Tiny Dangerous Dungeons

It's been a pretty good week if you're a fan of retro platformers. There was the impressive Jump'N'Shoot Attack, and now there's Tiny Dangerous Dungeons.

This one's even more retro, with a green-glowing Gameboy aesthetic and a Metroidvania heart that's as cruel as it is entertaining.

The controls are smooth, the main character has a cheeky grin, and while there are a few niggles here and there it's still well worth a look.

Bats

The game sees you running through the titular dungeon, leaping over traps and monsters and trying to find your way to the exit. There's a lot of back-tracking, but it's good back-tracking, and gives the whole thing a sense of exploration.

You find new equipment as you venture through the dungeon. There's a glove that lets you push blocks over, throwing knives that let you tackle monsters, and a map that shows you where you've been and where you need to go.

These pieces of kit unlock previously inaccessible areas, and a clever save system involving some idols means you're never too far away from a checkpoint when you inevitably die.

There's a decent level of challenge here, but it's never particularly frustrating. Once you get a grip on the pace of things, you'll make pretty serene progress through the lovely nostalgic environments.

Knives

There are a couple of little annoyances here, mainly that the jump button is the same button you use to get through doors, and you'll often find yourself accidentally swapping into a different room instead of leaping into the air.

But it doesn't really spoil what's an enjoyably adventurous platformer that's dripping with retro charm and solid, if not remarkable, ideas.

Tiny Dangerous Dungeons

A surprisingly fresh retro platformer, if you want to scratch a Gameboy itch, Tiny Dangerous Dungeons is well worth a look
Score
Harry Slater
Harry Slater
Harry used to be really good at Snake on the Nokia 5110. Apparently though, digital snake wrangling isn't a proper job, so now he writes words about games instead.