Dungeon Inn is one of the more interesting games I’ve played this year. It’s a casual, cozy game that is mostly a turn-based management sim, where players must run an inn located right outside a dungeon. Currently in Early Access, the game features Sara, the innkeeper, and her two feline friends, Bami and Butter. The game starts simple but offers surprising depth if you choose to maximize your earnings. Dungeon Inn currently offers about five to seven hours of gameplay, and the developers have shared a roadmap with new chapters planned for the second quarter of 2025.
The core gameplay of Dungeon Inn is about managing adventurers from two rival guilds that are traveling in opposite lanes. The inn is nestled between these two lanes, and the goal is to attract as many visitors as possible to maximize earnings while preventing the opposing guilds from meeting. To do this, players will have to use wisps to deploy items that control the guests’ movement. For example, you can place a sign in one lane to guide guests to the inn while using another item to stop movement in the other lane. This way, the guild members in one lane are stopped, while members from the opposing guild are trickling into the inn. This may not sound very complex, but Dungeon Inn builds on this gameplay loop with creative mechanics and unexpected encounters to keep players engaged.
As you may have noticed from the screenshots, Dungeon Inn is a visually charming game with adorable artwork and an easy-on-the-eyes color palette. I really loved the art direction with all the unique characters that travel through the lanes. The user interface may seem overwhelming at first glance, but it is well-designed and streamlined once you understand how the game works. The music isn’t particularly memorable but doesn’t detract from the experience. In my six hours of gameplay, I didn’t encounter any bugs, which is noteworthy for an Early Access game.
Dungeon Inn has a story to carry it along, focusing on Sara, Bami, Butter, and the dragon Sara struck a deal with to open the inn. It’s lighthearted and amusing, particularly when you think about the idea of having a dragon investor. Sara uses creative tactics to make the inn successful, with some dark humor sprinkled throughout. If you want to be immersed, there are side stories with some of the guests that are unlockable. I’m very interested to see where the developers, Cat Society, are planning to take the story, as it is currently cut short at its Early Access launch.
While the game’s focus is on preventing guild clashes, sometimes they are unavoidable. When it does happen, you can tip the scales in one guild’s favor to reduce suspicion that you are playing both sides. It’s not a very complex system, and battles are nothing more than a short animation, but it adds another component to manage. You will also need to make decisions when special situations arise that impact the inn’s reputation and income. How will you handle a guest requesting a rare tea or one who is causing a ruckus?
One standout feature I really loved in Dungeon Inn is how it autosaves your progress throughout the week. You can easily load back to any day, allowing you to adjust your strategy or recover from a mission failure state. This leans into the casual nature of the game, but also encourages you to experiment in finding the best way to clear your goals and challenges each week.
I found Dungeon Inn’s gameplay to be a unique experience, especially within the management sim genre. The focus is really on managing guest movement rather than the inn itself. Some customization for the inn is available at the start of each week, but choosing which areas to expand mainly depends on how much currency you have. The game may seem a bit simple and lacking depth, but it offers some decision-making and advanced planning opportunities if you want to maximize rewards. Otherwise, this is a good option for a laid-back management game. Unfortunately, it’s not fully Steam Deck compatible yet—it is playable, but it has some quirks and requires using the trackpad. Full Steam Deck support is expected sometime in Q2 2025 according to the game’s roadmap.
Overall, Dungeon Inn provides a solid foundation to build upon during its Early Access phase. It’s a light management sim game with a cute cast of characters, cheery story, and wonderful aesthetic. I’m interested to see how the developers expand on the story and how the gameplay evolves since it could benefit from more complexity to avoid feeling repetitive each day. The full version release is currently planned for the second half of 2025, but the upcoming Endless Mode might be the more interesting feature. If you’re looking for a management sim game with a unique twist, Dungeon Inn is worth exploring.
Dungeon Inn entered Early Access on November 13, 2024 on PC. These first impressions are based on a retail code provided by JF Games PR Comms on PC. While FullCleared does have affiliate partnerships, they do not influence our editorial content. We may, however, earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links.
Dungeon Inn First Impressions Gallery
