What is a Dungeon Crawler?

One more term not well known in the video game universe, yet it refers to fantastic titles!
To keep it simple: The world of a dungeon crawler forces the player to navigate from point A to point B with very little room for maneuver, unlike open-world (open World) games.

The dungeon crawler, or 'dungeon exploration' in French, is a genre of video game that emphasizes exploring complex labyrinths, commonly called 'dungeons'. These dungeons, often randomly generated, are filled with monsters, treasures, traps, and puzzles. The main objective is to navigate through these dark and crawling environments, solving puzzles and defeating enemies to reach a specific objective, such as discovering a legendary treasure or defeating a powerful boss.

Invented in 1987 with Dungeon Master, the apex of dungeon crawlers was the Diablo series.
But all share several key characteristics:

Exploration: Exploration is at the heart of gameplay. Players must navigate through dark corridors, mysterious rooms, and intricate mazes, often with a first-person or third-person perspective, viewed from above.

In many dungeon crawlers, levels (or dungeons) are generated randomly. This means that every time you play, the layout of corridors, rooms, enemies, and treasures can vary, offering a different gameplay experience in each session. Players can never anticipate exactly what lies ahead on each exploration.

But beware, not all dungeon crawlers follow this approach. One thing is certain: The dungeons are always designed to be grimy, dark, and dangerous, with deadly traps, secret doors, and unpredictable encounters you'd rather do without.

Combat: Encounters with fantastical creatures and monsters are very frequent. This means that many Dungeon Crawlers are also Hack & slash.**

Character Progression: Dungeon crawlers often involve a character progression system. Players earn experience by fighting enemies, solving puzzles, and discovering treasures, which allows them to improve their skills and abilities.