My Top 16 Dungeon Crawler-ish games (Great for Solo) as of 2023

[@dhmcarver]

First time watching one of your reviews. A great list, and great discussion. I really liked how you framed each of your discussions - “Dungeon Crawler Feel”, etc., as well as “This might be your number one if…”, “Why it is not further up the list,” and the like. I wish more reviewers had such structure. I do a lot of solo gaming, and I like dungeon crawlers. You gave me a lot of inspiration. Thanks.

[@SouthwestStet]

Dude this video is awesome. Keep putting them out.

[@benmat6590]

Thanks for posting, I liked your video. I see some are saying there are some games on the list that are not dungeon crawlers. I say your list is great and keep posting what you want.

[@toddf3925]

Great video, really informative. I appreciated your approach and rating style!

[@lightrangergames9354]

Thanks

[@AP0LL0edc]

This is exactly the kind of video I was looking for. Thank you for all the suggestions and descriptions.

[@ОлегПтов]

I really liked your clearly delivered and measured speech. The material is well absorbed for a non-English-speaking person. Thank you for this approach to submission. I appreciate it.

[@lightrangergames9354]

Thank you. I'm glad it was helpful :)

[@Ks-zz9lh]

Great video. Thank you for the over/view- reviews. There is a saying “there are never too many games to play” while that maybe be true.. it sure is daunting to just pick a title, there’s just so many. So your list is nice 👌 I like talisman as an easy party game. I also appreciate how you’ve rated the playability alone since it’s not always easy to gather a party and certain games are complex enough that a couple of play throughs are warranted for a thorough understanding of the pacing, mechanics etc.

[@SanderPastoor]

Great video! I don't mind that you included a lot of "not really a dungeon crawler"s because I'm just looking for a certain type of gameplay and all the included games do have that. I'm also happy to see so many games I've never heard of!

[@Codynstef21]

That was an amazing video! Having the games all set up,instead of just describing them Great Job!

[@domme4218]

Great. I have rarely seen such a good overview of selected dungeon crawlers. What I particularly liked: All crawlers were compared using a fixed scheme of important criteria. In addition, the reasons why the game could be number one for me personally and why it didn't land in first place for you. Very informative. Thank you!!! I subscribed to the channel immediately. KZbin content with useful content. Very nice.

[@lightrangergames9354]

Thanks :) I'm glad it was helpful.

[@darinlagarry3091]

A good list. I got rid of One Deck dungeon... too fiddly for me. The steam app solves this. Also, I found Dragonfire too grindy and sold that one also. A few others worth consideration: Darkest Dungeon, Altar Quest, Bag of Dungeon, Dungeoneer, DungeonQuest, Oathsworn. Its a great time to be a gamer who likes dungeon crawls... there are so many good ones available and coming out soon. I also enjoy / collect Adventure games so I'd enjoy your take on those.

[@chris-gj7cv]

absolutely nice review👍 I totally agree on your opinion and I’m about to get some new games ranked high on your review

[@ghostzone985]

Masmorra is my top #1 and one of the reasons is that I don't need to manage monster minis - I can use just dice system

[@1969dennislewis]

Great list! I'm glad I found your channel.

[@CarlosErhart]

Great overview. Thanks for sharing! Have you ever tried Sword and Sorcery?

[@stevekingswell9143]

Nice list well explained, look forward to more content

[@branboom3342]

Marvel United is my favourite game due to the ease of play and variety of heroes and villains, but I wouldn't think to call it a dungeon crawler. Massive Darkness 2 is my favourite dungeon crawler. Great video!

[@lightrangergames9354]

You're right Marvel United is not a dungeon crawler, but you do fight bad guys and I was hoping to provide some ideas that others hadn't considered, if they liked these types of games :) Enjoy playing.

[@AcevedoDMA]

Great video! You definitely have a similar dungeon crawler interest to me. Great breakdown and great list!

[@JevousGaming]

Great video. Especially love the breakdown at the end of each game explanation. There are some very loose interpretations of what a dungeon crawler is, but overall enjoyed your picks. I love the original Massive Darkness and Keep the Heroes Out is one I’m going to keep an eye out for.

