The Dink Network

Dink and the 4 Towers

From the COTPATD project.
September 23rd, 2012
v1.00
Score : 5.0 fair
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This is a hack-and-slash dmod where you brave 4 deep dungeons and the endless mobs of monstery within, only to emerge victorious onto reverberating cheers of the populace and the flying panties of beautiful maidens everywhere!

Or not, but that is for later. Dink and the 4 Towers (which actually go underground, not up) follows a classic formula: You operate from a town, a central hub where you can buy stuff and drink away the spoils of your spelunk, at least in theory (in truth, the town is mostly empty). From here you delve into progressively challenging dungeons in the pursuit of fame and fortune. The dmod also has a story, divulged to you bit by bit as you defeat the big bad at the bottom of each hole.

The formula is old and tried, and I really felt it could work here too; it's the actual dungeons where the game falls apart. The first dungeon is terribly monotonous, throwing nothing but pillbugs at you, and it unfortunately never gets better. There never seem to be more than two or three types of critters inhabiting each dungeon, and as the dungeons become deeper and deeper, the game only gets more monotonous as you progress.

The game is also quite difficult. You can't save within dungeons, or even back out. I made it through the first three dungeons with the aid of herb boots and a backpack bulging with healing elixirs, but the 4th dungeon put a sharp end to my success. I'm not sure if I missed something, or if you're just supposed to slowly whittle away the enemies with a bow. At this point, I decided to cheat through the rest of the game instead.

The story, which is by far the most interesting part of this dmod, doesn't seem to be really finished. The game ended after the 4th dungeon, although you can still keep playing. There is also a 5th dungeon, but this one was bugged or unfinished, so that I could not use the stairs to go properly down.

Another aspect that was fairly interesting were the big bads. Each boss monster has some type of special ability, and while not terribly sophisticated, they were nonetheless fun. Especially the first boss was a healthy challenge without being impossible, but this isn't really enough of a payoff after the time it takes to trudge so far down the inverted tower.