Dolmen Critic Reviews

This game's impressive just by virtue of it being Massive Work Studios' first. But it wouldn't be fair to only give it credit for that reason. Dolmen is a fun, and exciting cosmic horror-themed soulslike whose unique (and successful!) inclusion of ranged combat helps it to stand out from its peers. If this is just the beginning of what Massive Work Studios have to offer, I can't wait to see what's in store for us down the road.

One of the most thrilling parts of Dolmen is the horror element that grows exponentially as the monsters become more difficult and much better at hiding. At first, most enemies can be seen from a distance, but they quickly begin to hide around corners, on the ceiling, or within the environment. A few jumpscares will lead to cautiously approaching every turn and inspecting all of the walls. Horror mixed with features like an intricate upgrade system, daunting combat encounters, and the ability to take on difficult bosses alongside some friends makes Dolmen an exciting title that delivers constant action and intense challenges.

Dolmen is one of the most ambitious projects in the history of the Brazilian gaming industry. The detailed world building, the challenging combats, as well as ability customization possibilities. You'll probably want to play some more even after you finish it for the first time. After years of working on the title, Massive Work can be proud of the result. There is no shortage of reasons to be excited about the future of the studio.

A unique world with some fantastic environment designs and challenging combat, let down by often unfair enemies and a story that just wasn’t that interesting.

Dolmen brings the Dark Souls experience to space, but the gameplay doesn´t include new mechanics, and feels outdated. We enjoyed the difficulty curve, on the hard side, but we also found several technical issues and generic design.

You don’t need me to tell you how much of a tough sell Dolmen is this year. Still, if you’re at all a fan of the Soulslike genre and willing to forgive a little jank that comes with slight overambition and a smaller budget, I recommend giving it a go. For every frustration I had for not having quite as many “Aha!” moments when opening a door or discovering some lore, it’s equalled with other ways the game is working to impress. On offer is a solid nightmarish journey from the darkest depths to the dreadfully eerie conclusion at the world’s own horrific ground zero. This is held up by clever combat implementations and a rewarding sense of experimentation and exploration. Atmospherically enticing and fun to play, Dolmen is a game I won’t let you all forget. Even if I’m one of the few banging my drum, championing it.

Dolmen is a solid yet at times flawed Science-Fiction- Soulslike, that lacks the polish and the pure impact of Elden Ring, Dark Souls and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. While it brings interesting gameplay-ideas to the tables, the overall experience is harmed by either bugs or strange design-decisions.

Another souls-like that doesn’t surprise beyond its setting, but that manages to offer an interesting adventure for the fans of the genre.

Soulslike veterans will whizz through most of this; but anybody wanting to test the waters will find a game that’s demanding, varied… and just a little wobbly.

Passably charming Dark Souls copy, with which a small team has risen. Seen as an ode to the great role model and at a relatively low price, the Elden Blues has disappeared for at least a few hours.

Dolmen emerges as a good entry in the world of soulslike and has its value, mainly due to the risks taken by its developer. Even so, the title has positives and negatives points in almost the same proportion, with AI, visuals and interface falling short of what they could be.

Dolmen is a Soulslike in a Dead Space setting: a dark, alien-infested space-environment filled with gore. The gameplay is what you'd expect from a Soulsgame, but has very little to add to the genre. The energy-management is a nice addition, as is the possibility to relive previous boss battles for extra nanites, the game's version of Souls. In the end, the game is too firmly stuck in the classic gameplay of Souls games, while the genre has progressed with the likes of Elden Ring.

Dolmen bites far more than it can chew, trying to merge the melee combat of any From Software game with the gunplay of Remnant from The Ashes: the result is an average game that tries to accomplish too many things at once.

Dolmen displays good intentions but does not always check them out. With each interesting idea, a new balancing issue arises along the way.

As far as sci-fi Souls-likes go, Dolmen sits somewhere between Hellpoint and The Surge in terms of quality. It can offer a rewarding experience to Souls-like fans, but it falls short of the bar set by the creators of the genre. Still, for those who have patience and persistence, and like the idea of exploring a new, futuristic setting while engaging in challenging combat, it’s worth checking out.

In a post Elden Ring world, Dolmen feels dated and too formulaic. It also lacks the personality, character and soul of the genre’s luminaries. If you’re looking for a new Soulslike game to scratch the itch however, Dolmen will certainly do that, despite its lack of mechanical innovation and uneven difficulty.

You probably could have guessed this by now, but Dolmen should have released before Elden Ring. All Soulslike games from here on out will constantly be in that game’s gigantic shadow. It’s not that there’s not enough room in this genre for more entries, especially ones that are in such a wildly different setting. It’s just that whatever games release in this space must now meet such incredibly high standards or face intense criticism and likely faltering sales. Dolmen will surely appeal to those who want a Soulslike adventure in a sci-fi setting, and perhaps were disappointed by 2020’s Hellpoint release. Just go in with lowered expectations owing to a smaller dev team, and perhaps you’ll have some fun smashing enemies to bits.

Weak lore and slow combat in this game can only be deterrants for most veterans of the souls genre. Better spend your time with more quality games that have substance and a meaningful story.

Despite all the sympathy that we can feel for Dolmen, the perfectible experience leaves us with a cost of incompleteness.

Coming from Massive Work Studio, Dolmen is a horror soulslike with good storytelling and game design, but also some major flaws on gameplay and visuals. It feels outdated at times and has a lot of technical difficulties, which is sad because the game shows some potential.