Little Kitty, Big City
Little Kitty, Big City
Game
Game2012
A Game of Dwarves
Developer Zeal Game Studio
A Game of Dwarves is a dwarf-themed real-time strategy dungeon management game developed by Zeal Game Studio and published by Paradox Interactive in 2012-2013. A PlayStation 3 version was in development but was cancelled before release. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
189 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky) · newest May 21, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
54
Mixed
99 positive · 85 negative
95% range 47–61%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 99 | 85 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
5 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Mixed
351 of 555 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 189 · most liked firstThis game tries to scratch the itch dungeon keeper and dwarf fortress have long since stopped scratching for me. (hundreds of game hours can only do so much.) Unfortunately, where those other games are like a Velcro nose scratcher inside a spaceman's helmet, this is more of a damp sponge. You can try as hard as you want, it won't scratch. I only managed to stick with this game due to the mild amusement of designing a very simple dwarf base, but that gets old FAST; it was pure stubbornness…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I recently played through the campaign for A Game of Dwarves. I'm giving it a thumbs up, but a qualified one. The Game The game is something of a builder/manager game: you control a settlement of dwarves and guide them in both mining out the area around their settlement and building the things they need to be happy and do well. I really liked the potential of this game: I find it a fun thing to occupy myself with while watching TV or just winding down in the evening, and there is some…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Will be blacklisting Paradox games since the company’s management and executives have no respect for the workers. https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/union-survey-alleges-culture-of-mistreatment-at-paradox-interactive
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An Underground Dungeon Management Game https://youtu.be/CLDHxB4R38w + The gameplay can be quite enjoyable and addictive. You essentially control a group of dwarves and work on expanding your underground base, digging for resources, and exploring new areas. You also need to meet the needs of your dwarves such as food, beds for sleeping, decoration, etc. + A very unique floor system, where you can go up and down MANY layers vertically. You can dig like 20 floors down or up, which I thought was…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I bought this game on offer, thinking I was getting a good deal, but the save system is broken so I can't even continue with the campaign after I save and exit. I didn't pay much, but I've still requested a refund, as it's the principle of the thing. My advice is don't bother with this game. Even if it's in a sale, you'll still be buying a broken product.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Total opposition to changing the contract without the players being able to refuse. I do not agree with your new conditions. I do not agree with the obligation to constantly check what you have changed in the contract. and it's completely crazy that I have to keep checking, and it's my duty to keep track of what you've changed in the contract, otherwise I automatically agree to it. Is gaming supposed to be my job? How dare you make such changes without any information about it. "13. Updates to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nobody tosses a Dwarf! ~Gimli, son of Glóin Back in 1997, BULLFROG released Dungeon Keeper. Which, like many other BULLFROG games, ended up being one of the most essential titles from that time period. Naturally, a lot of people tried to repeat its success since then. But the funniest thing? Nobody ever succeeded. At least, not completely. Sure, the latest Dungeons entry wasn't that bad and made a lot of progress since the awful first game, while Evil Genius did totally fine with all its…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →just play dwarf fortress
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An abandoned mess. Was fun at first but the much needed improvements and fixes never came. Sad.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A builder Game you have to pay and even then you have to pay more if you wish to have more options to craft. Pay more to have some chairs ( in the game you have very few itens), pay more to have some variety of doors, and so on to every item. Cash grab! In fact is a Free to Play model without the Free to Play. Garbage. Dont recomend to anyone.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Two issues here - no ongoing development/improvements beyond the DLC, for a game that could surely use it, and a poorly implemented control scheme that makes building/placement a pain. The game CAN be somewhat fun, but after a certain point the luster wears off and that is where additional content and bug/game fixes would be appreciated.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →unfinished & bugged is all i can say. I'm big fan of sim games or any type of strategy and when i first saw this one i kinda get hyped, started the campaign and that was kinda fun, till game get laggy as hell. I think it bugged while i dug deeper and deeper (cuz i'm a good dwarf) and became unplayable, i even though if my display card burned or something. After i randomly get several game breaker bugs i decided to quit and wait for more patch & fix. Alas i think developers are abandon the game…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Overall, "A Game of Dwarves" is a wonderfully in-depth strategy game. If you like designing underground towns and being in a Dwarven fortress then this game is for you. The game has tons of replay value due to the size of the maps and the vast array of different objects you can build. Despite how complex it might all seem, it uses humor to keep things light and entertaining. There are occasions where the AI did some pretty odd things and sometimes the Dwarves needed that extra micromanagement…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I played A Game of Dwarves for 50 hours and I think I’m ready to write a review. First of all, is this game good enough to play as long as I did? To be honest no, I played so long because it’s about dwarves and I wanted to achieve 100%. But as a game generally it’s just OK, not great, not bad, just OK. So what is that game? It’s dwarven sim management in 3D, something similar to Dungeon Keeper, but with more digging. Yeah, about digging, if you’re dwarves fan and you like digging, there is a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A game of Dwarves was released back in 2012 and is an alright game with simple graphics and a simple, straight forward story line. The problems arise as you progress further into the game with a few unknown crashes, and the game play slow down with large projects with a decent pc. There are also glitches with replaying certain levels after obtaining certain perks and experience or tasks not being checked off. Its not a bad game, in my opinion it doesn't hold up current year and there are better…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've put in hours and hours.