Dungeons 4 - The Good, the Bad and the Evil is a strategy and simulation title that expands the core dungeon management experience with a Wild West theme. Players take on the role of the Absolute Evil, directing General Thalya to construct and defend an underground lair while pushing into the overworld to convert territory.
Gameplay
The central loop revolves around excavating and furnishing dungeon rooms using snots, the imp-like workers regenerated by the dungeon heart. This core structure serves as both the player's base and a vulnerability that heroes target. A cursor-like hand allows direct control over creature placement, spell casting, and room designation while snots handle routine labor.
Defense relies on a combination of stationed creatures and traps. The DLC introduces the Hydro-Lava-non, which spits lava at intruders, and the Steam trap, which cooks approaching heroes. Floor grates add flexibility by permitting construction over lava or water surfaces. New vermin such as Giant Scorpions join existing threats like Manavores, Spiders, and Lavalumps, appearing in both dungeon corridors and overworld areas.
Expansion into the overworld involves sending forces to claim land and disrupt the forces of good. The new setting features steam locomotives carrying gun-slinging dwarves that players can intercept by damaging armor or constructing their own train. Thalya receives updated passive skills and a thematic outfit suited to the prairie environment.
Game Modes
The DLC centers on a single-player campaign consisting of five fully voiced missions set in the western portion of the overworld. These missions follow Thalya's pursuit of Dwarven Queen Brynnhild and build toward a high-noon confrontation. Each mission provides a pre-established dungeon layout, allowing immediate focus on upgrades, trap placement, and surface operations rather than starting from scratch.
Within the campaign, players manage three factions to generate evil resources and deploy units against increasingly armed dwarven opponents. The structure emphasizes sequential mission progression with escalating challenges from new enemy types and environmental features such as prairie trains.
New Units and Enemies
Four dwarven units reinforce the opposing side: the Pistolero, Machine Dwarf, Crack Shot, and Brewmaster. These introduce ranged and specialized combat options that alter defensive priorities compared to prior encounters. On the evil side, the emphasis remains on existing creature management augmented by the new traps and building options.
Brynnhild returns as a recurring antagonist, now accompanied by a twin, and deploys the steam locomotive as a mobile threat. Players counter this by targeting locomotive armor or building their own rail-based response.
Is It Worth Playing?
This DLC delivers targeted additions for players already familiar with the base game's dungeon-building and overworld conquest systems. The five-mission campaign provides a self-contained western-themed experience with immediate access to upgrades and new mechanics like train interactions and specialized traps. Reception highlights preservation of the established atmosphere alongside fresh enemy variety and environmental challenges, though it introduces no sweeping changes to core systems. It suits those who enjoy methodical base defense and resource-driven expansion in a real-time strategy framework. The content requires the base game and runs on PC as a downloadable expansion released in August 2024.