[@Bouccledor]

I bought and played Massive Darkness 2 and the campaign extension Heavenfall and I think it's a perfect mix between fun and achievement, it's way more fun than gloomhaven, and you get a way better progress feeling. If you like dices, great heros synergies and getting a whole bunch of loot then buy it eyes closed. The heros asymetry is just sooo good, it makes you wanna try them all ! I've been playing solo and 3 players, always fun ! Last but not least, the fact that you can play it one shot mode or campaign mode makes it playable in so much different configurations (family, Friends, solo)

[@robertchmielecki2580]

For me Gloomhaven was incredible fun, a lot of intellectual satisfaction from coming up with creative solutions to complex problems and planning ahead, cool progression, a lot of player agency at all levels. Massive Darkness can be a good pastime, but due to SO MUCH randomness it is more a game that plays itself, especially as the difficulty is woefully low. Good to play with kids (or when you're all drunk ;))

[@Bouccledor]

@@robertchmielecki2580 you can add some more Monsters to increase the difficulty. Gloomhaven doesn't have any loot, so frustrating, it is just a puzzle game for me.

[@robertchmielecki2580]

@@Bouccledor We've experimented with just adding an extra monster to mobs, but still all scenarios so far have been a breeze, the game not forcing us to use a resurrection token even once. I don't think adding even more would help, as it would just turn mobs into more of DMG sponges and totally random black dice kills, instead I think what is needed is making the monsters more aggressive, because they are just shambling punching bags now. I will experiment with making first Monster move action 2 spaces to give them a chance to go on the offensive sometimes. And there's very cool loot in Gloomhaven, and it is extremely fun that players can't really agree on who's taking it as planning actions is secret ;) It results in so many situations where you expect a friend to help you out only to see him go on a coin/chest looting spree :D Hilarious! (and I love how this secret planning and individual XP/loot kills the alpha player bossing everyone else around which is often a problem with such cooperative titles)

[@manilapcgaming7217]

Gosh, thanks for sharing! So much goodstuff. I currently have Dungeon Alliance and Mage Knight. I'm totally going to back the 2nd edition of League of Dungeoneers (choosing this over Dungeon Universalis for some reasons). Going to get Dungeon Saga soon. I'm really looking for the dark, immersive, old-school dungeon crawlin' feelz :)

[@bcaldwell889]

You did an amazing job. Thank you so much for doing such great work!

[@JJR2D2]

Really appreciated the format of this video. Subscribed

[@Tombonzo]

Great list, thanks for the video!! I love your rating system as well!

[@danno4729]

Thanks for the video! Would this list be the same if not based on solo play? Thanks.

[@ImperfectBeingX]

Great overview of the games, thank you so much.

[@Scarr34]

I hear a lot of Sheldon Cooper in your voice. Nice job with the video!

[@Ferenc-Racz]

Nice collection. Thank you for the explanations!

[@survivingbraindonor]

I was surprised to not see Clank! in the list. Clank Catacombs looks even better. Love the format! Thank you.

[@JumpmanJRH]

Awesome list. Massive Darkness 2 is my #1 Dungeon Crawler as well! Horrified is fantastic, my wife even likes it! Have you seen Dark Ventures: Battle of the Ancients? You might like it.

[@jonathanfryer1319]

Great reminder of a great variety of games. Thank you.

[@ChitsandCardboard]

Fantastic video, I love the explanations for each games and I like that you sat outside the box a little bit. Well done!

[@lightrangergames9354]

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it :)

[@brianknouse5164]

I just got a Massive Darkness 2 bundle, so I am excited to get into that game!

[@lightrangergames9354]

Cool. Enjoy :)

[@aitoracosta8433]

Great list and great video, one subscriptor more from Spain 😊

[@ryanbartlett672]

Great job. I like your grading system. Gave me some new ideas. Thanks.

[@lightrangergames9354]

Thanks :)

[@NeutiquamErro1]

Just bought Massive Darkness 2 on your recommendation! I'm playing an Oathsworn campaign with my brother, but wanted something for solo play. Thank you for the excellent video!

[@lightrangergames9354]

Great. I hope you enjoy it. I know I have :)

[@freedomf1ghter77]

How is the Massive Darkness Board Game?

[@patriziopastore9895]

Nice list man!!! really good stuff, I will check it out Masmorra: Dungeons of Arcadia and Horrified. I will suggest to check: Tales from the red dragon inn, Valor & Villainy and, for a heavy DC, Darklight Memento Mori... but is hard do find :P

[@lightrangergames9354]

Thanks. Horrified is one of my favorite game because it's so easy to get to the table and I like the different monster puzzles. I just got Tales from the Red Dragon Inn and I love it. Haven't heard of Darklight before. I'll have to check it out.

