The Dungeon Of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet Of Chaos

Score: ◆◆◆⬖◇ (3.5/5)
TLDR: Funny, charming RPG with good writing and clever parody moments, but held back by uneven systems and often frustrating, RNG-heavy combat. Worth a look on sale, preferably on a lower difficulty.
If there was ever a game that I’ve come away from with a love-hate relationship in recent years, DONAC (zero chance I’m spelling out the entire name every time I mention it) would fit the bill. This game has pretty great potential and it even occasionally reaches it, but there are too many nuisances and detractors that hold it back.
DONAC is actually an adaptation of a French audio series from the 2000s that parodies fantasy role-playing games, most obviously D&D. I don’t speak French and I’m not aware of an English translation of the original works, so it should not be surprising that I had no prior awareness of the series before the game. The game, of course, is also a clear parody of D&D and fantasy in general. The premise is that your party has been hired to find a statuette in a large dungeon, which quickly turns into a hodgepodge of curses, cultism, and time loops. I found the main story engaging enough to keep me invested, but what I liked the most was the writing in general. This game is genuinely pretty funny at times, especially if you have prior experience with the material it is poking fun at.
I was admittedly a little worried that the use of swears (the game even has an actual bleep sound effect when the F word is said) and some overplayed memes (arrow to the knee, trololo, etc.) were indicators of the kind of humor the game would have, but in the case of the memes, these were rare one-offs. There are two characters that I can clearly see being grating to some players: the elf and the dwarf. They are constantly bickering and both have the only voice acting that I would categorize as “annoying.” The elf is naive and ditsy, whereas the dwarf is brash and greedy (and where most of the game’s swears come from). The game even has options to mute these characters specifically, so I have no doubt this was an obvious point of criticism.
That said, the rest of the characters, plus many of the other jokes, landed for me, at the very least earning a smirk or a sharp exhalation of air from my nose. For example, the paladin of the party follows the in-game deity of Jud’Juddy, a reference to a well-known TV judge. There is also a side quest involving a character named Binsc who needs you to locate his lost space hamster, Moo, referencing characters from Baldur’s Gate. This game makes good use of recurring jokes as well, such as the thief not being able to pick locks, the ranger constantly struggling to maintain any semblance of leadership of the party, or the barbarian constantly forgetting who anyone relevant to the plot is because he is more concerned with kicking ass. This is a VERY unserious game, so go into it with that expectation.
Before I touch on the main point of contention with the game, being the combat, let’s lay out the other systems present. There are books found throughout the dungeon and occasionally as loot from fights that can be completed and turned in for a permanent stat bonus to either a character or the entire party. These work as a great incentive for exploration because the stat bonuses are genuinely useful. On the other hand, loot as a whole is not particularly interesting. There is a clear progression for weapons and armor, as well as little overlap between party members and gear, so you mostly just equip whatever has the higher stats. Jewelry is a little more interesting but is uncommon enough that you will not really be making many decisions beyond which party member gets what.
There is also junk that, aside from a couple of cases, is just meant to be sold to vendors for money, which leads to another problem. I had 100k gold by the end of my playthrough with nothing to spend it on. Most of the best loot is found from chests and fights, so you really only spend money to heal or buy consumables. I also found myself scratching my head over the consumables because the vast majority of them are just useless. There is a bunch of food and alcohol that provides terrible healing compared to potions and, unlike potions, cannot be consumed outside of battle, so why even bother?
Most of the side quests were not terribly compelling outside of the jokes that came with them, and they provided a paltry amount of EXP, so do not expect to outlevel the main questline if you are running into a difficulty roadblock. Puzzles are not overly difficult but do provide a nice respite from the combat encounters, which at points are WAY too long. Another thing I noticed was a fair number of spelling and grammar mistakes which is not the end of the world, but does add up over time. The art style is charming and befitting of a game that is a caricature, and the music, while not bad, is kind of forgettable.
Finally, let’s discuss the meat of the game and what led me to nearly abandoning it multiple times during my roughly 50-hour playthrough. This is a turn-based tactical RPG and I played on the second-highest difficulty, so this is partially my fault, I suppose, but this game is HARD. Normally I am fine with that, but the difficulty often comes from what feels like RNG or annoying mechanics. This is more prevalent in the early game, where your party feels really weak, and a string of critical failures can make any planning or strategy you are attempting to employ pointless. These failures even apply to things like the thief’s stealth or party-wide buffs, which not only do not apply the buff but instead apply a party-wide debuff.
You do eventually get gear and abilities that make your party members feel strong, except the thief. The thief feels like the worst member by far, whose best use is applying AoE crowd control with ice bombs. All of this, combined with combat encounters that feel stacked against the player, makes it feel like playing D&D with a particularly sadistic DM.
That said, when I was not finding myself on the wrong side of Lady Luck, I did enjoy the combat. Properly synergizing abilities between your party members feels very rewarding. Each party member has an active ability tree and a passive ability tree, where you earn a point each level up to a max of 10. You can re-spec using a cheap consumable, and there are enough options that you can experiment with different playstyles like ranged versus melee ranger. That said, at least on higher difficulties, there is a clear best option, and straying from that too much will make your life hell. Crowd control and heals are king in this game, so invest in both to save yourself the headache.
The game also does a good job of making each arena you fight in feel fresh, even if it is just due to the layout of the room. One notable encounter takes place within a large ice rink where the risk of slipping and falling is present for both the player and the enemy.
DONAC has left me conflicted, torn between appreciating what it does right and being worn down by the frustrations that crop up. The writing and humor carried much of the experience for me, with genuinely clever moments that kept the adventure entertaining. Unfortunately, the uneven difficulty and RNG-heavy combat often undermined that enjoyment, making the game feel more exhausting than satisfying at times. DONAC is a good game with flashes of something better, but its rough edges hold it back from reaching its full potential. Grab it on a sale and maybe opt for a lower difficulty unless you feel up to the torture.

