The Dweller

The Dweller
N/A
Metacritic
94
Steam
81.863
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Price
$0.49
Release date
19 May 2016
Developers
Steam reviews score
Total
94 (362 votes)

The Dweller is a puzzle game where you play as the MONSTER! It's time to get rid of all those pesky archaeologists snooping around in your lair. SCARE them, CRUSH them, DEVOUR them! ELIMINATE THE INTRUDERS!

Show detailed description

The Dweller system requirements

Minimum:

  • OS: Windows 7
  • Processor: 1.0 GHz Processor
  • Memory: 2 GB RAM
  • Graphics: DirectX compatible graphics
  • DirectX: Version 9.0c
  • Storage: 200 MB available space

Recommended:

Recommended requirements are not yet specified.
Updated
App type
Steam APP ID
463930
Platforms
Windows PC
Linux
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Popularity
Reviews
Write a new review
CatgirlCultist
CatgirlCultist

A fun and interesting puzzle game where you play as a monster, which makes it unique. It looks nice. The puzzles are not too basic, but not too annoying to figure out. Overall, a very good game. It also has cards and achivments, which is a bonus. The only problem I had was sometimes there is a glitch that duplicates the monster, which forces you to reset the puzzle.

The-Blue-Rogue
The-Blue-Rogue

This was really worth playing....a very interesting puzzle game that really makes you use your head...very well done i got very into the game about 30 seconds in

greenweeda
greenweeda

FUN GAME, REMINDS ME OF SPELUNKER ON THE IPHONE A BIT

MUSIC IS...MEH :)

TheCombine
TheCombine

The idea and premise are nice but unfortunately its just not challenging at all.

Sherool
Sherool

Kinda short and not very challenging I beat all 59 levels and unlocked 100% achievements in 2.6 hours, and I'm not a big puzzle guy. There is also no level editor or other reason to re-play after finishing.

Still it's very cheap and fun while it lasted, so I'd reccomend it on that basis.

TheWhiteCrow
TheWhiteCrow

A funny and original puzzle game, and interesting lore notes. Hope there will be a sequel

Shields
Shields

This is a decent little game to get on sale. It finishes in a couple of hours and is unusual enough. There is some satisfaction to be had by portraying a Cave Monster that frightens Indiana Jones to death. On the minus side, it does seem little more than a free flash game. I could probably find a better game on the internet. Like I said... it's just decent.

Oncus
Oncus

Short but good. It strikes a good balance between required and optional puzzle and there are puzzles for each difficulty.

I really like how you don't always need to kill the people, you can also scare them away or scare them from the cliff and into their deaths. Oh well.

ROLLINKUNZ!
ROLLINKUNZ!

(a haiku)

A monstrous puzzler
Death's order is important
Worth a look on sale

Stomppa
Stomppa

Got it in the sales great little puzzler not to hard just fun. 2$ hell yer

Ongun
Ongun

Short but good. It strikes a good balance between required and optional puzzle and there are puzzles for each difficulty.

I really like how you don't always need to kill the people, you can also scare them away or scare them from the cliff and into their deaths. Oh well.

moriakara
moriakara

Innovative idea for a puzzle game. Fun way to spend some time, not too hard, not too long. The storyline is a nice addition.

achpile
achpile

Best puzzle ever! Lots of fun and great atmosphere!
Only thing i want - linux 32bit support, not only 64.

PrivateJoh
PrivateJoh

Verdict: 6.5/10

Interesting puzzle game with very simple mechanics. You are a dark entity that has to smash, lead to their deaths, or scare (if all above fails) a bunch of archeologist disturbing the last residence place of an ancient culture.

Honestly, a bit macabre with people smashed to pieces and plenty of blood. The music and sound effects enhance this effect. Thankfully, graphics are kind of basic, so it is not as gruesome as I present it. But you have been warned.

Puzzles are nice, with a good level of difficulty. They will make you think, but they will not discourage you from trying. Short levels that can be completed in a few minutes, and since there are really no complicated mechanics to remember, it is the perfect way to kill some time and isolate yourself from your problems in a hurry.

Rather dissappointing end.

Recommended, especially on sale.

PrivateJoh’s personal (re)view:

The thing I liked best about The dweller is the level design. Puzzle progression is well achieved. A mechanic is introduced and subsequently used in a few puzzles each of a higher difficulty level. Sometimes, it can feel as a few too many times.

Another interesting feature is that as you progress and solve puzzles, notes that describe a little story background become available as well. They are well written, and offer the perspective of different people participating in the archeological expedition.

Have to mention it again. Despite basic graphics, the music, sound effects and game actions create a dark, macabre and sinister atmosphere that fits the game theme very well.