[@tbatrics]

Appreciate a solo friendly review. I am hunting for something new.

[@cn7gamer2]

Thanks for the list; I'm adding Horrified and Keep the Heroes Out as possible future purchases.

[@Livert79]

This channel deserves way more subscribers.

[@TabletopJason]

One Deck Dungeon is put together so well, but it's still so freaking difficult.

[@davidcanas105]

Muchas gracias por la lista, excelente material de consulta

[@REV1517]

Good job. I like the list. I am not big on dungeon crawler games but I would like to try some of these. I have played the rise of Cthulhu "pandemic" and I love it. I am a H.P. Lovecraft fan. It has very easy play but hard to win even on easy. Solo is loads of fun. Keep up the good work.

[@boxfarts3847]

Thanks for the video. I really want Massive Darkness 2. I like that you didn't just pick "pure" dungeon crawlers

[@lightrangergames9354]

Thanks.

[@michaelmay7921]

What a great thorough review. 👍

[@stefanosstefanos401]

Hi there,I have the feeling that "Roll player" it's a good game but half game with out the expansion...the same told me for the "Mage Knight" without the "lost legion".Descent it's in my classic list with runebounds versions.Nice work and thank you for the video!...Have you tried "Claustophobia" ?

[@justinkitton5492]

great video! thanks for making it

[@lightrangergames9354]

You're welcome. I'm glad you liked it.

[@shineLouisShine]

Awesome format! (..even so I'm not entirely agree ;)) Thanks

[@Snowbo92]

Thank you for this breakdown! I've been looking for a true solo RPG to get started on, so that Mage Knight looks right up my alley. A quick search on your page doesn't reveal much; have you played the Pathfinder Card Game? I've also been looking at that recently, and am very curious to know how it feels

[@lightrangergames9354]

Sorry, haven't played pathfinder.

[@TJ-fj7nn]

Very nice list. I've never considered Roll player, but that setup with the monsters looked intresting. I'll probabky purchase Massive darkness once it's available in my country, there is a lot I like about it.

[@gargk999]

Just wondered if you'd tried Untold Legends? If not, give it a go - it would be on my list, but - to be fair - I haven't played a lot of the ones on your list!

[@davidt4233]

Wow. Thanks for the great content. I echo your thoughts on the few games on the list that i tried (Gloomhaven JOTL, Imperial assault, Zombicide,). Anythoughts on Bloodbourne? I will consider Massive Darkness for my next purchase, but Bloodbourne and Assassins Creed BoV look interesting as well.

[@SlashTheWeasel]

I have Zombiecide Black Plague along with wild west version and sci-fi versions with as many expansions and stuff as possible. Want to get more of the Marvel Zombies if possible. My husband and I got Massive Darkness 2 about month ago. Next time we play we plan on adding some difficulties cause we are winning too easily. Nightmare track and whatever else.

[@sanderschippers2708]

Nice list. Keep the heroes out for me 's little less drungeon crawler. Got also some tower defence in it. Bloodborne is interesting to. And for 1vs1 Claustrophobia. For the rest i think i whould join all on the list.

[@yannickpetit1536]

Amazing work!!! I use to watch a lot of "top...", and by far it is the most professionnal one! Perhaps you should give an eye to all CTG games. They are all in my favourites solo games (TMB and Victoruml are great adventures and Cloudspire is my favorite -it is a king of tower defense- but it is difficult to master and to put on the table).

[@lightrangergames9354]

Yeah, I've thought a lot about them. There's no doubt that they are really deep with great quality component. Unfortunately for me, I typically only have an hour or so at a time. So while I appreciate the richness of the other games, I just haven't gotten to play to many of them. Oh to have more time :D

[@marksantoro5675]

Shadows of Brimstone! Best dungeon crawl ever

[@lightrangergames9354]

Yeah, I've heard about it. I haven't had a chance to try it.

[@AtheistBelgium]

Totally. But i need a new room to store it when Brimstone Adventures arrives.

[@lordhandsomeswag1854]

Great video my friend

[@nekochen]

Seeing that you rated Cthulhu Death May Die high up on the list, have you tried Deep Madness and Arkham Horror the card game? Both are very challenging and thematic game.

[@jbfranklin26]

Interesting that you did not include the Dungeon Saga games or the Swords and Sorcery games, Talisman, or HeroQuest games.

