While in some ways it may be old-school to a fault, the forthcoming Dungeon Maker: Hunting Grounds from XSeed Games is looking just fine. The game combines the appeal of the “build your own RPG” type games that were somewhat appealing on PSone and PS2, but without the need to, like, do everything from the ground up.

Instead of building EVERY aspect of an RPG, Dungeon Maker: Hunting Ground offers up a frame story and a cast of characters to interact with, while challenging the gamer to design their own ultimate dungeon to not only explore and conquer, but to create as well.

You must purchase everything from basic building blocks like hallway and room segments to the design and decor of each area. You can even purchase an energy supplement to refresh your character and keep him hacking his way through your dungeon as you both explore it and build it out and down.

New building elements are spaced apart in their availability to keep the game interesting as you go, and while the game is rather narrow in scope compared to sweeping epics like Final Fantasy XII or Dragon Quest VII, it still comes across quite well for the scale of the game.

The main goal is to build the dungeon deep enough and interestingly enough to really draw in major monsters that award you more funds to keep building and building and building, like Lady Winchester in the Winchester mansion, until finally you capture the attention of the game’s Big Bad Boss, the final encounter that helps you ultimately win the game.

You’ll encounter various characters along the way who give you advice and side-quests to complete, and generally the game is action-RPG-style fun that will entertain without bogging you down too much in a morose and lengthy storyline.

The game looks promising at this point. We’re certainly anticipating seeing how the final product looks when the code goes gold and is released on store shelves later this month.