In summary; a good puzzle game, with interesting level design, a little plot that unfolds as you progress and a very well achieved claustrophobic and macabre atmosphere.

For more PrivateJoh’s personal (re)views you can check HERE .

nealtsnyder
nealtsnyder

Well, I spent two hours on this game and I'm pretty much done with it. But it was a great two hours. It's an inventive twist on the puzzle genre that's still easy to pick up, coupled with a fantastic little story told through journal entries. I feel like some new mechanics were introduced a bit too late and not explored as much as I'd prefer (like the portals and the stealth stages toward the end), but if you go into this with reasonable expectations, you'll more than get your money's worth.

Shagmeister
Shagmeister

What a neat little game!!! Puzzly enough and with fun mechanics! Too short! Nah... the length is great! Enough to squeeze the juice out of every mechanic. No need to go further than that! It's also fun to play the bad guy for once. It was a lot of fun figuring out how to kill everybody. (Well that's a sentence I'll only say while playing video games... lel). Though some puzzle are quite linear. In some ocassions you got to get stuff done in a certain order. Nonetheless... awesome game!

Tensai Matt N
Tensai Matt N

Cool puzzling game, it's clever and simple. Has a good backstory as well.

Astronema
Astronema

simple but effective concept. Good execution.

Gatebase
Gatebase

In short: This is a charming puzzle game with great atmosphere and good level design. While the core is pretty solid, it's quite rough around the edges. I don't think it is worth full price, but I'd definitely recommend picking it up on sale.

In long: You play as a wall-dwelling guardian spirit of some kind of ancient ruins. Your job is to take out the pesky adventurers that populate each of the 59 levels. The main mechanic revolves around "possessing" boulders and moving them around. This can crush or scare adventurers, but mostly it creates a bridge for you to jump from wall to wall. I liked that you get to pick your own starting point, which makes the levels seem less linear than they actually are.
Much of the game revolves around stacking boulders and pushing them very close to edges. The (visually) rounded edges make this a bit more uncertain than it probably should be. The physics simulation also sometimes acts a little strangely, but it never caused much of a problem for me.

The difficulty ramps slowly. New mechanics (larger rocks, portals, etc) are introduced very gently. I enjoyed how some of the later levels can get quite challenging, although the game sadly peaks in a side-branch of the non-linear level progression.

The game controls mostly by mouse, although you will need hotkeys to reset levels and open menus. Your character automatically follows your cursor and its speed will increase with distance. Clicking makes you possess boulders or interact with a few later mechanics. Sometimes you have to precariously stack bolders of various shapes on top of each other and then jump along the chain. This can cause unintended movement of the stack because your mouse is off-center. Therefore I think the controls could use a little work.

I found myself surprisingly captivated by the game's atmosphere. The music is ominous and low-key. The (admittedly very cheap-looking) graphics have a fittingly dreary tone. The story is a bit of a mixed experience. It is told in a series of notes and letters, which felt like a cheap cop-out and tacked-on at first. But they build on each other nicely and I found myself very intrigued as the game moved along. Unfortunately the game takes a rather drastic shift in the home-stretch and the ending felt abrupt and poorly thought-out. Almost nothing is resolved. It's so jarring, it honestly feels like sequel bait.

The technical aspects are a clear weak point. The menu is ugly and bare-bones. No volume sliders. Windowed mode is pretty much unusable, because the resolution is fixed and very tiny. Some screen transitions can take several seconds of staring into black, which had me impatient more than once. No crashes or other major issues though.

In conclusion I like the novel idea, dark atmosphere and smart level design. But I'm not a huge fan of the ending, the presentation and implementation. This game is the first release of its developer, which shows, as a lot of polish is missing. I don't think there is any way this is worth its full price of 5 bucks. But the game goes on sale for -90% which I think is a steal for about 2.5 hours of content, even if it is a little rough around the edges.

Croof046
Croof046

Short and sweet puzzler where you play the role of an ancient cave dweller, scaring crushing and devouring the invading archaelogical forces. A good amount of puzzles, with a climax of more challenging areas before finishing off with a flurry and a twist to the story.

buckysrevenge
buckysrevenge

Short but fun puzze game. Plays great on Linux, thanks!

RedCervidae
RedCervidae

Very neat little puzzle game with a simple, yet pretty solid story and fun mechanics to work with!

Without spoiling too much, you control a creature that can possess boulders/rocks/slabs, and your goal is to murder/ scare off anyone you see.

There are over 50 levels of this and interspurced in between the levels are small snipets of lore/story.

