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Dungeon Keeper (1997)

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Dungeon Keeper is a real-time strategy game made by Bullfrog and published by EA. It was released in 1997.

In Dungeon Keeper, the player constructs and manages a dungeon, recruiting and catering for minions to run it and defend it from enemy invaders. The primary method of control is the hand, used to pick up creatures and objects in the dungeon, carry them around, and drop them. The hand allows the player to 'slap' creatures and objects, and interact with them. Dungeon Keeper's gameplay exemplifies a dark sense of humour.

The Dungeon Heart represents the Keeper's link to the world. If it is destroyed, the player loses. Along with the heart, the player begins with a small number of imps, the generic work force for dungeon activities: they dig tunnels into the surrounding soil, capture enemy rooms and Portals, mine gold and gems, and set traps. Imps are obtained by using the Create Imp spell. Slapping creatures forces them to work faster temporarily, but removes some of their health. Gold is obtained primarily by digging Gold Seams, and Gem Seams provide an unlimited supply, though take longer to accumulate. Gold is used to build rooms, cast spells, and train creatures. To order the imps to dig a tile, the player needs to flag the tile. Throughout the game, a "mentor" will advise the player as to various happenings and problems within the dungeon, as a sinister voiceover.

Heroes will appear at various points and times, sometimes accompanied by a tunneller dwarf, who, like imps, are able to dig. The dungeon can be protected from being breached by having the imps fortify the walls. Heroes include giants, wizards, and samurai warriors. Most levels have a 'Lord of the Land', a heavily armoured knight, who must be defeated. In the final level, the Avatar (resembling the Avatar from Ultima VIII), the most powerful hero, appears as the Lord of the Land, and is resurrected after being defeated. He must be defeated again when he reappears with a large army.

A world map is available and, at the beginning, the player is allocated one of the twenty regions of a fictional, idyllic country to destroy. As the player progresses through these regions, each representing a level, the areas previously conquered will appear ransacked, twisted, and evil. The goals for each level are straightforward: they generally fall along the lines of eliminating the heroic force or destroying all other Dungeon Keepers. The first few levels are tutorials, teaching the player the basics. Special items are hidden throughout certain levels. Such items perform actions such as increasing the creatures' experience level, or revealing the map. They can reveal a hidden level, where the player must perform a specific task, and is rewarded upon completion.



In an interview, Peter Molyneux explained that he came up with the ideas for Dungeon Keeper while sitting in a traffic jam, and become so engrossed in them that when the traffic had moved, he did not notice. Bullfrog's chairman Les Edgar stated that the intention was to use the Dungeons & Dragons theme with "slightly weird Bullfrog humour". Programmers Simon and Dene Carter also said Dungeon Keeper is a parody. Dungeon Keeper is also a simulation game because Molyneux viewed the villain's duty as a management exercise.

Dungeon Keeper took over two years to develop, and an expansion pack, a Direct3D version, and a level editor were released. Midway through development, lead developer Peter Molyneux decided to leave Bullfrog when the game was complete, which was the motivation for its success. Versions for the Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation were in development, but cancelled. The game received critical acclaim, with reviewers praising the uniqueness and depth. Dungeon Keeper was re-released on GOG.com in 2011, and on Origin in 2016. A fan-made mod, KeeperFX, was released, which fixes bugs and adds features. Dungeon Keeper was followed by a sequel, Dungeon Keeper 2, in 1999, and influenced games such as Lego Rock Raiders and Ghost Master.

Source: Wikipedia

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