I know, despite concerns of streaming service gatekeepers, that I would not have otherwise played this game if not for Game Pass. And wow, would have I missed out on one of the best games I’ve played in a long while. What an absolute delight and joy it was to play Dungeons of Hinterberg.

From the initial setup of a burned out professional going on a high adventure in village beset by magic and dungeons for tourists, I was hooked. There is whimsy about the writing and interactions with all of the various locals and other tourists. And while I could take or leave the Persona-style day-to-day relationship management aspect of the game, some of the characters had truly interesting stories that I wanted to see through to the end.

Combat is relatively basic but a wide variety of enemies keep things interesting. Where the game really shines is its use of magic skills for both combat and puzzle solving. Each world gives the player new powers to play with and the team at Microbird Games continuously apply them in interesting ways.

Each of the dungeons from the game’s namesake are a master class in puzzle design and inventive exploration. They gradually build upon ideas and test the player’s understanding of how skills can be used in unique ways. Then, on top of that, the level design take some great turns in unexpected directions calling on a wide variety of games from Zelda to Monunemt Valley to Super Mario Galaxy and more. Just look at the GIFs below. My mind was blown the first time I encountered them.

Structurally, the team had some great ideas and, instead of trying to go too big, they really honed and focused thise ideas to create a great overall experience. Dungeons of Hinterberg is a gem of a game that I’m glad I was able to spend the time with it I did. Looking forward to whatever the team comes up with next.