Each level is a randomly generated maze of interconnected rooms, filled with monsters, traps, loot, and various other objects.

Each turn the player may move to or attack monsters in adjacent squares; pick up, drop, and use items; and interact with various in-game objects.

can also be selected, which generates smaller floors for the player to explore, but offers the same amount of experience as normal levels.

[5] Artifacts are powerful weapons and armor that have a randomly generated name and extra attributes compared to standard gear.

The player may obtain artifacts by discovering them in the dungeon, from the Lutefisk God, creating them using an Anvil of Krong, or as a reward from quests.

[6] Critics have generally given Dungeons of Dredmor positive reviews; as of June 6, 2012, it holds a 79/100 score at Metacritic and 79.00% at GameRankings.

[7][8] Alec Meer of Rock Paper Shotgun noted how the game's complexity and heavy reliance on the random aspect makes it unbalanced and unpredictable.

He noted that careful strategy has to be employed, and closed by stating that Dungeons of Dredmor is "genuinely, a fantastic game", albeit with minor interface issues.

[14] Nathan Meunier of IGN called Dungeons of Dredmor challenging, but noted it is easy to get into with adjusted difficulty settings.