As you progress, new mechanics and more complex puzzles are introduced, so things are kept fresh and don't stagnate.

MaoDi
MaoDi

Great and enjoyable game!
Let's play on the dark side.
Some tough levels but all can be solved with pure logic.

An idea for some extra fun: level editor / steam workshop.

Ar
Ar

Not really worth the full $5, but maybe when it goes on sale. As you can complete the entire game and get all of the achievements under 2 hours as I did. But my main problem is that it is like a well made game on newgrounds, which is not a bad thing at all, but the main difference is that the users will allow you to play for free instead of buying the game to play. Although if the game added more challenges and interesting ideas that extended play time an hour longer I might actually recommend it when it goes on sale, but in it's current state I would not. As I could complete the game to 100% and still be in the steam refund policy range, which shows how short this game is.

Danjb
Danjb

I really enjoyed this game. It's so simple and elegant, but the mechanics gradually evolve to stop you getting bored. The puzzles are hard enough to be satisfying, but not so hard that they become tiresome. The whole game took me 3-4 hours in total, but it was one of few games that kept me coming back for more.

Doulos
Doulos

Got it on sale for .50, neat puzzle game. The levels are not, imo, in a good order in terms of difficulty progression. out of 59 stages #14 was clearly the hardest and the last ten were very simplistic compared to the rest of the game. Still, it was cool. Get it on sale = profit.

contrivable
contrivable

The Dweller may be described as a trap puzzler. You are a monster that wants to expel cave explorers preferably by lethal force.

+ Slowly but steadily introduced mechanics
+ Rather relaxing final stretch
0 3-hour game
0 Mostly very simple graphics
- Story didn't engage me

The Dweller managed to not outlast its entertainment value, specifically by exchanging the set of mechanics with something feeling powerful and fun in the final stretch of levels.
The full price of the game is probably fair but you can also just wait for the next 90% discount. All in all I think The Dweller has earned a stable recommendation.

French_beef
French_beef

Great little game, with a balanced difficulty to progression ratio.
Awesome for casual play and extensive gameplay if you wanna blast through a bunch of levels.
Its got simple mechanics and a nice retro artstyle!

Bobisme
Bobisme

A great little game with some fun mechanics, brilliant concept, game play runs for about 2 hours, could have done with more levels but there is apparently a part 2 coming, looking forward to it
Well worth the money, (i got it on special for 49c) ..$5 may be a little steep :/ for the game time.. but i have seen some triple A games that run for little more than 3 hours for $60

2nd Class Janitor - Wilco
2nd Class Jani…

Tags: Casual - Object Routes & Flinger
Additional Tags: Delete Local Content & Remove from Library

TLDR: Despite the story, and decent faux retro audivisuals this is a rather strict puzzle game with some timing elements involved. Retry oriented.

A metroidvania-like iteration of this concept exists where you play as a large fleshy monster. You dont have the limitations of playing with a mouse and being stuck inside of walls and it also looks and plays substantially better. I recommend you skip this and go play the competition instead.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/953490/CARRION/

Kalsaraan
Kalsaraan

A simple but interesting puzzle game with an excellent theme. Worth checking out

midnightdragoness
midnightdragoness

To comment, see the review on Dragon Quill.

A game where you play as an eldritch horror awakened by archaeologists who dug too deep. The puzzle aspect comes through the fact that, as an earth spirit, you can only move through the ground. To kill archaeologists on distant platforms, you have to creatively move boulders to create bridges for yourself. Despite the simplicity of the mechanics, or perhaps even because of it, I found the puzzles quite engaging. There are a few twists in the final levels that shake things up a lot, but I found they made the last levels the easiest — though I didn’t feel they were an anticlimax, as the story at that point supports going at a faster pace. My only complaint is that, as a gravity-based physics platformer, it’s very easy to get yourself into unwinnable states and necessitate a level reset; however, the levels are small enough that this doesn’t waste much of your time.

The story, told through the archaeologists’ notes found after certain levels, was unobjectionable but fairly cliche: the characters spend ages insisting nothing is wrong and everyone’s just being superstitious, even up to the midpoint of the game where you must have killed most of the expedition. One entry appears to attempt to explain this by saying the archaeologists you kill get reanimated again, but that’s never followed up on and I’m still unclear on what exactly it’s supposed to mean. The ending is also very unsatisfying and clearly setting up for a sequel that has not yet appeared.

Though the cast is mostly male, there is at least one female archaeologist in the notes, implying there could be others among the redshirts you kill. So that’s something?