[@GaritoCard]

What game comes with that Dice Roller Tower? Or it's a standalone add-on? Where do you get it?

[@andrewduitsman3918]

Have you tried Set A Watch? I think it might be up your style.

[@mccallosone4903]

i have never been more disappointed in a game than gloomhaven. i live in china and went to so much trouble to lug that thing halfway around the world, and it made my luggage overweight so they charged me an extra hundred bucks. when i finally got it to the table, i discovered its not an adventure game, its a deck building puzle game. its not suited for multiple players, because typically there is one way to succeed in a scenario, so there is always one person that takes the lead and makes the decisions. i am not a fan of deckbuilders, so it really wasnt for me

[@CarlosSchulz1]

What do you think about the Tiny Epic Dungeons Boardgame?

[@lightrangergames9354]

I haven't had a chance to play that one yet.

[@vindicus]

Massive Darkness 1 was a huge let down and I never even bothered with MD2 kinda wish I looked at it now.

[@mccallosone4903]

i really liked it, after playing a few times. had to make some minor house rules to make it more difficult tho

[@dazir_solo_board_gaming3840]

Great list! Good to see the Dragonfire & DND Board Games so high. I would add Dark Souls, Warhammer quest to the list. Well done.

[@Dwarfurious]

huh didnt expect KtHO, dont really classify it as a dungeon crawler more of a coop defense game but its one of my favorites

[@marcusaurelius9266]

Thank you for this amazing video good sir

[@lightrangergames9354]

You're welcome. I'm glad you liked it.

[@Ghost89it]

How League of Dungeoneers would score in comparison with those other games?

[@lightrangergames9354]

That's a good question. I haven't played that before. :(

[@mrmeow2297]

solid list thanks

[@JohnDoe-jr4pt]

16 seems oddly specific. What would #17 have been?

[@dapperpenguinstudios809]

How come Descent Legends isn't on the list? You didn't like it or prefer Journeys?

[@lightrangergames9354]

No knock against it. I just haven't played it. I'm just a gamer in my free time. I don't do reviews for a living, so there are tons more games that I'd like to play than I have access to or time :(

[@siriactuallysara]

Ok I have issues with you putting Marvel United Horrified Warcraft wrath of the lich king On the list none of those are dungeon crawlers. (Also marvel United would be ranked much much higher if you had included x-men United and expansions) You are missing amazing dungeon crawlers that blow away all these Midarra Shadows of brimstone Dungeon universalis Also missing Arena - the contest Bardsung Chronicles of Drunagor

[@crimsonsun2000]

Middara, Shadows of Brimstone, Sword and Sorcery, Arena are all excellent and would be towards the very top of my list.

[@marc-antoinelabonte5947]

Thank you!

[@paulb2474]

Hexplore it or euthia should probabbly be on the list as they are more of a dungeon crawler, especially better solo.

[@sauronguitar]

Happy to see dungeon alliance on this list!

[@lightrangergames9354]

Yeah, that's a great game.

[@kellinwinslow1988]

If we are picking Horrified then I would place Alien above it. Basically the same game but it fits the Alien film well and can be tense with 5 players. Otherwise there are some amazing App games such as Lord Of The Rings Journey In Middle Earth that would fit this list. I thought the App would be annoying but it's pretty great and the App for Descent isn't bad either. I would have to agree with game designer Paul Grogan,of Gaming Rules,that Mage Knight is the number one game of all time. Nothing comes close. There are some fantastic campaigns that have been made for the game,such as The Betrayal,as well. Even Gloomhaven falls short. But you are right that it's not really a dungeon crawler. As for my number one that would be Sword And Sorcery. The production is up there with Descent and the AI driven enemies are some of the best out there. Can be very strategic at times but it's fun enough to get into fairly easily. Plus I love how you can level up during the mission. It does need the expansion campaigns to really shine but it can be very satisfying finishing a mission. Plus the stories aren't bad even if they are cliche.

[@cristianomiranda2613]

Mage Knight 🔝🔝🔝👊🏼🇧🇷 Great Vídeo...

[@TpDgreat]

hello,,i hope you can help me with this,, theres is board that i cant remember im not sure if its a dungeon crawler or a story base,, the game has weird character and Arts like Feudom, the game has weird colors too its just sharp red,orange,purple etc etc, and the map is kinda messy, u control asymmetric characters ,, and the theme is dark

[@lightrangergames9354]

Sorry, I don't know what that might be.

