I have the opposite view; having played many many dungeon crawlers; I can confidently say that the genre lives & dies on the quality of the puzzles; else is pure hack-n-slash, and boring after third of each monster type encountered.
I agree. The puzzles, for the most part, ARE the game.
However, I am a fan of puzzle-like elements used with monsters. Why keep them separate?
In the mod I was working on (on hiatus atm) I have a room where in the hallways before it there is mention of two vortexes moving in opposite directions, and how the eye of the storm is safe.
As you enter the room you see a modified version of the crow creatures, and a button. As you press it a bolt of electricity heads toward the crow and when it hits it the crow releases a few shock bursts in squares around it. With a few button presses you see the bursts come off randomly every time it is hit with electricity.
After it dies, you see a pressure plate where it was.
Stepping on the plate starts shock bursts that travel around the room in a circular motion, with the pressure plate you are on being the center.
You get to watch the the burts for a bit, to notice that there are two circles going around you in opposite directions.
Then over time, one by one, some of those crow creatures spawn in the room.
You can't stay in the middle for long, since the crow will be hit by the vortex and possibly shock you.
And you can't just square dance either.
I have an indestructible 'puzzle monster' too. It doesn't move, and only attacks on turn, at set locations in the new facing direction.
It can be used for pure puzzle elements, or to spice up battles.
