Games like War for the Overworld

The Squirrel's verdictCo-op support and a persistent aboveground combat layer set Dungeons 3 apart: half the game has your forces fighting in open terrain rather than defending a dungeon. Rooms still need walls and doors, and invaders funnel through your hallways, but reviewers call the strategy simpler than WFTO's and the waves relentless. The narrator delivers constant pop-culture jokes, which reviews describe as either the highlight or a dealbreaker.

Not for you if you want deep trap-and-layout strategy rather than a joke-heavy narrator and streamlined, grindier unit-wave combat.

The Squirrel's verdictDungeons 2 shares the dig-out-your-dungeon, recruit-minions, mock-the-heroes structure of War for the Overworld, with a sarcastic narrator delivering constant jokes. The difference: half the game sends your minions to fight aboveground in open combat, and reviews describe base management and minion control as basic rather than deep. Suits players who want the overlord fantasy without meticulous trap engineering.

Not for you if you came to War for the Overworld for intricate trap layouts and tile-by-tile dungeon planning, since reviewers call this game's base management basic and pacing slow.

The Squirrel's verdictPlayers who enjoy directing multiple units under real-time pressure — the core skill WFTO demands — will find Escape the Mad Empire familiar: you control a party of five characters independently, in RTS fashion, through roguelite dungeon runs. A pause function lets you issue orders without the clock running. Recruitment is randomized, progression follows a Slay the Spire-style stage structure, and median playtime is 16.6 hours.

Not for you if you want base-building instead of dungeon-crawling, need gamepad support, or dislike click-heavy RTS-style control over five party members.

The Squirrel's verdictWar for the Overworld is dungeon-management RTS: you build, trap, and defend. One More Dungeon 2 strips that away for first-person, tile-based procedural dungeon crawling with real-time combat. Shared ground is the dungeon-crawl fantasy and repeated exploration loops, not the management layer. Fits players who want dungeon-themed combat without base-building, trap design, or AI siege pressure.

Not for you if you came to WFTO for base-building and trap placement — OMD2 has no construction layer, just combat, and reviewers report repetitive enemies and weapons gated behind scarce crystals.

The Squirrel's verdictDungeon Tycoon keeps the same core loop as War for the Overworld: build a dungeon, place traps and monsters, and stop heroes from clearing it. The pacing is slower and tycoon-style rather than real-time-strategy, so you're not racing an AI that burrows through walls. Reviews describe traps generating no income and stretches of waiting for heroes to show up. $14.99, median playtime 12.7 hours.

Not for you if you want traps and monster placement to carry real tactical weight rather than sit as decoration while you wait out the day cycle.

The Squirrel's verdictEconomic management is Naheulbeuk's defining layer: minions have needs you must meet, payment matters, and rooms can't be removed once placed, so layout decisions carry permanent consequences. You can't directly control minions or direct guards during an attack. Reviewers flag poor pathfinding and information gaps as the campaign progresses. Median playtime is 12.0 hours, priced at $24.99.

Not for you if you want direct minion control, removable rooms, or reliable pathfinding rather than an economy-sim layer over occasional attacks.