Through sixteen minutes of gameplay, Dungeons of Hinterberg exhaustively details how it works. Each biome is an open area, a sort of hub where you can unlock powers and skills before heading into one of the region’s dungeons. A kind of Super Mario 64 which swaps paintings for caves and Peach’s castle for Austrian relief. On the Kolmstein Glacier, we especially find the magical snowboard, a flying arcane board that can grinder on the rails provided or hit enemies to destabilize them. The region also offers a light laser that can interact remotely with the switches. These two mechanics will be necessary to explore the smallest nooks and crannies of the glacier, but also, ultimately, other biomes.
Break the ice
Because Dungeons of Hinterberg presents itself as a non-linear game where biomes can be explored in the desired order. Between each adventure, Luisa will return to the charming village of Hinterberg to socialize with the locals or her fellow vacationers. The opportunity to learn more about the environment, learn a new fighting technique, enlist the support of a partner or just pet the dog (that’s not bad). Depending on her social interactions, Luisa will unlock certain previously inaccessible dungeons, which will require maintaining a good reputation in the village.
Dungeons of Hinterberg is planned exclusively for PC and Xbox Series X|S in 2024. It will be released day one in Game Pass. You can find an interview with Artistic Director and Co-Founder Regina Reisinger on the Xbox Wire blog with some additional images of the Kolmstein Glacier.