Unexplored: Unlocked Edition_title

Unexplored: Unlocked Edition (Switch) Review

Game: Unexplored: Unlocked Edition
System: Nintendo Switch
Developer: Nephilim Game Studios / Ludomotion
Publisher: Digerati
Age Rating: 7+ (UK & EU) | 12+ (US)
Price: £13.49 | €15,00| $15.00
Release Date: 9th August 2018
(The game is also available on PS4, Xbox One, Steam)

Review Code kindly provided by Digerati

What is This?!

I step into the dungeon; the door closes behind. This dungeon is said to change each time someone enters – so no one really knows what lurks around the corner. I can’t help but wonder though; who dressed me and gave me this ridiculous hairstyle? What purpose does this cape serve?… Have I always only had one eye?… So many unanswered questions… Never the less; onwards for adventure!

Unexplored: Unlocked Edition screenshot

Gameplay & Controls

Unexplored: Unlocked Edition is a procedural generated, dungeon exploring game with plenty of items and treasure to find, enemies to defeat and even puzzles to solve!

In the main game; we venture into the Dungeon of Doom, hoping to survive the dangers, steal the Amulet of Yendor and make it back in one piece – certainly easier said than done!

The Unlocked Edition also includes the three DLC packs: Mithril Run, Ripley Run, and The Dark Ritual. Each DLC pack is themed; providing additional ways to play and bring another layer of enjoyment to those that recognise the themes.

Unexplored: Unlocked Edition screenshot

When it comes to starting a new game, you can make it however you like. Enjoy puzzles? Select the extra puzzles option. If puzzles aren’t what you enjoy and you want more bosses to fight; there is an option for that too. If you want a new dungeon layout but want it to be challenging; hit “Randomize” and select the difficulty you want. It’s all to your preference which is brilliant! 😀

If you enjoy a dungeon; there is a ‘Seed’ number, so you can replay a dungeon as much as you like, but you can also give the number to a friend (with the game), so they can try it for themselves (must have same settings though).

Time to get personal!

Besides adjusting dungeon settings, our little character can also be altered before a new game; little changes to the appearance, character’s voice, cape colour, name and character class – allowing for a little more personalised character for each attempt.

The classes have their own statistics and starting items; requiring a different strategy depending on the class chosen (only the ‘Adventurer’ class is available from the start). You can also use some gold to adjust what items you start the game with or to obtain some useful information – if you are feeling very brave; enter with nothing but a cape!

Additionally, rewards can be obtained by carrying out specific tasks in a dungeon. Unlocking the rewards bring additional items and new classes to the game – making things a little easier when starting off and adding new ways to play.

Unexplored: Unlocked Edition screenshot 2

Is this item good or bad?

There are a variety of weapons to use and upgrade (daggers, swords, spears,etc), as well as magic scrolls, potions, lock picks and more to aid you in your adventure. In contrast however, there are a number of items that may be unidentified or even cursed; adding a bit of mystery when using certain items.

Surprisingly; there isn’t a multiplayer option at all. It’s still great fun as a single player, but venturing round with a friend would of been brilliant – especially on the more difficult settings.

Unexplored is pro controller compatible and allows you to customise the control scheme (for the joy cons too). However, it has no touch screen functionality – which is a shame, as the touch screen would of made the menus a lot easier and quicker to navigate through.

Unexplored: Unlocked Edition screenshot 3

Graphics, Designs & Soundtrack

Unexplored is cute and simplistic in style, but still manages to create an atmosphere that draws in the player – especially with the smoke, mist and darkness looming around.

The dungeon being procedural generated is a brilliant feature; filled with different terrains, enemies, traps,etc while still feeling natural and having a nice flow to them.

The soundtrack adds a little more energy to the exploration while also adding to the atmosphere; making the dungeon feel more dramatic and engaging – it’s great! 😀

Unexplored: Unlocked Edition screenshot 4

Additional Comments

A high scores list keeps track of the attempts made in the dungeon (which may spur some players into trying to do better next time). However, it is basic and doesn’t mention a seed number – so if you wanted to try and beat your score on a particular seed; best to keep a record of the seed number and character name for future reference.

The regular price of Unexplored on Steam is £6.99, with the DLC being free (as well as the soundtrack), while the game and it’s DLC is £13.49 on Switch. The price difference is puzzling and I get the feeling that some gamers may want a deeper gaming experience for £13.49.

Overall Opinion

Now I don’t have loads of experience with randomly generated, dungeon crawler games; I’ve played (and loved) Enter the Gungeon, and seen a friend play The Binding of Isaac (wasn’t interested in that one at all), but that is pretty much my experience of the genre (or close to it). So Unexplored is quite a new experience for me.

The good

It did take awhile for me to get into Unexplored with all the items,etc, but once I got into the swing of the game; I found it engaging and a lot of fun. 😀

I really like the graphic style and soundtrack; there is a cuteness which gives it a lighthearted feeling, while the music drew me in and added energy and atmosphere to the exploration.

One of my favourite elements of Unexplored, is the level of customisation it allows the player to have. It may be simplistic in nature, but it allows each player to have their own experience with a vast amount of possibilities – making it great for replaying again and again! 😀

I found the unidentified/cursed items aspect interesting; prompting discussions with another player and got me to make notes while I played – a bit old school but it added another layer of fun for me and made the experience a little more unique to other games I’ve played. 

The bad

Unexplored isn’t perfect (what game is), but the main issue I had, was the ‘new dungeon floor generated’ message appearing quite a bit (especially in the first few floors). It’s only for a moment or two, but it does disturb the flow of the game and can make you wonder if it’s crashing on you – at one stage I did actually encounter one error which resulted in losing some progress; thankfully it autosaves when going from one floor to another, but errors are never good.

I also really wish it had touchscreen functionality and multiplayer – they are personal preferences and don’t make it any less of a good game, but for me; it would of made the game more of a well rounded and more intuitive experience.

Would I recommend Unexplored: Unlocked Edition?

Unexplored: Unlocked Edition screenshot

If you enjoy rogue-like dungeon crawler games or looking to try one (and don’t mind a bit of blood); certainly give it a go! It doesn’t have a deep story, but it’s great for pick up and play and has plenty of replay-ability.

I like it a lot!

Game Trailer

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