Dome Keeper is a 2022 tower defense video game created by the German studio Bippinbits and published by Raw Fury. It was released for Windows, macOS, and Linux on September 27, 2022. In the game, players must protect their glass dome from alien creatures. After defeating a wave of enemies, players can spend a limited amount of time mining resources underneath the dome. These resources are used to improve defenses and prepare for the next group of enemies. The game received mostly positive reviews from players and critics.

Gameplay

Dome Keeper is a tower defense game that includes features from a type of game called roguelike. Players control a character who manages a glass dome, which serves as their spacecraft. After the spacecraft crashes on an alien planet, the player must protect their dome from native aliens who want to destroy it. The player moves using a jetpack and can dig through the ground with a drill. The main resources the player needs to collect are iron, cobalt, and water. These materials can be mined beneath the dome and used to upgrade the character’s abilities. A timer shows how much time remains before the next wave of enemies arrives. The player must return to the dome with as many resources as possible before the aliens attack and damage it. The player’s main weapons are a rotating laser beam and a sword-like tool that can be extended to hit enemies. Both weapons can be made stronger to do more damage. The player can also use resources to improve their own movement speed or drilling power. In the main game mode called "Relic Hunt," the goal is to defeat enemy waves, collect resources, and dig deep enough to find an ancient relic that can destroy the aliens.

Development

Bippinbits submitted a game called Dome Keeper, which was later renamed Dome Romantik, as part of the April 2021 Ludum Dare 48 game jam. The game received 9th place overall in the competition, which led the team to create a complete version of the game for Steam.

Reception

According to the website Metacritic, which collects reviews, the game Dome Keeper received "generally favorable reviews." PC Gamer described the game as "simple yet nuanced roguelike" and praised the weapons and how players manage resources. However, the review also mentioned the game's short length and some small technical problems. Shacknews liked how easy the gameplay was to understand and play, but noted that the experience might become predictable after many plays. In a more critical review, Eurogamer said the game "had mixed feelings" and explained that the combination of mining and tower defense gameplay had problems because the game tried to focus on both genres at the same time.