Dungeon Crawler Carl Meets Final Fantasy In Free 8/10 Steam Turn-Based RPG

Published Nov 7, 2026, 4:01 PM EST Known as 'Cyberpunk 2077's' biggest fan, Angharad is a Welsh games writer who thrives in anything related to digital storytelling. If a video game explores the intricacies and horrors of womanhood, she is there. Thanks to previous work at GAMINGbible, GameByte, The Loadout, Game Luster, Angharad has built a strong understanding of both the digital world and what fans want from it and is eager to share her thoughts and expertise with readers. Unless you have been living under a rock, you have probably heard about how Dungeon Crawler Carl has taken over the sci-fi LitRPG genre, securing itself seven sequels, with one more to come, as well as an upcoming live-action television adaptation. Taking place after an alien corporation has taken control of the Earth's resources, the story follows Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, as they partake in a dungeon crawl as part of an intergalactic reality TV show. With the upcoming TTRPG experience, Dungeon Crawler Carl: Unstoppable, also due to drop later this month, there has never been a better time to be a fan, but in the meantime, you may want to check out this free Steam game that manages to combine the dungeon crawling element of the Dungeon Crawler Carl franchise with the turn-based strategy elements found in classic Final Fantasy entries. Developed by Nussygame, Buriedbornes is a 2022 turn-based strategy, roguelike, dark fantasy RPG that currently sits at a 'Very Positive' rating on Steam. As the brief, yet impactful synopsis reads, "The oldest and most abhorrent Prophecy has become reality. This is endless and merciless warfare for Buriedbornes, army can revive forever." In this hardcore dungeon RPG, you will be in charge by choosing your job and then approaching the dungeon. Simply pick your weapon, select your skills, and march forward as you defeat terrible enemies using both strategy and synergy. "And "Choosing" is most important in the Dungeon," the syopsis contonues, "Are you ready for deadly battle and ending this unprecedented disaster?" Upon dying, you will have all of your belongings taken, and most importantly, heroes cannot always be revived. As such, you will take on the role of the "roaming dead" as you approach the enemy who vanquished you. However, if you manage to finally kill them, you will be able to loot their supplies, and those resources could mark the difference in life or death. Additionally, you can collect Soulstones which will allow you to buy many special jobs along the way. If you are still not convinced, the full feature list for Buriedbornes is as follows: Create your hero. Choose room and move in dungeon. Choose skill and defeat enemies.(Turn-based battle) You will be forced to choose for event or drop items. You can progress floors by defeating floor boss. Kill "Ancient overload" at 10F! As mentioned, Buriedbornes currently sits at a 'Very Positive' rating on Steam, with fans praising its ARPG gameplay, "dopamine hits", and unique builds. As such, one positive review reads: "No question, one of the best crawlers. It beats 1000s of pay-to-play games. It's insane the value Nussygames always brings to the table for free. Not for everyone, but you can always expect deep systems to learn and master, same as Buriedbornes 2. If you give it the chance, the game can suck you right in and spit you out a week later." Another agreed, adding, "Between mobile, emulator and Steam, I have over 100 hours on this. I do not understand anything about skins, souls, gems and why prismatic dragons are dangerous, but one thing I know, the dopamine hits are great." Buriedbornes is free to download on Steam, and as mentioned, it is also available on mobile, so if you are looking for a way to spend many hours, it seems as though this dark-fantasy RPG may be the perfect excuse. Dungeon Crawler Carl Publisher(s) Penguin Random House Publication Date September 21, 2020 Number of Pages 444 ISBN# 979-8688591507 Author(s) Matt Dinniman