Nintendo Switch Dungeons of Dreadrock 2 - The Dead King's Secret Review

A couple of years ago, a little puzzle game came to the Switch eShop called Dungeons of Dreadrock, which smartly mixed the vibe of 1980s first-person adventure games with simple puzzle mechanics. Though Dungeons of Dreadrock was enjoyable enough as a standalone experience, it was recently revealed that there will be a trilogy of Dreadrock games and the second entry has now arrived. Dungeons of Dreadrock 2 – The Dead King's Secret doesn't prove to be much of an improvement over its predecessor, but that's hardly a bad thing given that it also nails everything that made the original special.

In a fun and rather interesting approach, Dungeons of Dreadrock 2 takes place at exactly the same time as its predecessor, this time placing you in the shoes of a sorceress and priestess of the Order of the Flame, who works in the shadows on a journey that is tightly related to the plot of the first game in various clever ways.


Though we still wouldn't call the plot exactly a big part of the draw here — things are mostly communicated by occasional, vague cutscenes — there are just enough bits of interesting lore to keep you invested and to beckon you deeper. Plus, it was cool to see how this journey subtly expanded upon the narrative of the first while setting up some interesting potential plot threads for the third game, should it get made.

Gameplay follows on quite similarly from its predecessor, which is to say that it's really a cleverly designed grid-based puzzler (somewhat like a Sokoban) dressed up as a more traditional, old-school action RPG. There are just over 100 floors of the dungeon to overcome and the goal is merely to make it to the stairs at the end of each one, but it's rarely that easy given the enemies and hazards that stand in your way. You often need to take time to study enemy movement patterns and make note in advance of which puzzle elements will need to be solved first, and there's usually a bit of trial and error that goes into finding the 'right' way to do everything.


Though the puzzle design can sometimes veer into the obtuse—such as some instances where you're expected to return to an earlier floor to retrieve something as part of the level's main puzzle sequence—we generally enjoyed the uncomplicated approach to puzzles and combat. This isn't the kind of puzzle game (such as The Witness) that requires utterly mind-bending solutions and abstract reasoning; it's usually a relatively simple matter of teasing out the exact order of operations necessary to make it past everything on that floor. Frustration is kept to a minimum given how dying to an enemy or being otherwise forced to restart a level only takes a couple of seconds and it doesn't take much time at all to get back to wherever you left off.

We appreciated that accessibility for players of all skill levels is well attended to here, as you can always trigger a stepwise hint system if you get stuck. If you keep checking, it will eventually tell you the exact steps to finish that level, giving you the option to rely on it as much or little as needed. Plus, if you really just can't get past a particularly tough section on a floor, there's a cheat function in the menu where you can simply input the number of another floor and skip ahead to it. Dungeons of Dreadrock 2 thus feels like one of the most approachable puzzle games on the Switch, as it's both uncomplicated in its gameplay structure and is plenty forgiving with its variable difficulty.


Dungeons of Dreadrock 2 carries over the same art style as its predecessor, which is certainly a boon here given the quality of the pixel art. Your sorceress' array of magical spells adds a slightly flashier visual quality this time around, with thrilling details like the intricate particle effects as you roast another zombie. Our only real complaint here is that biome diversity is a little bit lacking—you can only witness so many varieties of 'dark, dank dungeon' before you wish for something a little different.

This second entry very much feels like a 'sidegrade' over its predecessor, rather than a true iterative improvement. Visuals, puzzle gimmicks, and overall gameplay are virtually indistinguishable from the first game, which is neither a bad nor a good thing. On one hand, we appreciated the deliberate challenge of the original and 'more of the same' on that front is hardly a bad thing. On the other hand, if you felt like the experience of the first game was enough for you and wanted to see more out of a follow-up, Dungeons of Dreadrock 2 doesn't have much to offer beyond another 100 or so levels to solve.


Though it isn't much of an upgrade over its predecessor, Dungeons of Dreadrock 2 offers an enjoyable and simple puzzle gaming experience which cleverly links with the first game's story and feels well worthwhile. Satisfying gameplay variety and well-drawn, 32-bit-style graphics are the strong points here, though its relative simplicity and occasionally frustrating puzzle solutions are minor drawbacks. There's lots to love here, though, especially if you're a fan of the first game, and it feels like it fills a niche in the Switch library that few other puzzle games occupy.