This Book Is A Dungeon

This Book Is A Dungeon makes its joke into the whole structure: a book as a dungeon means pages, rooms, text, and exploration all pressed into one compact idea. By our assessment, that strange premise is the real draw, because it promises a game that treats reading and dungeon crawling as the same act. The upside is originality and a format that can play well with puzzles, choices, or map-like page turning. The limit is obvious too, since a single strong hook can run dry if the game does not keep surprising the player with new mechanics or new language. In practice, this kind of title depends on curiosity and on the pleasure of uncovering what the book is hiding. This Book Is A Dungeon sits closer to experimental indie design than to a standard role-playing game, and it will suit players who enjoy odd structures more than familiar comfort.