Reviews VideoGame / Dwarf Fortress

All Hail the God of Blood

Ah, good ol' Dorf Fort. This is by far the quirkiest game I have played in a long time. If I had to describe it, I would say it's Minecraft meets The Sims meets the Cliche Tolkienesque fantasy world.

On steroids.

Dwarf Fortress makes Net Hack, a game renowned for its depth and complexity, look like Pong. It is the next level of gaming. Every era of gaming has had a genre that is in the vogue. In the NES era, it was the Platform Game. After that, it switched to the Shoot Em Up. For a while, it was the Fighting Game. Currently, it is the First Person Shooter. Next, it shall be DF-esque Simulation Games. My evidence for this: Minecraft. Minecraft has moved into mainstream, right? Well, what if I told you that it takes inspiration directly from Dwarf Fortress?

It's obvious that DF is not for everyone. It speaks for itself in that regard. It is HARD. Once you have played Dwarf Fotress, you will know what it truly means to Lose. This is the main thing that stands between DF and the mainstream. Minecraft was able to succeed where DF "failed", because it applied DF's playstyle to a simpler interface, opening it up to a wider audience. DF will never move beyond Cult Classic level — but it will shake the gaming world.

If you're reading this review, you're probably considering this game. But before you try to go ahead and it out, let me give you some advice. Never. Give. Up. DF will attack you. DF will brutalize you. DF will mug you. DF will rape you. DF will KILL you. DF will devour you. You will bleed. You will bruise. You will die. You will Lose. But you must never give up. If you keep at it, you will master Dwarf Fortress. You will have done what many have tried, and many have failed. Will you attempt will this Herculean task? And, in the end, will you succeed?

I invite, nay, challenge you to play Dwarf Fortress. To climb the Learning Cliff. To face all that this unfinished masterpiece has to offer. I challenge you... to Lose!