I don't usually write reviews, but for this one I'll make an exception.
This game is an absolute master piece. So much fun and humor and RPG in one game - you don't often stumble upon. The game is all about tactics and honestly I don't even mind, if my characters made a mistake, because it's again so much fun just to listen and watch them fail - you don't usually 'enjoy' this part in standard games. I think I didn't even use the load button, because you don't have to. Sometime you just want to listen to them complaining about them being on fire or poisoned - a bit sadistick, I admit, but I trust your adventurers will forgive you. For a bit of ale, and gold. Mainly gold.
The interaction between the Dward and the Elf - I even started making notes of their conversations. Yes, I got that far and I am not afraid to say it.
I don't recall when I laughed so much playing a game.
All my available thumbs up - you simply must try it, And pick the Minstrel as your last companion - his speech impediment and absolute lack of musical talent is just priceless. Still, he will be the one healing and saving all your characters.
And once you finish this, go and buy Back to Futon - where the story and fun continues with the same intensity.
As the Barbarian would say - "Is rock!"

There is a strange charm in well done parodies that are also consistent in themselves. They are rare, hard to pull off, and most of them just aim for giggles rather than a fleshed out experience. To see games like this one, with gloriously long titles, is an overall pleasant experience in this regard. If a fun dungeon adventure with all the known D&D tropes sounds fun, this is the game for you. Watch out though, fleshed out and consistent as it is, it still has horrendous RNG and a good amount of flaws.
Due to the fact that I've only played a couple hours, I won't dive deeper into this review. It would be better for you to check others' opinions first.

I played through it twice, once on release and recently.
All in all this is just a genuine good game. It's not perfect by any means, i'd say it's even quite bad in some aspects (navigating around the dungeon, which is like, half the game, is quite tedious; you can easily miss some sidequests if you don't use a guide; and the sound effects are sometimes very annoying, especially the eating sounds in tavern areas (this is somehow worse in the DLC, i don't know if i have misophonia or anything but dear god it was annoying)).
But idk, it's not perfect, it feels like a genuine project made by real people. Naheulbeuk was always a stupid thing done by some random guys doing their best (and frankly not being very good at it), this one feels like that too. It feels real. I think i'll remember this game more than most tripleA slop.
I'm glad i played it.

Fun dialog, well-architected storyline, very self-aware and sarcastic about RPG design. Definitely worth whatever I paid for it in some bundle and then some. Hours played was a lot of background idling, could probably finish the main storyline in ~10h and another ~10-15 for the side quests in the base game. Kudos to the devs for an incredibly polished and enjoyable experience!

So far I’ve spent 30+ hours wandering through The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk. It’s been a real delight. It’s funny, strangely enchanting, and you actually start to like the characters. The art is vibrant, the story is fun, and even the side missions feel alive with that chaotic good energy. It’s made with a sense that the characters are self-aware and it comes up frequently.
I made The Elf my Steam background. She may be a walking blonde joke cliche, but she is probably the kindest and most charming of the bunch… unless you’re of Dwarven descent.
Lastly I’m not a fan of missable levels or items, but Naheulbeuk has real replayability. Sort of like slipping on your favorite, slightly unhinged daydream. Once the combat clicks, it becomes a dance full of strategy, luck, and just enough delicious chaos to keep it fresh and tasty.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s goofy, and sometimes extremely frustrating, but it’s also a little bit seductive, like reaching for a hotdog at your local park cart and accidentally brushing hands with a beautiful stranger… ya know, or however your parents met. It’s an adventure worth experiencing.

Not complicated to play, primarily point and click, good tutorial, "easy" mode is challenging enough but not frustrating. I am enjoying the game and hope it doesn't end too soon.