The game is, however, very short — I only got 3 hours out of it, which might be a bit small for $5. Give it a try if it’s on sale, though.

derevotyan
derevotyan

When you begin to believe that last levels will be bigger mess of a puzzles - the game manages to impress you. Puzzles are solid and I had fun solving them.

Start_Running
Start_Running

KILL THEM ALL!!!

EVer wanted to play as a dark earth spirit?
Ever wanted to hunt down, devour and crush nosey archeologists?
Do you like puzzles?

If you answered yest to any of these, then this is the game you want to play. If you said yes to all of them, then you're probably already playing the game...or ar performing some dark ritual to turn yourself into a monster.

Joking aside, this game is basically a collection of puzzles. Your job is to kill all those meddling humans and you can do so by

    • scaring them so they run off ledges and fall to thier deatths
    • Dropping Boulders on them
    • Possessing Boulders and rolling over them.
    • OMNOMNOMNOM!

Its a fairly simple game but the challenge with each stage is to figure out how to navigate without trapping yourself. An eas\y enough task on the early stages, that becomes very tricky in the later ones.

This is one of those games you can quickly fire up, play for a few levels and then close off.

The Flaws? The progression of stages gets a little boring after a while. Same ruines, sme colour palette, same textures and tiles. Itr gets a little dull in both the visual and auditory departments after a while. WHich is why you probably won't play more than a few levels at a go, but as said, the developers designed the game around this sort of pick-up, put-down playstyle so its hardly a deal breaker and if you like puzzles well there are alot of levels to keep you busiy

raycapanay
raycapanay

it's refreshing to play as the monster who eats people

Erich Zann
Erich Zann

Good little puzzler with a fun theme. Devour !

gabe
gabe

it aint bad but it gets really boring for me at least

Dahn
Dahn

Nice little puzzle game with you playing as a monster defending your realm.
Good fun, good puzzles with nothing too difficult once you get into the right mindset.
No nonsense and good fun, recommended!

murla
murla

tl;dr: fine little puzzle game that runs natively on Linux.

Feels like a game jam game that just made it to release.

A couple of times physics was glitchy.
There is a duplicated word in the 2nd note (it's kinda lame).

Otherwise no issues.

The puzzles are interesting, and that's what really matters.

Frustration-free game.
Thumbs up from me.

Unluckymonster
Unluckymonster

A fun and well done puzzle game of monster that lurks in the rocks and on ground. At first it's simple circle rocks but by playing further you start to see different type of rocks and couple of other thinks to assist you while killing poor archeologists. Only real complaint/ dissatisfaction I'd come up with is final level/ boss where apparently you can't defeat the final boss no matter what you do :|

I don't know is Villainous Games any more a active game-maker (according to twitter-profile this is mostly one man's studio https://twitter.com/villainousdev ) but I could definitely see this game work on Nintendo Switch. But until we see this game on switch I'd say this game is worth 6-7 bucks on Steam.

Wait did something move on my room's wall? Hang on a sec while I go checking...

Satan
Satan

Pretty good puzzle game. Beat it in a sitting

Gatekeeper
Gatekeeper

Nice little puzzle game. Creative.

Petr Stránský
Petr Stránský

Surprisingly good puzzle game with a balanced difficulty curve and a variety of mechanics to keep it fresh. Graphics don't look very good but it's still easy to recommend.

Cozzman
Cozzman

A reverse Horror game involving puzzles and killing intruders

1MantisPhoenix
1MantisPhoenix

This is certainly without a doubt a rare concept. You are taking down the Indiana Jones', the Caveblazers, the Spelunky's -
You can use the environment, fear, or outright eat the fella if you so need to.

The mechanics revolve around puzzling the layout of the stage. You will need to figure out the method and the order in which to consume the intruders in your lair.

Simple, yet difficult to master. There will be multiple ways of doing it per stage, There will be multiple failures. Press R for restart.

#Unique

Princess Betch
Princess Betch

I honestly really love this game. It is very simple; the goal is to eat people as a monster. It is a puzzle game and so satisfying chomping on the intruders. Each puzzle increases in difficulty and some had me stumped for a little while. I went in with low expectations and was suprised with how fun it is. It is a good game to wind down with or if you want something low-risk and slow paced. I received it for under a dollar on sale. Not sure I would pay full price only because it is short but I do recommend it overall if it's something you are pondering.

Buburubu
Buburubu

Solid little puzzle game. In and out in two hours, smooth controls, simple and stylish graphics and story, fun ambiance. Didn't quite get the ending. Solid recommend; I'll probably need a while to forget all the puzzle solutions first, but I'll probably play through it at least a few more times.

