Dome Keeper

“Dome Keeper isn't a game to relax but it greatly motivates me. I just wish I could take a few more things into my next run. I really recommend it to you when you're fine to do the same things again and again but want to learn to worship your dome.”

“Dome Keeper is a survival game in an alien world where you have to dig for resources and defend yourself against hordes of enemies. The game has an interesting theme and a unique concept, where it offers progression and strategy elements as well as action adventure. It is exciting and challenging for survival lovers.”

“Dome Keeper is a well-disguised time-management game with a great atmosphere and plenty of ways to engage with its content.”

“Dome Keeper is a labour of love for developer Bippinbits, a two-person team based in Dresden who are also a couple. According to publisher Raw Fury, it was in profit from day one and it is easy to see why – this is a simple game, but one made to a high standard. Its pixel art, wealth of upgrades, and clever sound design are all praiseworthy. Those looking for a deeper roguelike experience should look elsewhere, but ironically Dome Keeper is ideal for players in the hunt for something a bit more surface-level.”

“Dome Keeper merges digging and base defence but struggles to make either a success in their own right.”

“Dome Keeper mixes mining, base defense and resource management into a simple and creative experience. The game alternates between calm moments mining resources and frantic combats to create interesting situations in which the challenge is to manage time and items. However, the game is very shallow in content, which makes the runs very similar to each other. Some options, like different upgrades and planets, try to diversify things, but they aren't enough to end the feeling of repetition. In the end, Dome Keeper is great, if only for a short time.”

“Don’t let Dome Keeper‘s simplicity put you off: in fact, it’s that simplicity that makes it so great in the first place. Free of bloat and complicated mechanics, this game of survival against the odds will keep you coming back for more. And more.”

“I ended up really liking Dome Keeper. Its gameplay flow reminded me a lot of Kingdom, another gem also published by Raw Fury. Only this time it’s a bit more lonely as you are just a humble space person alone on a very angry planet. Its mix of mining for resources and defending your base quickly became entertaining, having me return run after run, even if many ended with my dome smashing into little pieces. Unlocked content feels a touch light and defending the base can get a bit overwhelming too early. But that wasn’t enough to cloud over the sheer fun I had playing this sci-fi wonder. If you’re looking for a fresh new roguelike then Dome Keeper comes highly recommended.”

“A simple yet nuanced roguelike packed with interesting decisions, tense fights and lots of digging.”

“Its compact nature makes for a graceful game that isn’t bloated, but it also steps on its own toes. The number of upgrades, and even how you mine out resources feels like an illusion of choice as the optimal way to play becomes obvious fairly quickly. Up until that point, and even for a while afterward, it’s fun to play. It just doesn’t stand its ground for nearly as long as other rogue-lite games, and replayability is an important defining feature of the genre.”

“Dome Keeper’s loop is instantly addictive and is a damn great game to play on the couch.”

“Dome Keeper is an excellent rogue-lite for fans of 2D mining games.”

“Dome Keeper blends resource gathering, defense, and roguelike elements seamlessly. Each run was truly fresh start once you got underground to dig for resources, gadgets, and relics. There’s lots to explore and replay in just a single mode, compound that with other difficulties and configurations, will keep you coming back for more. Bippinbits excels at the micro tactics here, where one small change in how you focus your tech tree can alter the trajectory of the run. Dome Keeper is lovingly crafted, rewards thoughtful play, and has more going on under the surface than it leads on.”

“As it stands, Dome Keeper is still left wanting for more content to flesh out its addictive gameplay concept. At the ten-hour mark, many players will have seen the breadth of its unlocks and will then decide if simply pumping more time into it for the love or leaderboard placement is worth it; a special “prestige” mode is specifically geared towards a risk/reward competitive score style. It’s hard not to simply want more weapons, base mods, and artifacts, even if the gameplay otherwise remains the same. With enough sales, maybe the game will come even more into its own, but Dome Keeper’s unusual mix of combat, time management, and resource-drilling is a magical combo.”

“Priced at under $20, Dome Keeper will keep you on your toes for several mining sessions. Its cyclical design is simple and executed fairly well, keeping the tension consistent throughout a run. However, upgrades quickly become restrictive in terms of effective builds, and both mining and defense become predictable in subsequent playthroughs. That said, the game has plenty of room for future updates that could help balance things out. Dome Keeper, without taking too many risks, fits simply and innocuously inside the world of the iterative survival genre.”