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game has some serious problems that affect the core gameplay. However, it has an undeniable charm and it is quite entertaining if you can put aside some of its flaws. I would recommend getting this one on a Sale. It should entertain you for a couple of days.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very slow paced, and has a lot of little glitches. This game was not made with the finest craftdwarfship.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As much as I enjoy games with dwarves and their wacky antics, this is not a game I can recommend. There's really just not much to do here. The game is easy to figure out and play, to the point where my wife and I made most of our story advancements while completely toasted drunk. To this day we have no idea what actually took place in some of the story missions, as we just woke up one morning and they were completed. It's not even really a game where you can say, HEY look at this awesome…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A ripoff. It was never expected to reach DF levels of completeness however, it should at least have completed beta testing before being released.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Paid DLC for features that should have been included.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It needed a bit more work. The game is essentially fine but it could have used an update or two with some important features; like being able to create farmable soil so you don't have plants randomly all over your build. Buy it at $5 or less.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Basically the young cousin of both Dwarf Fortress and Minecraft. It was fun for a few hours, that's the best I can say for it. I much prefer the similar game "Dwarfs?!", which has worse graphics but crisper, balanced play. You might enjoy this game if you just want to build something cute.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i would recommend this if you are into just building and basicly digging around, sometimes it is hard to make specific rooms if you micromanage like i do. other than that it has a decent story that at least keeps you intrested, and ways to progress your dwarves to the point even a monopolist 1936 rich guy.. person..? whatever you know what i'm trying to say. all in all this is fun to play so check it out
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Unfinished and buggy game. Maybe if developers would work on it for another two or three years they could make something worth playing, but at this abandoned state it's just junk.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just play Dwarf Fortress; it's free and in a better state off the official bay12 site.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a great, affordable game for anybody who loves base-building and the idea of running a little Dwarven colony. I'll admit, it's not the best looking game and is a little awkward to watch (the Dwarves/enemies often "slide" along surfaces, especially up and down ladders), however you get used to this and it actually is a little charming after a while. The game has some pretty clever mechanics, where you have to continue to build Dwarven items and decorate your hold the deeper you delve,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A bug ridden mess of a game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For $2, I suppose this game is okay, but I should have spent $20 on a better game. The campaign is fine (what you'd expect from a $2 game), but it is brutally repetitive - build a medium sized base, complete main quest line, repeat. After 9 hours, I still haven't seen half of the technologies/structures because each level starts you at square one. I tried to play a custom game and immediately discovered a room with lvl 15 monsters... So to be successful in custom games, you should hide in…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great little game. Don't get all the "not a dwarf fortress!" nonsense. Worse than comparing every single rpg with Dark Souls.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It seemed like an interesting game at first, basically a Dwarven "Dungeon Keeper" clone. But the camera controls were off, and some of the mechanics were either mishandled or not explained properly. **Originally Uploaded: October 10, 2015** For more reviews, as well as Let's Plays, check out my YouTube channel, Gemini Does Games! https://youtu.be/gqHVtsLkd9c
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a crappy version of dungeon keeper. Except that AI is virtually nonexistent, so as soon as you have built everything there is to build, you're done with the game. Don't buy. Get dungeon keeper or dwarf fortress, but do not buy this game. I doubt that even the developers ever wanted to make this game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm not sure why there are so many negative reviews about this game. I think this game is absolutely adorable and quite fun. The mechanics take a little getting used to but I don't want a copy cat game - new mechanics are good. The story is silly and you get a chuckle once in a while. I wouldn't rank it up there as a MUST have game, but I still enjoy tossing the game on once in a while and building away. It's a very nice casual game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →feels way to clunky
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →To be honest, it was pretty bad when it first came out and time has done it no favours. I just did one last push to get the achievements I was missing, and it was a miserable experience. There are several block building simulators to choose from that are just better than this in almost every way. My recommendation is to save your time and your money, and avoid this game altogether.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →"A Game of Dwarves" is an ancient game from 2012. It's a whopping 12 years old at the time of this review. While the game does run okay even on modern PCs, it is starting to show some age and the graphics look dated. The game carries a pretty high price tag for such an old game. This seems to have be lingering on Steam with an inflated price to try profit from abandonware. As a game, well, think of a slightly dumbed down hybrid of Dwarf Fortress and Dungeon Keeper... and given there's a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Though some levels are restrictive in how you make progress, this is a charming game that I have become addicted to.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →it has flaws ,enjoyable to a point it kinda works but it could have been a lot better , gnomoria is better even if it is dev less , dwarf fortress is better still and coming soon !