YepX
YepX

Although it's not the prettiest looking game for about $1 (when I bought it) it is a nice relaxing puzzle game with about 2hrs worth of game time - it's not bad

MadMadCat
MadMadCat

It was a fun game while it lasted. I found the end slightly disappointing, but that's just my opinion. The game and puzzles themselves are quite good and are a good way to occupy yourself for a few hours.

ShakurasEnder
ShakurasEnder

Very good, short, game. The levels are just the right amount of hard that even if you do need a guide, it's only for the occasional level. The letters you pick up as you beat the levels are also very well written and entertaining. Mechanically, it is very does a good job of introducing new ones and following through on them. Overall, I definitely recommend picking it up when you can.

However, there is one major flaw, and that is the ending few levels. The final levels blow by very fast, and in many ways feel too easy. And on the final level, it is not clear the first time around what happens, and it feels like you have no agency in the ending. If the game had a more robust final boss, or even the ability to win the final boss, this would easily be a 10/10 game in my books. Instead, it'd say it's an 8.510 to a 9/10

Should you 100% this game?:
Yes.
It's easy enough to do, no reason not to.

Lord Voldemort
Lord Voldemort

Solid puzzle game. This was the first game I ever downloaded on Steam. Well worth the price and couple hours of time spent playing.

Nacchan - Isekai.ID
Nacchan - Isekai.ID

Olya Reviews:

Olya Score: 8/10

Hungrysparrow
Hungrysparrow

This is a fun, addictive little puzzle game with some unique game-play and some charming pixel art.

SexyPanther
SexyPanther
Follow our curator page Alexander's Club Curations, if you like and want to see more reviews like this one.

Overview

The Dweller is a short 2d puzzle game about a monstrous entity beset upon by nosy explorers, picking them off, one at a time.

The Good

    • Ambient music
    • Text lore
    • Simple controls
    • Difficulty
    • Numerous puzzle mechanics
    • Steam Achievements

The Bad

    • Fiddly object movement/possession
    • Zero aesthetic variety
    • Short length
    • Lackluster ending text
    • Some levels only seconds long
    • No sequel yet, or perhaps ever

Buy or Try

    • "Buy" on sale

Stability

    • No crashes, graphical anomalies, sound issues, or frame rate drops
    • My System: Windows 10, i7-7700 @ 3.60GHz, 16GB ram, 1060 3GB, played at 1920 x 1080

Gameplay

In The Dweller, you control a monster whose only task is to kill the archeologists within the ruins you inhabit. Each of the 59 levels resembles a 2d platformer. Instead of jumping from surface to surface, the monster moves freely from within the solid walls of the ruins itself. Controlled with the click of a mouse, you begin each level clicking a surface for the monster to inhabit. The monster can move anywhere within the wall or surface it occupies. If an archeologist is on top of that structure, clicking the mouse near it will have the monster kill the person outright, or scare it into running either left or right of where it appears.

To win a level, all of the archeologists must either be killed, lured into killing themselves, or otherwise escape in terror. Some explorers cannot be killed directly, and more advanced levels can see you scare a human into running off a cliff to their death which scares yet another person on a lower area below, who then also panics leading to their demise. The monster cannot move across open space. To move from wall to wall, you can inhabit stones of various sizes. These stones can then be dragged across surfaces towards other walls. So long as a stone touches another surface, you can click on the space and move the monster into it. Stones can be pushed into other stones, causing them to drop off ledges and killing people below. They can also be moved to lower areas for the sole purpose of creating a path forward.

Each level is a puzzle in traversing the map in such a way that everyone dies. After beating particular levels, a text unlocks revealing details of the archeologists' expedition. The monster is given no explanation as to its motives other than kill, which is quite fitting, given the tone of the game. Beyond the possession of boulders, other mechanics include such things as teleports, and the ability to move the monster anywhere it wants, regardless of open space. Solutions to each puzzle seem to be limited to what the designer envisioned. There was at least one level where creative movement of a possessed boulder didn't move across a surface as it would in later areas, suggesting that puzzles were based around a single hard-coded solution rather than set around a consistent physics or movement system.

The game can be beaten in 2 hours, and each of its 11 Steam Achievements can be attained in a single playthrough. Difficulty doesn't increase linearly with each level, but rather follows a series of climbs based on new mechanics. The first few levels introducing a mechanic are easy. Subsequent levels gradually grow more complicated before reaching a peak. At this point, a new mechanic is introduced and the difficulty drops off as the process repeats anew. You can and will attempt to solve a level in such a way that it becomes unsolvable (for instance, dropping a needed stone off a cliff). Thankfully, restarting a level is as easy as hitting the "r" key on your keyboard.

