Dungeons of Hinterberg review: a breezy action RPG that’s as pretty as a postcard

Usually when a game makes me want to stop playing and go outside it’s a bad sign, but with Dungeons of Hinterberg it’s different. It’s an action RPG that made me pine for the outdoors and want to be whisked away from all my responsibilities and just exist for a bit. Each time I would finish playing I’d be thinking about my next getaway, and although dungeon delving wouldn’t be on my holiday itinerary Dungeons of Hinterberg is making me think twice.

Protagonist Luisa is stuck in a place we’ve all visited before: Burnout City. She’s a busy lawyer who yearns for some downtime so has decided to escape to the picturesque Hinterberg, a whimsical alpine Austrian village. Hinterberg is essentially a recreational holiday destination where you can hike through the wilderness, knock back a few beers with the locals, and slay some monsters when the feeling strikes you.

Outside of the game’s home hub of Hinterberg are four regions with their own handful of dungeons. You decide which region you’d like to visit in the morning, hack and slash your way through a dungeon during the day, hang out with the locals during the evening, then finish the day by returning to your hotel room. It’s a routine you settle into quickly thanks to each area’s distinct charm. From the snowy peaks of Kolmstein with its white wonderland of majestic mountains and ice caves, to the lush meadows of Doberkogel complete with cows, cable cars, and flowers - I was forever taking screenshots, slowly compiling a bumper book of holiday snaps.

Each of these regions will grant you two special magical abilities that can only be used in that area and its dungeons. For example, in Doberkogel you can summon a giant, spherical bomb that blasts through blockades and a ball and chain which you can fire at items and pull them towards you. Dungeons will test these abilities through a mix of combat encounters and puzzle-solving, all presented in wildly different ways. You might need to navigate an underwater castle, snowboard across a winter obstacle course, or survive a rickety minecart ride through a monster-invested cavern. When you reach the end of a dungeon you’ll get a satisfying travel stamp in your notebook.

Puzzles hit that sweet spot of being minimal effort where nothing is going to majorly stump you, but their breeziness and intuitiveness still makes them satisfying to solve. All the environmental puzzle-platforming regulars are here - switching buttons, pulling levers, moving platforms and the like - but because of each area's regional magic, the puzzle design is constantly switched up. They push you to use your powers in interesting ways, and dungeons feel like they’ve been designed with the puzzles first and foremost, with the level being built around the core idea.

Magic isn't only for puzzling but also a part of your fighting arsenal, alongside plenty of other abilities. Luisa doesn’t carry round a big sword for the drip either, as you’ll be hacking and slashing your way through hordes of monsters too. The way she moves feels incredibly fluid, and together with some equippable abilities, fights are often a frenzy of activity and action. I might leap in with 1, 2, 3 quick sword swipes, dodge away, hit ‘em with an ice beam (thanks to the magical power in Kolmstein), and then activate my Blade Tornado, a devastating spinning ability that’s as deadly as it sounds.

Enemies are a rabble of ghouls and monsters but with an alpine folklore twist, which includes various pointy-hatted gnomes, cackling witches, gnarly goats, and creepy wicker men. You’ll happen upon them in groups, often plonked (sometimes awkwardly) in different parts of a dungeon. You’ll fight the same kinds of enemies over and over again, which is a little tiresome, but a nice steady stream of new gear and abilities keeps combat interesting. There’s also a handful of boss fights, which are a highlight of the game. In one I had to fight a rabid basilisk with a giant beak and too many eyes as I grinded on a rail on my snowboard. Fisticuffs with Krampus is also a thing, so look forward to that.

When you’ve dusted off a dungeon and all of its puzzles and monsters, it’s back to Hinterberg’s central town for some R&R. You can pop into the pharmacy to top up your potions, visit the corner shop for new gear, and get chatting with the locals. You get to choose what person you wanna hang out with each day and when you reach a certain friendship level with them you get new items and abilities Persona-style. Before you put in the time with folks, you'll get a heads up on what rewards they'll grant you, not like it matters when you really click with a character. I’d willingly hang out with Hannah the cute blacksmith even if all I got was a fist full of dust.

Each character has a mini-story that connects to the game’s wider story. The appearance of dungeons in Hinterberg has attracted many visitors, meaning that tourism is booming. With money flowing into the town, there’s a conflict between how the influx of visitors is affecting the locals and it's got bureaucracy's sticky fingers all over it. Like my girl Hannah, her shop is in danger of closing down because of pressure from corporate competition so I’m now booking it around town trying to get folks to sign a petition to keep it open. Chatting with the locals and helping them with their problems gives colour to the town and it's characters instead of seeing them as item-spouting vending machines.

You may have a distinct routine, but I love how different the days are. Luisa wants to complete all 25 dungeons which means you’ll be bouncing back and forth between all four regions, and hanging out with different locals each day brings new story beats and mini-quests. The very best thing is that you don’t even have to do a dungeon if you don’t feel like it. Instead, you can sit down at different scenic spots and relax for the day, which also nets you permanent stat boosts. I was speeding toward a lake with a dungeon portal at its center when I came across a lovely wooden pier overlooking the water. I sat down on the edge of the pier and gazed across the lake. The wind rustled gently through the trees and Luisa mused about what her colleagues would be doing back in her busy office. It looked too cosy and laid-back, I badly wanted to jump through my screen, sit with Luisa, and split a schnitzel with her.

That’s what I love the most about Dungeons of Hinterberg. You don’t always have to be productive, and that’s okay. When I got a little tired of dungeon delving I just relaxed during the day at different scenic spots and worked on hanging out with the locals in the evening. I did this for an entire in-game week until I felt like bashing some monsters again.

There’s a climactic rush at the end of the game’s 20-hour runtime, but for the majority, Dungeons of Hinterberg is wonderfully laid-back. There are so many games that romanticize leaving your busy life and escaping to the wilderness, but here the topic is explored in an authentic and genuine way. There’s a lesson here about how rest is fundamental to health and happiness, but I also love how the game communicates that. It’s a gentle, reflective fantasy adventure that’ll have you reaching for your hiking boots.

This review is based on a review build of the game provided by the developer.