This Steam Next Fest RPG gem that pays homage to classics like Ultima and D&D is like a big Skyrim dungeon, but 10 times more elaborate

Neverlooted Dungeon is inspired by RPGs slightly before my time, but I was getting heavy Skyrim vibes playing Steam Next Fest’s absolutely stellar demo for this wickedly clever dungeon crawler.

Developer Wild Mage Games explicitly lists Ultima Underworld, Arx Fatalis, and Thief as Neverlooted Dungeon inspirations, and the demo I played definitely feels like a mix of elements from those genre classics. You start in a dimly lit dungeon next to a sleeping bag and a campfire. The only path is too dark to explore without a torch, and I admit I spent an embarrassing amount of time (and lifetimes) trying to light a nearby log rather than just, you know, grabbing the torch that was already lit and wall mounted. This was the first of many tests that I repeatedly failed before realizing that the solution was either A) right in front of me, or B) not even in the same orbit as my thought process.

My brief time with the demo was like playing an incredibly elaborate and dangerous physics-based Skyrim dungeon. Walking by flashlight with a sword in my free hand, fighting monsters, solving puzzles, and navigating the maze defined my Skyrim experience. In fact, I would say that dungeon crawling and cave exploring are my favorite activities in Skyrim, so you know I mean that as the highest compliment.

That being said, everything requires a lot more effort in Neverlooted Dungeon compared to Skyrim. Damage from a trap that would only take a few wheels of cheese to heal in Skyrim will kill you directly in Neverlooted Dungeon. A giant rat that you would normally disregard in Skyrim requires a deliberate and methodical attack to rid it of its threat. The puzzles are harder, the dungeons are more maze-like, and it’s very, very easy to get lost. Instead of dead bad guys, you see a bunch of you dead, because when you die, your body is left behind with the loot you were carrying, like in the old Diablo and Ultima Online games.