Steam’s Next Fest is an opportunity for gamers to demo upcoming titles and offer feedback to developers before launch. This year, an unexpected breakout star has emerged: Dungeonborne, a gritty dungeon crawler with echoes of the beloved blockbuster Elden Ring.
Created by indie developer Mithril Interactive, Dungeonborne topped the charts as the most-played demo during Next Fest. Over 19,000 concurrent players delved into its dark fantasy world of ominous castles and non-stop peril, braving dangerous foes and lethal traps on the quest for treasure.
So what explains this explosive interest? In my view, it points to a ravenous appetite for more Elden Ring content while fans await the upcoming DLC, “Shadows of the Erdtree.”
Dungeonborne Echoes Elden Ring’s Appeal at the Perfect Moment
Elden Ring captured lightning in a bottle last year, offering an intoxicating blend of mystery, challenge, and rich worldbuilding. As Game of the Year award winner and one of the best-selling games ever, it left players hungry for more adventures in its shattered realm.
Dungeonborne cleverly taps into our collective yearning. Like Elden Ring, it’s punishing yet addictive, set in a ruined kingdom with eccentric characters. Its first-person perspective puts you right in the action during white-knuckle battles against gruesome beasts and cutthroat invaders. Rather than meticulously designed landscapes, the randomized dungeons have a dash of roguelike excitement.
Still, at its core lies the pure, masochistic joy of overcoming odds stacked against you. Whether solo or cooperatively, the threat of permadeath heightens every encounter. There’s always one more tempting run, hoping for an epic weapon or armor set to shift the balance.
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Indie Developer Mithril Interactive Strikes Gold by Tapping into Hunger for More
In online discussions, you’ll find players half-jokingly referring to Dungeonborne as “the Elden Ring DLC we deserve.” Of course, the two games have key differences, but this says more about our insatiable appetite for grand, unforgiving adventures than anything else.
FromSoftware continues working away on the Erdtree expansion, but in typically cryptic fashion, they’ve revealed little about what we can expect. Amidst the information void, fans are using Dungeonborne to fill the gap…and sending a clear signal to the developer that we still crave more of what makes Elden Ring so special.
The runaway popularity of this humble dungeon crawler is a testament to that hunger. As we await the return to the Lands Between, it’s a shining example of how indie developers can prosper by understanding what makes the greats…truly great.
