I love this time of year. By now, most of the games we’ve been waiting for have either released or they’re right around the corner.

Sometimes those games were worth the wait. Sometimes they miss the mark. And sometimes, another game got our attention entirely. Something we weren’t expecting.

For me, that game is Dome Keeper, my sleeper hit. A title that didn’t even pop up on my radar until two weeks ago and now I cannot stop playing.

Dome Keeper has managed to cut through the noise of the likes of Overwatch 2, FIFA, the Call of Duty beta, and be one of the biggest, most talked about games of the year.

And to look at it you may wonder why. Its distinctly retro aesthetic doesn’t necessarily scream must-play and it has a fairly simple premise at heart. You dig, dig and dig some more to gather resources and upgrade your dome.

Because if you don’t upgrade the dome, it’ll be smashed and broken through by hordes and hordes of monsters who desperately want to get in. They attack from the skies, they attack in droves, they pounce on the dome itself trying to pound through the glass.

Fortunately, you have a laser at your disposal to shoot them out of the skies or keep them at bay. You can also get an automated, accompanying laser that works in tandem with you, and even power up your existing weaponry. Something that will be necessary as you get through more waves and the challenge increases.

Dome Keeper successfully blends several elements of great games and creates something truly compelling. A rogue-like I haven’t enjoyed as much since Hades.

Bippinbits have managed to find a very enjoyable, easy-going game-flow that suitably prepares you for the challenges ahead and encourages you to keep playing, one run after another.

As you dig, you’ll encounter various types of minerals, each used to purchase different upgrades. With the procedurally generated earth around you, it’s also no guarantee you’ll get the mats you need when you need them on any given run.

That’s what makes the challenge so interesting. Discoveries will vary, sometimes the permanent upgrades you find will also fluctuate and that can cause you to adapt your strategies and be more open and versatile in your approach.

And sometimes it’s a balancing act between how much you need to repair your dome vs how much you want that next key upgrade to help you keep updated in face of the looming challenges.

There’s also that need to constantly keep an eye on the timer. How long can you realistically stay underground before you have to emerge and fight off the threat? Is the Magpie factor in effect where you can’t leave the shiny things alone, have you gone too far down to get up in time, or are you always just a few inches away from getting into the cockpit to fight back?

It’s an unending, gruelling cycle, that just doesn’t relent, keeping you on your toes at all times. And it’s absolutely brilliant and just what I needed from a game.

Dome Keeper is the natural evolution of great games like Dig Dug and one of those games you’ll struggle to stop playing because you want to unlock all of its content, you’ll want to best your scores, you’ll want to see what dangers await you and maximise all of your abilities.

It’s the game I can’t get out of my head and the one I can’t stop playing. Dome Keeper is a delight as much as it is a frustration and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Verdict

Dome Keeper is the game I didn’t know I needed but now I cannot stop thinking about. One of the most enjoyable, replayable, tense and enriching roguelikes I’ve played in a long, long time with atmosphere in abundance.