[@TpDgreat]

@@lightrangergames9354 its okay, i was able to get an answer on BGG it was dungeon degenerates,,Thanks for replying happy new year! :)

[@lightrangergames9354]

Cool.

[@la_clak]

Thanks. Do you try Uprising ?

[@vanbeekbr]

Interesting list, but there are too many games on it that are definitely NOT dungeon crawlers in any way, shape, or form - so the title of the video is a bit misleading.

[@johncongemi172]

Thats what I thought. Who calls Marvel United a dungeon crawl?

[@beerman2000]

Agree. When you do a "top 16" and start off 8 of them with "its not really a dungeon crawl" you'd have been better served to make a top 8

[@jaron9978]

At the time I’m seeing this the title of the video says “ish”. Also he rates each game with how much of a dungeon crawler “feel” there is, and at 13:28 he explains his thought process for making the list this way, so the title of this video is not misleading in any way, shape, or form

[@anthonyrivera3616]

Have you tried Oathsworn?

[@lightrangergames9354]

I haven't tried it. I've heard it's good though. There's just too many good games and so little time :)

[@ibarzabal]

Fantastic video, I really like your classification and rating

[@robertchmielecki2580]

Interesting that you put fun and accomplishment as two mutually exclusive categories :) For me fun comes from accomplishment, intellectual satisfaction and creativity in problem solving. No fun for me from watching a random game play itself or decisions being easy and obvious.

[@VindoViper]

I've played the first 4 or so scenarios of massive darkness 2 and while I enjoyed the system, the game is just way too easy with no difficulty scaling options.

[@diegoorrego5898]

Good ranking system

[@Puschit1]

I am a bit surprised that so many of these games aimed for bright colours. A dungeon needs to be dark and gritty in my opinion. You can make the heros/players brighter, so they stand out, but I pretty much prefer a design like Zombiecide

[@Giochinsolo]

No Middara!?!?!?! No Macchina Arcana???' No Sward and Sorcery?!?!?!? No Shadows of Brimstone???? C'mon!

[@12600Grey]

What is 'AP' as a game description? Thanks

[@lightrangergames9354]

Analysis Paralysis - I mean how much you might feel stuck trying to decide what to do.

[@alvininuk7492]

Arkham horror the card game actually a great one good for solo too

[@PurifyWithLight]

Honorable mention to the Flesh Light, it's not a dungeon crawler but has a similar deep delve feel to it 🤪

[@kellykuciemba6789]

Try the Shrek it's a game changer!

[@Valmar123123]

Nice video Mage knight ease of play should be 1/5 though, king of analysis paralysis and 30 min planning each attack. No way its 3/5.

[@lightrangergames9354]

The reason I put it as 3/5 is only because it's really easy to set up and put away, compared to others. I definitely agree with you that it's really hard from an understand the rules and choosing what to do.

[@eriksjogren800]

Thanks

[@frankokeefe3631]

What about heroquest?

[@lightrangergames9354]

Unfortunately haven't played it.

[@SamS-cb5ep]

I can tell you’ve not played Machina Arcana - it’s one of the best dungeon crawls ever made!

[@buddhawasright]

Absolutely!

[@lawrencestanley8989]

Really? No "Marching Order?"

[@1AngelAlita]

Interesting list, I really dislike D&D adventure games and can't believe anyone would rate it abouve Gloomhaven.. ;) Anyway, my no. 1 dungeon crawler is Shadows of Brimstone!

[@lightrangergames9354]

Yeah, it all depends on the mood of that game. For me it's definitely not above Gloomhaven in terms of game design, but it's faster to the table, and good if you're looking for roll the dice and have some quick fun. But I definitely understand others not liking it. That's why I just wanted to share a lot of different ones, in case others hadn't played them. I've heard of Shadows, but haven't had a chance to play it.

[@koalabrownie]

Uh- many of these games aren't dungeon crawls. If it's not in an enclosed space and you're not moving from one room to the next, it's a different genre.

[@Zanji1234]

Mage Knight is NOT a dungeon crawler it's a puzzle game for me. Sadly :( i thought it was like a might and magic game with exploration and stuff but NOPE time limit

[@timitnyre5831]

No Hero Quest?

[@ioannisgalanis7744]

You can not talk about dungeon crawling games and not include the heroquest!! It's also good for solo gaming!! It's the definition of dungeon crawling 😉