Critique

I bought The Dweller at a heavy discount for $0.60 Canadian. It is the type of game easily overlooked if glancing at a screenshot or reading its Steam page. The graphics are minimalist and there is zero visual variety across its short, 2 hour play time. Buying it on sale, I hadn't realized that the base price was approximately $5. This, in my opinion, is too much money for what's on offer. However, I chose to review this game for a reason. In both concept and execution, I consider The Dweller exceptional. The puzzles are logical. The audio provides an exceedingly good atmosphere. The difficulty never gets frustrating to the point of necessitating outside help. The unlockable text is interesting. Everything the game does, it does well.

More times than not, puzzles games cross my personal threshold of challenge versus enjoyment. Some may find the game too easy and that's a fair complaint. I personally liked the fact it erred on easy and that the difficulty wasn't a steady climb but rather a series of short, entertaining waves. None of the mechanics introduced overstayed their welcome. They were placed the right distance apart and gave incentive to keep going because you never knew what you'd see next. My one gripe has to do with the story text, specifically the ending. It was too open-ended, lacking the same impact of dropping a boulder onto an oblivious explorer.

Verdict

The Dweller isn't a long game, but it is well-crafted. Simple ideas done well make for great things. If the base price was $1-2, I would say it is a must purchase. This game earns its place alongside higher priced, longer titles. I wish more games were like it, and I'd buy a sequel in a heartbeat. Reflecting on my time with it, I'm left with one question: was the monster eating people for sustenance, or simply angry? Some things we may never know.

In A Word

    • "Eldritch"

Edgelord420XD
Edgelord420XD

A short but very well made indie game. I didn't want to stop until I completed every level. There are some easy ones but most of them require you to use your brain, at least a little bit. Each level feels satisfying to complete, and the solutions to the puzzles are very intuitive. There wasn't a single section where I felt frustrated due to game design. If you want to 100% steam achievements for a game, this one is very easy to do so.
In conclusion, this game is worth the few bucks.

jjderp
jjderp

Is pretty fun for a couple of hours

wretch
wretch

Super fun little puzzle game. Just the right amount of challenging for me. Crunching up intruders is very satisfying.

Daedalussass
Daedalussass

Excellent story and gameplay. I just wish there were more levels. It's a little easy but still 6/5.

Santiago
Santiago

Excellent story and gameplay. I just wish there were more levels. It's a little easy but still 6/5.

owen.s.phillips
owen.s.phillips

This game is cool! A fun puzzle game that was exactly what I was looking for at the time. I like the way each level presents a new kind of intellectual challenge and that the game lets you get a little bit creative about how you solve it. Great for listening to podcasts, which is something I'm very often looking for in a game

serialzero
serialzero

Be an Eldritch abomination.
Find clever ways to murder people.
Delight in their screams.
That is all you need. ^_^

Igabooge
Igabooge

Good puzzles with a fun dark story!

Gabo
Gabo

Nice, but not too long logical game. Love the idea that you're the bad guy in this, but would love little different ending. Still can recommend to those who like puzzle games and a little bit of story sprinkled around.

AkrekZ
AkrekZ

A very enjoyable little puzzle game where you're the monster for a change feels very similar to carrion.

Graphics 7/10
Very basic retro style
Gameplay 9/10
They linger on just long enough before introducing new mechanics before it gets boring
Story 6/10
Kinda meh very loose and vague but more then you'd expect
Difficulty 4/10
Enjoyable and simple but the difficulty is very inconsistent (disregarding the levels introducing new mechanics) it spikes A LOT

Overall 6.5/10
Very good for a little bit on the side but not much more
Still worth it tho.

Khaosgnostic
Khaosgnostic

Short but entertaining. Can totally recommend for the price.

Angela™ ᚲᛃᚱᛁᛖᛚ᛭ <ᚱᛞᛁᚻᚢ>
Angela™ ᚲᛃᚱᛁᛖᛚ…

A short journey into the abyss as seen by an ancient unknown tasked with protecting a lost civilization's legacy, The Dweller does not mess around and immediately tests your problem solving skills.

The problems are rather diverse and include (but are not limited to):
- People.
- Lots of people.
- Graverobbing people.
- Government regulated graverobbing.
- More people.

To dissolve these problems one must use a series of very cleverly designed actions to main, crush, annihilate, maul and straight up eat the problems in each stage. You are aided in this using mass, kinetic force and gravity as well as the uncanny ability to travel through solid matter, but only solid matter. It's the absolute inverse of oh so many puzzle games and it shines in it's ability to test your problem solving skills very well.

It's a brief but enjoyable experience involving murder logic tests and more murder abstract approaches.

