Karn Spyder Lee Bianco writes "As its name suggests, Dungeon Maker (known as Master of the Monster Lair in the U.S.) puts a unique spin on the dungeon crawling genre by allowing players to design the dungeon they will be plundering. It's a novel concept, even if it's not an entirely new one (see Dungeon Keeper for a somewhat similar premise). But can it deliver an engrossing experience, or is Dungeon Maker doomed to be as frustrating as attempting to dig a real-life underground dungeon with nothing but a shovel in hand?"
An ambitious but novice dungeon maker arrives in a small town known to suffer periodic attacks from violent monsters. He buys a vast plot of land at the outskirts of the town to create a grand dungeon in hopes of luring in various enemy monsters which to hunt to collect gold and items. He envisions his complete dungeon to be one so appealing as to lure the legendary Wandering Demon. Defeating this menacing monster would free the townspeople from the fear he casts upon them, while winning acclaim as a true dungeon maker for the "Architect."
Dungeon Maker is a nice little game package which will suit younger gamers - ideally those who haven't had too much experience of other role playing, turn based battle games with constant monster battling and grinding. It will no doubt be good training, and stand them in good stead for the future with its 30+ hours of gameplay.
Although being the idea of being a dungeon master is oddly appealing at first, it doesn't take long for tedium to settle in. Rising Star would have been better off bringing the Rune Factory games over here instead.
