Dwelvers is a spiritual successor to Dungeon Keeper.
Edit 21/12/2013here's some of the latest screenshots (warning, large images)
Orc training:
Orcs having a drink
The portal from the surface overlooking a cliff
An impanzee lair next to a waterfall
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Now, you might say that there’s already such a game that was successfully kickstarted some time ago called War of the Overlord, but there’s a difference between the two, a difference that, in my opinion, makes Dungeon Dwellers a more promising and faithful successor to the spirit, rather than to the mechanics, of Dungeon keeper.
Dungeon Keeper great promise and theme was in the building and managing of an underground evil dungeon, and while it got the building right, it completely neglected the managing aspect.
Dwelvers is adding a production lines system such that can be found in the Settlers or the Anno series. what that means, is that not only you will have to build a dungeon, you will have to build a self sufficient dungeon, one with emphasis on synergies between monsters, between monsters and resources, and between monsters and your enemies.
Some monsters will like other monsters, some will hate others, some monsters will like to reside deep, some will prefer the outskirts of the dungeon, some will prefer raw meat, some will prefer to chew on corpses and some will love beer. you will not just collect gold or have a farm to feed all your monsters, you will need to turn harvested wheat into flour and then haul it to a bakery to make bread, or, mix with water pumped from the river and make beer through a brewery, which means monsters will travel back and forth and materials will not be arbitrary numbers, but “physical” objects.
This is basically how it goes. a better, deeper, production and managing aspect of the dungeon. one that force you to think where to place rooms, which monsters to bring and where and what production to focus on.
Not just building a tower defense dungeon, but actually building a lair of living, underground evils, all with their own affiliations toward each other.
The developer behind it sound enthusiastic about making games in a cute, nerdy way, that is, to my eyes, the core spirit that drive indieness. the fact that he seem more than capable is another bonus. all in all, i see no reason not to back this one up and i already threw my 30$+ something toward it.
What i wish to see in this game is a deeper relation system between your monsters. how some will react differently to others. A dungeon is not, i mean, can not be, a communist colony, it is filled with loot loving monsters. monsters should not automatically love each other just because they have the same boss. they are semi - intelligent, self focused beasts. they should act accordingly.