Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Dolmen starts from a familiar but sturdy action RPG fantasy: you are on a cruel planet, every fight can teach you something, and raw persistence is only part of the answer. The twist is its energy economy. Ranged weapons draw on the same resource needed to activate Energy Mode, which gives melee weapons elemental effects. That forces a meaningful choice in the middle of a fight. Spend energy to stay safely at range, or save it for the elemental advantage that may make close combat more effective?

That shared resource is Dolmen’s most interesting idea because it prevents melee and ranged combat from feeling like separate, interchangeable loadouts. You are meant to switch between them, assess an enemy’s weakness, and decide when an elemental boost is worth the cost. When you enjoy action games that ask for that kind of deliberate adjustment, this should be more satisfying than simply hammering out the same attack pattern.

The downside is clear, too. Dolmen is built around resistance, repeated battles, and bosses designed to test your skill. If you want a loose power trip or a forgiving adventure, its hostile-world attitude may wear thin. But if difficult encounters are why you show up, the promise of getting stronger through each battle gives its challenge a proper purpose rather than making danger feel arbitrary.

For a closer rundown of its combat ideas and the world of Revion Prime, the official Dolmen page is useful background. More importantly, go in ready to manage energy, change tactics, and accept that survival is something you earn.

Graphics

Revion Prime is described as devastated and darkly beautiful, placing Dolmen in a sci-fi horror space where the alien landscape and menace carry much of the atmosphere. The setting has a strong enough foundation for players who like grim extraterrestrial worlds rather than clean, optimistic space opera.

Story

The story begins with a straightforward mission: recover samples of the Dolmen, unusual crystals capable of enabling interaction between realities. That is a solid sci-fi hook because the prize is more than a generic artifact. Its potential to change space exploration gives the expedition stakes beyond simple treasure hunting.

Revion Prime supplies the necessary danger. It is a hostile, devastated planet, and the assignment is framed less as a grand victory lap than a struggle to avoid being erased before the work is done. That grim setup fits an action RPG focused on endurance and monstrous opposition.

Do not come to Dolmen expecting the premise alone to carry the experience. The narrative setup is intriguing, but it mainly gives the battles and exploration a reason to exist. If a mysterious alien-world mission is enough to pull you forward, the reality-bending crystal angle has genuine flavor.

Overall Experience

Dolmen earns its place with a focused combat concept rather than a radically new blueprint. Balancing ranged attacks against elemental melee, then taking that decision into punishing fights and boss encounters, gives it a tactical edge that many action RPGs only gesture toward.

Its rougher proposition is equally easy to understand: this is a game that wants you under pressure. The hostile planet, gruesome monsters, and threat of failure are all pointed in the same direction. That consistency will feel motivating if you like difficult games that ask you to learn, but exhausting if you need frequent relief from the tension.

At 5.8, Dolmen lands as a middling but potentially worthwhile pick for the right kind of player. Give it a chance if the idea of rationing energy between ranged attacks and elemental melee sounds like a challenge you want to solve. Skip it if you are mainly chasing a relaxed sci-fi adventure, because Revion Prime is clearly not interested in making your trip easy.

Retro Replay Score

5.8/10