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A Game of Dwarves is a game about dwarves, living underground, mining, and getting, lots of GOLDDD. Pro: - The Campaign is quite well done, ranging from easy and progressively getting harder along the way. - The Game has the dwarf fortress rts vibe but basically in 3D. (a bit of nostalgia..... a bit.) - Lots of GOLD. Cons: - The mechanics with warriors fighting the enemies is a bit jangky. - It tried too hard to be a "alternative to dwarf fortress". Where the original is still much better -…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So much potential wasted. This is a very unpolished abandonware.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pump and dump product.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pretty fun little throw away game. Not to much depth to it (no pun intended), just a game you can turn your brain off for and relax.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I would prefer to play Bad Rats.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good digging fun. The story is fun and the game is as challenging as you make it. I must finish all ojectives and get all the hidden items, so each level takes me quite a while to finish. I start with nice neat bases and then when I need more resources, it becomes huge multilayer mines stretching everywhere. I've never ran into any bugs and the game seems complete to me so I don't know why all the negative reviews. If the developer ever decides to return, I'd buy more DLC and would LOVE…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is NOT worth any of your money. A Game of Dwarves is a base-builder where you end up leading a small pack of dwarves and have them extend their empire deeper into the caverns, yet as you dare do so you begin to uncover caverns containing monsters and possible treasures. That is the only thing that makes you keep on playing until you realize how dreadful the game actually is. First, the game has no to little updates. You will find the game to be always the same bland pointless…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Its a great game, although its farely repetitive, its still very good, but it lacks multiplayer so if you play the campaign for to long it might get boring, i would just wish there was versus or some kind of co-op campaign, i really think it would make the game more fun, and less the same, as you would have company, overall though, it only needs multiplayer then it would be perfect, except for all the micro transactions, they tend to be a litte to powerfull.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Had this game for over a year, not a single update. quite sad how many small time devs are trying to sell something that they dont even work to finish.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I am going to say that the game is not bad for the price. Aside from that, it is not bad just feels like there is a bit missing in many areas. The feeling that they just wanted it released stage. The game is $10, which is much less than you would pay for some of these larger game titles (which some flat out suck but cost $60+ because of the company). So, on that I would say if are going to compare game quality to that of top brands, I suggest comparing the prices as well. For me, I would…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →While it has a neat premise, it falters in several areas. Despite items having a bonus listed in their description, it's quite obvious that some items are better than others, even if they have the same bonuses. There's no mention of these bonuses anywhere, and a little internet sleuthing reveals that the game designers intentionally did this, and refuse to reveal what the actual bonuses are for each item. HUGE MEMORY HOG! Each level starts off fine enough, but once you get close to maxing…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Quick little late night thread about some of the games I've played in my off time. Early damn entries into my Steam library, we got A Game of Dwarves, Bit.Trip Runner, and Sanctum. Literally started playing these again because I had never sat down to finish them, gave them a whirl.
unlabelledView post →I am a dwarf and im digging a hole
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A small interesting RTS game. This game is pretty simple. One of my favorite colony games
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Reminds me a little of Dungeon Keeper. You guys remember that game? Quiet similar but with dwarfs here. We build dwarven cities. Dig a hole and prosper in a missions. I like this game, graphic isn't special but gameplay is interesting. We must plan our basements. Room for dwarfs to live, storage and army place. Defences and place to eat and just surviving.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Bugged as ****. Starting a new campagne does not work. WTF Paradox?
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Keeping it short, A Game of Dwarves does what Dungeon Keeper does but with some interesting new idea's. One of the best and to my knowledge unique features of this game is the fact you can play on multiple levels. I don't mean levels as in missions, although there's plenty of those. I mean the fact you can dig and build deeper into the ground or indeed higher towards the surface. There's an excellent variety of building materials with different stats and visuals and plenty of props and art…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Verticality is interesting, but it makes building a bit tedious and unfortunately it otherwise just lacks very interesting mechanics.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is my favorite game on Steam.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Poor tutorial, which doesn't really explain anything. Leading to boring and slow game play
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Awsome game! but i bet if this had workshop it would be better :D
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Unlike other resource managers this one confused me a bit more and then killed me fast. Overwhelming to be honest and not as interesting as the others in my personal opinion. Also has performance issue which came from the game and not my system which also puts me off.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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