Dungeon Keeper 1 & 2
Dungeon Keeper is a PC strategy game released by Bullfrog Productions in July 1997. The game puts the player into the role of the "dungeon keeper": instead of valiantly storming a dungeon like a hero, killing monsters, and taking the treasures, the player builds the dungeons, recruits the monsters, sets the traps, and fends off the (computer-controlled) heroes that regularly attempt to breach the dungeon, as well as other dungeon keepers.
The game interface is reminiscent of normal real-time strategy (RTS) games: the player uses a mouse, represented in-game as a hand, to interact with a bar on the left-hand side of the screen, allowing him to select which rooms to build and which spells to cast. Rather uniquely, the player can use the hand to pick up creatures and objects in the dungeon and carry them around, allowing for tactics such as gathering an assault force and dropping off the creatures in the middle of melee combat.
The hand also allows the player to "slap" objects and thereby interact with them: creatures will hurry up when slapped, chickens in a Hatchery will "splat," and some traps will be triggered. Prisoners in the Torture Chamber can thus be treated with a hands-on approach.
The main game view is in isometric perspective, however, this view can be zoomed and rotated. The player also has the option of possessing one of his creatures, and seeing the dungeon from that creature's first-person perspective, as well as use their attacks and abilities.
Dungeon Keeper 2 is a sequel released in June 1999. DK2 also used full-3D models for the creatures and enemies, rather than sprites.Several rooms, spells, and monsters were changed, added or removed, as were many game mechanics. For example, if a creature is dropped into the middle of a melee, it is stunned and vulnerable for a few seconds before getting up to fight. One major feature of the game is its "My Pet Dungeon" mode, which features sandbox-****play where players have a nearly unlimited amount of time to construct a dungeon uninterrupted. Heroes would only invade the dungeon if the player chooses to allow it.
Dungeon Keeper 2 included a short trailer for its sequel, Dungeon Keeper 3. The video showed the Horned Reaper, leader of the player faction, reaching the surface world - the home of the goodly heroes that the player had been fighting in the previous two games.
Dungeon Keeper 3 Development of the sequel began in November 1999 and was cancelled in March 2000.
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SCREENS
Dungeon Keeper
Dungeon Keeper 2
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