Dungeons of Hinterberg is like Zelda in Austria – and I love it!

When I first heard about Dungeons of Hinterberg, I was told it was like The Legend of Zelda but in Austria. As a big Zelda fan, this description made me curious.

I decided to take a closer look at what this «Zelda-like» from our neighbouring country is all about. And I can tell you this much already: I’m absolutely thrilled with it.

Holiday in Hinterberg

During my holiday in the small mountain village of Hinterberg, I slip into the role of Luisa, a lawyer who needs an urgent break from the humdrum in her law firm. Magical dungeons have suddenly appeared around the small mountain village. And Luisa sets herself the challenge of exploring these mysterious places and recuperating from her job. Suddenly, however, things start happening fast, and she ends up having to save the villagers from a magical threat. Not everyone wants to use magic for good.

By day, I explore all of the 25 dungeons in the mountains with Luisa, while fighting monsters and solving puzzles. By night, I chill out in the village and talk to the villagers about God and the world. I soon get into a holiday routine.

The Legend of Hinterberg

There are four areas around Hinterberg, including the green Hinterwald and the snowy Kolmstein. Each area houses a skill shrine and several dungeons. First, I have to go to the skills shrine, as this is where I learn the two spells for this area.

The dungeons are divided into difficulty levels one to nine. Before I enter a dungeon, I check if my attack and defence power levels are sufficient. In my opinion, the more simple, early dungeons are just as good as the creative and challenging dungeons later on – maybe even better.

The four-area progress system in Hinterberg is also rewarding. If I complete a dungeon, something happens in the main plot and a previously insurmountable obstacle in the overworld gets removed. This allows me to access more difficult dungeons. The constant unlocking of new actions, areas and dungeons keeps me glued to my controller.

Numerous puzzles await me in the dungeons, and I have to solve them in order to move forward. These require a lot of brain power and area-specific spells. This also means that the dungeons are geared to the skills I’ve earned – they keep me entertained with varied challenges.

My contemplative job is broken up by fights in the dungeons. My opponents are monsters modeled on mythical creatures from the Alps and are reminiscent of goats and rabbits. They’re a welcome change from the scary companions from comparable games.

It’s an apt point to draw comparisons with The Legend of Zelda. The 25 dungeons in Hinterberg definitely remind me of those in the genre’s top class. They feel like the classic 3D dungeons of the older Zelda games – think: Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask or Twilight Princess.

That being said, I certainly notice the influences of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom due to the lack of backtracking and slightly shorter puzzles. The story requires me to master all 25 dungeons, which for me is proof that no content is just bland extras.

If clips of classic Zelda dungeons get your heart going then Dungeons of Hinterberg could be at least worth checking out:

I don’t have to work to level up if I want to move forward in a dungeon as it’s purely equipment that determines my strength level. I can find equipment and bits of kit at any time in the dungeons themselves or in the store next to Hannah’s smithy in Hinterberg. If I die in combat despite being well kitted out, I won’t be punished too harshly. The game just puts me back to the last checkpoint. Fortunately, these are generously dotted around the game.

It takes me about 20 to 30 minutes per dungeon – there are always deviations up or down. But the numbers match my 17 hours of play. At the end of a dungeon, I get to a stamp station, which I have to use in order to get out again. My reward system is activated every time I put a stamp on one of the 25 dungeons, and I get to see my progress. If you’re looking for another challenge, you can also collect a medallion that’s hidden in each dungeon.

In short, as a fan of The Legend of Zelda, the dungeons are my highlight of this game.

Disappointing fights

From the highlight of the game, we’re jumping straight to the lowlight – even though I’m really nitpicking here. The fights in the dungeons themselves and in the areas before them are fine. But no more than that. When I look at the magic area as a whole, there are definitely fights where the showdown is more fun than others.

As well as spells, I can defend myself in close combat with my sword, which is designed for light and heavy attacks. Obviously, all this wouldn’t be complete without the swerving feature. The «attack conduits» provide even more variety, which, unlike the spells, don’t need a magic bar. Think of them as a mix of magical and physical attacks. After using them, I have to wait a while before implementing them again. Another difference between the spells and attack conduits is that I can exchange unlocked attacks at any time.

However, the design of the menus is less coherent. I keep clicking on the wrong thing when selecting my equipment. I can’t help thinking the developers should have taken inspiration from the Persona series. Sadly, using the game is bit too complicated and I find it frustrating.

The combat system in Dungeons of Hinterberg has everything it needs to be solid. Stupidly, it doesn’t add much more to the essentials and doesn’t manage to be as much fun as exploring the Alpine dungeons or relaxing in the evenings in the village. Luisa just feels a little too lethargic for that. Sometimes I run after the fleeing mythical creatures during fights instead of battling them. This is where Dungeons of Hinterberg seems to have copied The Legend of Zelda a bit too closely, because even in Zelda the fights aren’t a highlight – apart from the boss ones.

Incidentally, there are also bosses in the dungeons of Hinterberg. Unfortunately, there’s only one boss per area, who you’ll probably only fight in the last area dungeon. This means the boss fights are all concentrated at the end of the adventure. Overall, I’d have liked a bit more of them. In contrast to normal fights, the duels against the bosses are more creative and varied.

Technically speaking, Dungeons of Hinterberg shows a solid, if not quite perfect, performance during the fights and when exploring the game world. Don’t expect a highly polished AAA game. In the last few hours of playing, I’m confronted with slowdowns from time to time. And repetitive or air-dissolving NPCs are also a standard occurance in Hinterberg. Fortunately, the technical quirks didn’t throw me off.

Persona Lite

In spite of all the different gameplay elements, I don’t find Dungeons of Hinterberg overwhelming. Quite the opposite. The game never feels like a chore – not during the day while exploring the dungeons or in the evening while chatting to the villagers. All the different game mechanics flow seamlessly into each other and result in an incredibly charming and relaxing overall picture. It feels like I'm playing a kind of «Persona Lite». I love it.

The relaxed atmosphere is partly due to the beautiful alpine landscape. Hinterberg and the surrounding area is filled with the sounds of nature where crickets and birdsong transport me back to carefree days of childhood.

I build relationships with the villagers during my adventure by supporting them with everyday problems and raising my four character traits of entertainment, relaxation, trust and respect. Apparently, some Hinterberg residents only talk to me when I have certain values, but I haven’t ever had this stop me during a game. They must have used a generous measuring stick for me.

The best thing about the Persona-like relationship system is that when I reach a milestone with someone, I potentially unlock something that’ll help me in my adventures. For instance, amulets that improve my values or give me beneficial effects, improvements to my equipment or tempting money rewards that I can use to buy more swords and armour.

The things that Luisa and Hinterberg have to contend with are standard and therefore tangible. Luisa has worked towards a goal all her life and doesn’t know what to do now that she seems to have achieved it. Meanwhile, Hinterberg is struggling with increasing tourism as well as the economic and social challenges that come with it. These conversations give me food for thought but also don’t distract me too long from the actual highlight of the game: the dungeons.

Dungeons of Hinterberg is out now for Xbox Series X/S and PC. Microsoft kindly provided me with the game for testing purposes.