Neverfound Dungeon is the jocular name for a supposed secret level in Dungeon Keeper. It is "hidden so cunningly that none alive remembers how entrance is gained", according to Bullfrog's Official Guide to Dungeon Keeper.[1]
It is described as the "sixth" secret level, but the full moon level, which is mentioned in the book before Neverfound Dungeon, is both numbered and documented as the sixth secret level. Nevertheless, there are two possibilities as to which level Neverfound Dungeon could be:
- Secret 5. It is well-known as the "lost" secret level, and earlier versions of the book mention four secret levels plus the full moon level (but documents all six secret levels), and then Neverfound Dungeon. It could be that it being the "sixth" meant that it is the sixth mentioned, not that it is the sixth in the actual sequence. Neverfound Dungeon is not documented in the book (that is, no level is documented under the heading "Neverfound Dungeon"), only mentioned as (possibly) existing; it is merely rumoured to exist. The fact that Secret 5 is documented suggests that its existence is known; therefore, either this is a discrepancy, or Secret 5 is not Neverfound Dungeon.
- Level 80. This level is present in Dungeon Keeper, but unused and inaccessible, and plays more like a secret level than a normal level (though not like the normal secret levels). It is also not documented in the official guide book. Supporting this possibility is the fact that the level was removed entirely in Dungeon Keeper Gold (level 80 became Morkardar), and when Bullfrog's official guide book was updated for it, the mention of Neverfound Dungeon was removed as well.[2] It is likely that the original guide book's entire description of Neverfound Dungeon was a jocular way of saying that the level exists, but there's no "normal" way to access it, which is common in guides. However, this description fits Secret 5 too, as well as Level 1000 (though this is clearly just a test/debug level, and therefore cannot possibly be Neverfound Dungeon).
The Dungeon Keeper Gold version of the book mentions five secret levels plus the full moon level. The Locate Hidden World box for Secret 5 is stated to be in Mistle. However, this is an error: there is no such box in Mistle, nor does the book's actual guide for the level mention there being any. Thus, the removal of the mention of Neverfound Dungeon can mean one of three things:
- Secret 5 is Neverfound Dungeon, and Bullfrog thought they made it accessible in Dungeon Keeper Gold.
- Level 80 is Neverfound Dungeon, and the mention of it was removed because, in Dungeon Keeper Gold, the level no longer exists.
- Neverfound Dungeon is neither of these levels, but another cut level, one that does not exist in the final game, and its remaining mention in the book is an error, which wasn't fixed until the Dungeon Keeper Gold version; no fewer than three secret levels were removed prior to the game's release: Secret 4 (cut level), Secret 5 (removed level), and Secret 6 (cut level). Traces of the former two remain in the final game's text data.
References[]
- ↑ Bullfrog's Official Guide To Dungeon Keeper. p. 138. Prima Publishing. (1997). ISBN 978-0-7615-0714-7.
- ↑ Prima's Official Guide To Dungeon Keeper Gold Edition. p. 138. Prima Publishing. (1998). ISBN 978-0-7615-1581-4.