At it's pricepoint, what it offers, what it sets out to do and general atmosphere it's a pretty instant green flag from me, assuming you're into murderproblem solving games.

I rate it the number of bricks out of the number of lore entries.

400 and 4
400 and 4

Wow. Really cool game! I was looking for a hidden gem like this one among the indie titles!
I'll make sure to buy the sequel should it ever be made.

Mena Angelfire
Mena Angelfire

This is Definitly a good Halloween Puzzel Game. But if your not good with puzzels I recomend viewing a number of playthoughs or hints to get throgh the game. But be aware. What works for one person may not work for a nother.

Nika el Vikingo
Nika el Vikingo

Me parece un juegazo, te hace pensar muchísimo, cada ciertos niveles aprendes algo nuevo, muy recomendable para los que son de jugar puzzles

Audish
Audish

I’ve found that games can teach us just as much about ourselves as it can about the creator or the greater world. The Dweller, for example, has taught me that I am an absolute sociopath when asked. Not only will I devour people, crush them with boulders, and send them screaming off of cliffs, I’ll do it while cackling gleefully and extolling the virtues of my deeds to anyone who will listen. So, to add some context for whatever therapist ends up reading this review in a few years, let me explain how The Dweller makes horrible murder so much fun in such a tight little puzzley package.

Archaeologists have discovered an ancient, buried city, and they simply can’t resist the historical secrets buried within. Too bad for them, you are the eldritch guardian of the city, intent on allowing no one to escape alive. Burrowing through the earthen walls of the caves, you can devour these hapless fools in an instant. For those just out of reach, you can inhabit boulders and crush the interlopers beneath your merciless bulk. Even fear can be a killer, sending panicked researchers screaming away and into deadly drops. But not all of these intruders are in places that can be easily reached by your powers, and so will require a bit of puzzling to dispatch. As you clean ancient house, you’ll come across research notes and letters regarding their mission, and you’ll be able to follow along as the situation escalates in a direction you might not expect.

The Dweller is a very lean little puzzle game, packing everything I just described into 59 single-screen levels where your task is to extinguish the lives of every human dumb enough to wander within reach. Your eldritch horror follows your cursor through floors, walls, and ceilings, but cannot cross open-air gaps on its own. That’s where the power to possess boulders comes into play, not only for bridging gaps but also for turning archaeologists into erudite paste. You’ll get a few additional tricks in the later levels but I won’t spoil them here. Instead, I’d like to point out how clever the game gets with its simple mechanics, starting you off with puzzles that explain your tools without any actual explanations, and then ramp up expectations to push your understanding and creativity. It’s exactly what any good puzzle game should do, what the best of the genre like Braid and Gunpoint have done, and levels are presented in non-linear segments so you can leave one you’re stumped on and return to it later.

And that’s pretty much it! You’ll get lore as you go, expanding on the characters you’re devouring and pushing the plot in new directions across the two hours or so it’ll take to complete this one. It’s not revolutionary or sprawling, but puzzle games in particular really don’t need to be. I want games that present unique and entertaining challenges for a few hours, enough to get my fill but not enough to burn out on, and The Dweller fits that bill perfectly. It’s quite a bonus for me that the payoff is crushing and consuming tiny, hapless adventurers, as I just can’t get enough of that kind of carnage. But regardless of where your moral compass points, I can assure you that The Dweller is a fine way to tax your brain for a few hours.

Did you enjoy this review? I certainly hope so, and I certainly hope you'll check out more of them at https://goldplatedgames.com/ or on my curation page!

Savvas P
Savvas P

If you are into puzzle games its ok, otherwise it may get boring

leechrot
leechrot

A simple, fun, and easy to 100% game that can still challenge your brain a bit towards the end.

Deans
Deans

It's a solid puzzle game! The concept is intriguing, gameplay and level design are handled all well, fun to play!

Addonexus
Addonexus

Worth the sale price if you enjoy puzzle games, but $5 is a little high. Has a nice little letter style horror story with some ironic humor that makes the game fun and rewarding to play.
Play an eldritch being like something from Lovecraft's necronomicon; first sneak to claim your victims, and then burst into rage toward the end levels unrestricted. Slowly reveal the dark secret of the cave, and your purpose for being there. You can finish this game in about an hour and a half if you're fast with puzzles; although some of the later ones get pretty tricky. Its also fun to see how many different ways some of the levels can be completed.

WingsOfFreedom
WingsOfFreedom

awesome, short, fun story, and cheap to play. would recommend

WorkshopChangelog
WorkshopChangelog

Fresh twist on the arcade puzzle genre, love it!

