloon hub world

What is significant is that the player — either solo, accompanied by AI-controlled NPCs, or with up to two friends — must venture into this facility, strategically set up turrets to defend the Crystal Bot and other key locations, and get as far as possible without dying. Throughout this, waves of monsters spawn to wreak havoc and try to destroy the Bot, and these waves trigger periodically or by performing certain actions like moving the Bot from one location to another or using a research station to upgrade turrets.

It's a simple premise, and Endless Dungeon's gameplay loop is pretty easy to fall into. It has some of the mechanics that players will expect from a rogue-lite: procedurally generated maps, hack-and-slash combat (with guns), and of course, running through the same dungeons over and over to figure out how it’s done. But the player doesn’t restart from scratch upon dying; instead, they respawn in the Saloon, where they can tweak things to make the next attempt easier.

During each run, there are two types of currency to collect, Cells and Scraps, and these can be spent in the Saloon to upgrade characters, weapons, and make other changes that will render subsequent journeys into the depths more likely to succeed. Cells can also be used to permanently improve runs by increasing the amount of Scraps dropped in dungeons and, most importantly, upping the maximum party size.

endless dungeon weapon

This progression system is one of the more rewarding parts of the game and is integral in surviving through the last level. Because despite its name, Endless Dungeon isn’t actually an endless dungeon, and there is a final boss. And it’s gratifying to see hard work and strategizing gradually pay off, as each excursion into the facility lasts longer and becomes just a little easier.

Overall, Endless Dungeon is a fun way to pass a couple dozen hours, but that doesn’t mean it’s without flaws. The cracks begin to appear pretty quickly and only become more apparent as the game progresses, with a growing sense that there’s just something missing. Like the story, it all seems rather generic. The game has a lot of potential, but it falls short in several areas, leaving the player feeling slightly dissatisfied and that some of the mechanics weren’t fully fleshed out.

An example of this is the decided lack of powerful or unique weapons. Oftentimes, a character’s starting firearm will be better than most of what drops during a run, and it’s not unusual to trek through the first several zones wielding the same plain, gray pistol, for instance. Despite their nice particle effects, many looted weapons aren’t necessarily more effective than the default, or their drawbacks outweigh the perks. That new shotgun might have higher DPS on paper, but its limited range and extremely low fire rate make it a clear bad choice. Within just a few runs, it becomes apparent that only a handful of weapons are worth picking up, eliminating the excitement of finding new loot, which should be a highlight in a game like this.

endless dungeon resource generators-1

The same goes for other aspects of Endless Dungeon. There are generators in random locations throughout each level, and these can be tuned to increase the collection rate of one of three resources: Science, Industry, or Food. However, it’s soon obvious that the only really important resource is Industry because that’s used to build turrets, which spell the difference between victory and defeat. Likewise, while there are a range of turrets to choose from, only a handful seem indispensable.

For these reasons, every run in Endless Dungeon quickly begins to feel cookie-cutter, with the same choices made over and over. The proffered options aren’t really options because they’re so clearly less advantageous than the few standouts. After a while, some players might intentionally equip a worse weapon or toss up less effective turrets just to try to shake things up a bit, but that really shouldn’t be necessary.

Similarly, other than their special abilities and starting weapons, the characters are interchangeable and don’t really feel distinctive. When enjoying the game co-op with friends, this lack of variety is less glaring because each player can choose different weapon types and use their special abilities to create a semblance of synergy. However, if relying on AI to control the other party members, the gameplay feels much less dynamic. Some of the characters won’t even use their special abilities unless directly controlled by the player, making them less than ideal companions. The special abilities can be clutch in the frenzy of battle, precisely when it’s least convenient to manually swap between characters just to use their skills.

endless dungeon combat

That said, the twin-stick shooter combat in Endless Dungeon is thoroughly engaging and fun. Some of the encounters can become satisfyingly frantic, with a timely heal or stasis ability fending off defeat when all seems lost. Movement and aiming feel tight and intuitive, though the lack of a dodge was a questionable choice that’s really noticeable when fighting some enemy types. But holding off wave after wave of foes coming from all directions, hoping that turrets have been set up in good locations, and then seeing the Crystal Bot beeping contentedly with full health after a particularly tough battle is fully rewarding.

The boss encounters are likewise a good time, if not entirely unique. Most of them can be figured out and beaten on the first attempt, but they’re still at least momentarily challenging. The same cannot be said of the repetitive and uninspired final boss, however, who can be kited around pillars endlessly to whittle down his health with some strategically placed turrets. This brings a lackluster close to a game that was already struggling to rise above average.

Endless Dungeon is a tough one to critique, though it fully deserves it in some areas. The team at Amplitude succeeded in creating a fun roguelite, tower defense, twin-stick dungeon crawler that will entertain for hours. At the same time, it doesn’t excel in anything it brings to the table, fails to innovate, and even falls inexplicably short in some obvious places. This is one to buy on sale.

Endless Dungeon is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Game ZXC was provided a PC code for this review.