Drawngeon: Dungeons of Ink and Paper

Developer: DarkDes Labs | Publisher: DarkDes Labs | Release Date: 2019 | Genre: RPG / Dungeon Crawler / Roguelite | Website: N/A | Purchase: Steam

There is no shortage of dungeon crawlers on PC, but few look quite like Drawngeon: Dungeons of Ink and Paper. As the name suggests, this is an old-school first-person RPG presented as if someone sketched the entire adventure in a notebook. The result is a game that immediately stands out thanks to its pen-and-paper visual style, even if the actual gameplay is a lot rougher than the artwork initially suggests.

Drawngeon is set in Inkland, a strange hand-drawn world where a mysterious tower has fallen from the sky. Many heroes have attempted to uncover its secrets, but none have succeeded. Players get to choose between three classes, namely Warrior, Wizard, and Trickster, before setting off to explore dungeons, caves, forests, and the tower itself. Each class has its own style, with the Warrior relying more on defense, the Wizard using spells, and the Trickster avoiding attacks more skillfully.

The game is played from a first-person perspective with grid-based movement, but combat happens in real time. This makes Drawngeon feel like a blend of old dungeon crawlers and lightweight action RPGs. Movement is step-based, so players move square by square and turn in fixed directions, but enemies do not politely wait for their turn during combat. This creates an unusual rhythm where positioning, timing, and quick reactions matter more than in a traditional turn-based dungeon crawler.

The biggest hook is the “one life” structure. If your health runs out, the run is over, and players must start again. This gives every expedition a little more tension, especially early on when healing options are limited, and a bad encounter can end everything. Unfortunately, the system is also where some of the game’s rough edges become more obvious. Damage feedback is not always clear, and the hit sound is so quiet that it is possible to die unexpectedly without fully realizing how much danger you are in.

The game does allow for short gameplay sessions, and procedural generation is used for locations and items, which gives repeat attempts some variety. There is also loot to find, items to equip, and the odd ability or stat improvement to consider. One of the stranger features is that players can eat items, which is amusing and fits the bizarre tone of the game. Still, Drawngeon is not a very long game, and its replay value depends largely on whether players want to return with the other character classes.

In terms of structure, the town acts as a central point before players head out into the surrounding areas. Exploration is fairly straightforward, with most of the challenge coming from combat and survival rather than elaborate dungeon design. Anyone expecting the complexity of something like Legend of Grimrock will likely be disappointed. Drawngeon has the first-person perspective and grid-based movement, but it lacks the intricate puzzles, traps, and environmental variety that made Grimrock so memorable.

Combat is serviceable but very basic. Players attack enemies, occasionally block or use class-specific abilities, and try to survive long enough to collect better loot. The real-time nature gives encounters some urgency, but fights can also feel awkward due to the grid-based movement and limited feedback. When combat works, it has a scrappy charm. When it doesn’t, it can feel like you are taking hits without enough warning.

The difficulty can also feel uneven. Some runs go smoothly, while others are derailed by poor equipment, awkward enemy encounters, or simply not noticing how close you are to death. Permadeath adds stakes, but it can also make the game frustrating when death feels more like poor communication than player error. This is especially true when combined with the barely audible hit feedback.

Visually, Drawngeon is easily at its best. The hand-drawn notebook aesthetic gives the world a unique identity. Environments, enemies, items, and interface elements all look like they were sketched onto paper, which makes even simple locations feel more interesting than they otherwise would. The limited use of color also helps interactive elements stand out. It is a strong art direction and probably the main reason many players will be drawn to the game in the first place.

The downside is that the presentation is more imaginative than polished. Some environments are simple, animations are limited, and the visual novelty can only carry the experience so far. Still, the overall look remains memorable and helps Drawngeon stand apart from more generic budget dungeon crawlers.

The audio is less successful. The music and ambient sounds fit the strange fantasy atmosphere well enough, but the combat feedback is too weak. For a game where death can end an entire run, taking damage should be immediately obvious. Instead, the quiet hit sounds and limited impact effects make combat feel less satisfying and more dangerous than intended.

Controls are functional but take some getting used to. The step-based movement will feel familiar to old-school dungeon crawler fans, but the real-time combat makes the tank-like movement feel awkward at times. This is not a game where players can freely circle-strafe enemies or rely on smooth action controls. Success often depends on learning the limits of the movement system and working within them.

Overall, Drawngeon: Dungeons of Ink and Paper is an interesting but uneven game. Its hand-drawn style is excellent, and the idea of a short, replayable dungeon crawler with different classes has appeal. However, the combat lacks impact, the difficulty can feel unfair, and the game does not have enough depth to fully capitalize on its premise. It is still worth a look for players who enjoy quirky dungeon crawlers, but expectations should be kept realistic.