Dungeons of Chaos

Produced by: Volker Elzner
Website: Dungeons of Chaos @ WordPress.com

A brand-new, 2D, retro-styled RPG for iPads, Dungeons of Chaos (by Volker Elzner) seems to be garnering a number of positive reviews from iOS-focused gaming websites. The “totally ad-free” game “takes you on an epic journey with numerous spells, skills and tactical combat to employ in order to win the battle against evil,” and features “huge locations to explore (both unique and randomised).”

The developer cites Ultima 3, 4, and 5 among his inspirations in his chronicle of the game’s development, and the gameplay instructions suggest a game of significant depth, which pays homage to the best features and systems of the RPGs of yesteryear.

Basically, as Toucharcade notes, “if you’ve ever played the middle of the Ultima series, you’ll find this game more than a little familiar.” Dungeons of Chaos sees the player controlling a party (of up to six characters, I gather), navigating them through a tiled, top-down world, on the first leg of a quest to overcome an ancient evil that has driven the characters’ people from their ancestral homeland. Dungeons of Chaos is being released in chapters; the first is available now, and the second is being worked on. Combat is turn-based, and exploration is evidently rewarded.

Not unlike Lowlander, the price for Dungeons of Chaos is $1.99 USD. However, Dungeons of Chaos is iPad-exclusive; there is not an iPhone version available. A free version of the game is, however available. This version is also not supported by ads, but it prevents players from gaining levels; the retail version unlocks that capability.