Nezelia
Nezelia

VERY fun and gory! Carrion before Carrion was cool

Joshua Simpson
Joshua Simpson

I didn't mind the last levels being more action oriented but the ending made me sad. I'd love to see the story continue

♚ inigo ♚
♚ inigo ♚

The Dweller is the proof that cheap, simple games on Steam can be really enjoyful and packed with content at the same time. Many small developers on this platform forget that a low price isn't an excuse for making two levels that end after half an hour and I'm glad that Dweller went ahead and provided every player with 59 unique challenges. The gameplay is very simple, challenges can get difficult at times, but they make you feel really rewarded once you complete them. The only two issues I have with this game is a boring color/model design and the plot that gets really messy towards the end - it's quite literal and anyone can get it, but the ending definetely feels too dull and rushed. I actually was a fan of action-based last levels, because they serve as a reward for often frustrating puzzles. I had a lot of fun in this game and I would rank my 5 hours stay in Dweller (yeah I kinda fell asleep when I finished it and left the app running) 𝟳,𝟱/𝟭𝟬

Joanne [MY]
Joanne [MY]

It turns out to be quite a fun game to play!

100% Steam Achievements are easy to complete!

UncleAmir
UncleAmir

The Dweller is a short puzzle game where you play as a monster in a cave and need to devour archaeologists.

LeafFresh
LeafFresh

Really cool game, Underrated, Loved playing it and still like playing it from time to time.
Anyone looking for nice cheap games this one is for you. if u are into puzzle/strategy atleast!

This game would also be really cool to play on your phone, Idk if there is a phone version yet.

funkbob
funkbob

Chilled little puzzler. I used autohotkey to bind the level reset to the middle mouse button for ultimate chill.

gregwilhite29
gregwilhite29

Ugh... The last level is a massive rug pull that feels lazy in comparison to some of the kick ass puzzles that precluded it. It's honestly such a stinker of a level, it almost ruins the whole experience.

There are some fantastic things going on here however, the game definitely has a lot of love in it. Starts super strong, but falls very flat in the last little bit, almost feels rushed. I can't recommend it at full price, as much as it pains me to say, because it's unique and just *fun*, but the ending.... Ugh.

helix2
helix2

Fun game, only about twenty percent in, but I am enjoying myself.
The puzzles are interesting, and thought provoking, without making me bang my head on the wall. (yet)
It has excellent fluff, something I really appreciate in the game, a fun story, and nice atmosphere. The sound really adds to this.
The core game play revolves around trying to kill the archaeologists on the screen. They are in the caverns and corridors however, and you are limited to being in the walls, and in the boulders, which you can move.
You can only be in one or the other though, so if there is a gap you cannot find a way to cross, you will have to restart the level.
You can devour your foes, crush them with rocks, or scare them into running off cliffs, just enough variety to really make you think about things.
It really feels different from anything I have tried before.
Certain levels come with pages of letters from the expedition head home, slowly revealing the underlying story to us, a very nice extra layer.
It comes together to make a game that is easy to recommend, one thumb up. Doesn't hurt that I got it on a good sale.

sc3ptic
sc3ptic

refreshing approach to puzzle games. diary also didnt suck .

Dead Gaiko
Dead Gaiko

I usually don't enjoy puzzle games, but I was sucked in by the promise of being an ancient abomination that eats archaeologists. Every level is a single-screen puzzle where planning and spatial awareness rewards you with diabolical rewards.

I bought this game for myself and my father whilst it was on sale, and we'll get many hours of entertainment playing through at our own pace. If puzzles are your jam though, this short but wonderfully made title is certainly worth the asking price. The Dweller is a great achievement!

Hej
Hej

People falling off 1 inch and dying 2D simulator 10/10

Ⓒ

The Dweller is a fun puzzle platformer with an interesting story.
You are a shapeless monster, which dwells in walls and rocks, trying to kill off archeologists, who peacefully seek to explore an ancient city.
But if you think you can go now and freely murder these poor men and women as you like, you are wrong. You have to do that in the shape of puzzles.
The difficulty of the puzzles is somewhere between easy and medium. By doing the stages, you unlock parts of the story.

Unfortunately, the game is very short. It took me 3,5 hours to fully complete it and reach 100 %. I bet you could easily do it faster.
There are a few gimmicks, that make progress interesting.
Like movable rocks in different shapes, teleporters, soldiers and more.
By using and combining them, the devs could have created an almost infinite number of levels. But unfortunately, the game stays far behind its potential there.

I still recommend it, though. Even for the full price, its a steal.
And for the sales price, you'd be a fool not to buy it.