More like dull-men

Timing is a heck of a thing. Imagine releasing a game that will be dubbed a Souls-like within earshot of what many consider the magnum opus of the genre in Elden Ring. Well that is precisely what developer Massive Work Studio has done. Dolmen is the second game from this studio which was founded in 2016 with the first being a rhythm-based mobile game. Dolmen is the quintessential Souls-style game with melee focused combat mixed with some ranged weaponry and all the traditional caveats of the genre. While it is mostly competent it has quite a few setbacks that stand out even more hot off the heels of From Software’s latest.

I love where gaming is right now, there are so many games to see and play, but I am also getting exhausted of so many developers chasing the dragon. Descriptors like Soulslike, roguelike, run-based, ad-nausea almost make me roll my eyes anymore. Buzzwords can ruin a game before I even play it. Dolmen kicks off with a promising idea, but quickly fizzles out with uninspired game play and nothing to set it above the million other clones just like it.

MSRP: $39.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, PC
Price I’d Pay: $19.99

From screenshots the game takes on a sci-fi horror aspect. Something that is sorely underused in gaming. The story takes place in the future where humans are slowly moving planet to planet mining resources to survive. Dolmen takes place on the latest planet known as Revion Prime. Every planet in the future contains Prime by the way, so just accept it.

The world and its inhabitants feel ripped right out of something like Dead Space. Plenty of gooey areas filled with spire-like creatures that move in disturbing fashions. It has all the trappings of a good horror story then you realize what type of game it is. The notes on the ground to serve as tutorials. The combat mapped to shoulder buttons. Corpse runs. It is almost a playbook now that developers follow instead of realizing if it works for their design. Some games benefit from it, others just feel uninspired because of it. Dolmen is definitely of the latter variety.

The combat is where these design choices really come into perspective. Dolmen is a mix of melee and ranged combat. On the surface it sounds ideal, attack with range until enemies close in then finish them with melee. Then the Dark Souls takes over. All ranged attacks use an energy meter that pretty much stays spent most of the game. I was constantly limited by how much I could attack as my bar was almost always empty. I could use items to refill it, which was an animation that could be interrupted, which is as frustrating as it sounds.

Melee combat also just doesn’t feel good. Hits don’t have that satisfying punch to them when they connect. Sometimes I couldn’t tell if I was actually doing damage to enemies as their animations did not react how I thought they should. The parry system is also finicky in the sense that it only seems to work when it feels like it. I found myself mostly mashing and hoping I made it through and that is not what makes these types of games work. I need to know that when I die it was my fault and in Dolmen I never felt that way. Instead I felt like the game sometimes decided it was time for me to die, so I did.

Sticking with the Souls style there is a renewable and upgradeable resource for things like your health recovery. This game’s flask is energy which is stored in batteries. Unfortunately these are also used for the gun ammo as well as the elemental powers in your suit. There is simply not enough of this to go around, even after several upgrades there is never enough battery power to make the guns and suit powers feel relevant. The game opted to use one currency for multiple abilities and just didn’t provide enough of it to go around. It is a bad design decision that renders substantial mechanics of the game useless.

There is multiplayer for those finding the game too hard, but I found it harder to find a partner to play with than the game itself so that is likely off the table for most players. Dolmen just feels like scraps when a four course meal is literally right there. It was a bad time to release a game of this type when it falls so short of the mark set by the best in the genre and even falls below the current imitators. I am all for expanding on a game idea, but there has to be something there to make it feel special and unique and Dolmen just doesn’t have anything setting it apart on any level.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.

Good
  • Interesting aesthetic
Bad
  • Poor management system
  • Combat just doesn't feel impactful
  • Some encounters feel unfair
5.5
Mediocre
Written by
Ken is the Editor-in-Chief of this hole in the wall and he loves to troll for the fun of it. He also enjoys long walks through Arkham Asylum and the cool air of Shadow Moses Island. His turn-ons include Mortal Kombat, Metal Gear Solid and StarCraft.