Look, let's be honest, the first week of September brought a deluge of massive new titles to Steam. Capcom's Onimusha: Way of the Sword and CD Projekt Red alumni's new project The Blood of the Dawnwalker launched to Very Positive acclaim. NBA 2K27 kicked things off with its series-traditional Mixed reviews, while the quirky co-op game Bombanana! is pulling in Overwhelmingly Positive praise. Amidst this flood of releases, however, one sneaky title caught our eye: Dungeon Settlers from the South Korean indie developer CanOpener, which launched into early access four days prior.

Dungeon Settlers is a game where you manage a settlement while personally forming expedition teams to conquer dungeons. It combines colony simulation and dungeon crawler mechanics. You step into the shoes of an exploration leader dispatched by the guild, tasked with developing the settlement, training members, and conquering dungeons through combat. The ultimate goal? To tear down the dungeon itself, the very source of calamity.

Before diving into the game, you first need to handpick your initial four members. These trailblazers handle the initial settlement construction. In other words, a key thing to keep in mind as you recruit and nurture members is that you must consider not just their combat chops in the dungeon, but also their suitability for settlement content. It bears a striking resemblance to RimWorld in that regard.

Once those first four members start building houses and crafting tables with scarce resources, you will inevitably hit a moment where materials run dry. The area around the dungeon is a wasteland ravaged by magical erosion, meaning resources are practically nonexistent nearby. To get materials, you have no choice but to venture into the dungeon. Inside, you can gather wood, minerals, and monster byproducts.

Dangers lurk around every corner in the dungeon. The main attraction is the monsters, ranging from slimes to grey rats. The dungeon is divided into floors, and the deeper you go, the tougher and more terrifying monsters you will face. You enter with a 4-person party, and combat utilizes a pause-and-play real-time system. It instantly evokes classics like Baldur's Gate and Dragon Age, requiring delicate micro-management such as timing skills to monster attacks or pulling allies back.

Each member possesses skills tailored to their respective roles. Archers can use Sniping to pick off enemies from afar or unleash arrow rain, while tanks can pop Iron Clad to harden themselves up. That said, pause-and-play real-time combat is tuned to a brutal difficulty where you simply won't survive unless you constantly mash the pause button, and Dungeon Settlers is no exception. Enemy attack power is fierce, and if an ally's HP hits zero, they don't just get injured—they die for real.

Consequently, if you want to explore deeper and rake in resources, you will need steady member training alongside shiny new gear and upgrades. Crafting better equipment at the forge and handing it to your characters will boost their baseline combat power. Praying (offering devotion) at the goddess statue lets them level up, boosting stats and granting passive skills (engravings).

Of course, even with all that leveling up, you could still lose all your members in a freak accident. That is why recruiting fresh blood is equally crucial. Recruits come with different stats, skills, traits, and backstories. You have to keep a sharp eye out for deal-breaking traits like Pacifist, who outright detest combat.

As of the 7th, Dungeon Settlers holds a Very Positive (81% positive) rating on Steam. Positive buzz includes comments like, "A game that showed a surprising amount of depth right from the demo," "It is still in early development, but the potential is undeniable," "The developer is rapidly taking feedback and updating, so the future looks bright," "A dungeon crawler worth trying if you enjoyed RimWorld or Core Keeper," and "If you were craving a high-difficulty CRPG, this game is for you."