Boyfriend Dungeon review

Our Verdict

Fellow Dungeon elicits an emotional attachment to its big cast of characters, but repetitive gameplay and dungeons sour the experience.

For

• Relaxing soundtrack alongside interesting characters
• Accessibility and inclusive romance options
• Varied weapon styles to apply in combat

Against

• Only two master dungeons.
• Not much replay value later on maxing love ranks.
• Graphic symbol customization feels at odds with itself

Tom's Guide Verdict

Boyfriend Dungeon elicits an emotional attachment to its big bandage of characters, merely repetitive gameplay and dungeons sour the experience.

Pros

• +

  Relaxing soundtrack alongside interesting characters

• +

  Accessibility and inclusive romance options

• +

  Varied weapon styles to use in combat

Cons

• -

  Only two chief dungeons.

• -

  Non much replay value after maxing love ranks.

• -

  Character customization feels at odds with itself

Boyfriend Dungeon has been in development for a few years, and has garnered much attention due to its massively successful Kickstarter. The game reached more double its original funding goal, and the developers have promised to add together a few more dateable characters in the future. Now, Fellow Dungeon is engaging, blending the aesthetic choices of visual novels and dating simulators with isometric action/take chances gameplay, similar to Hades or Death's Door.

Nonetheless, the game has a hard fourth dimension balancing these genres together effectively, with only two major dungeons to explore. I found myself playing these two dungeons numerous times, solely to upgrade my individual relationship with each weapon and complete their specific character arcs.

Still, fans of dating simulators and uncomplicated action/gamble games will absolutely find aspects worth thinking about, even later on finishing the game's core narrative and their preferred romances. Or, they tin exist like me, and romance every unmarried character before the end credits announced. Read our full Boyfriend Dungeon review to larn more than.

Boyfriend Dungeon review: Gameplay

In Swain Dungeon, you play as an anxious individual who has never been on a engagement, or had much luck with forming bonds of friendship. Y'all come up to stay with your cousin Jesse in the seaside boondocks of Verona Beach until the cease of the summertime. Equally you experience this new community for yourself, yous endeavor to course relationships (romantic or platonic) with a diverse cast of characters. You can cull your own responses for a lot of the dates, too as the subsequent text-message conversations.

Beau Dungeon contains content warnings for harassment, stalking and manipulation, and it is best to have these warnings seriously. You'll also accept a Mom character routinely texting you reassurance throughout the game, but y'all can turn these off if you find them uncomfortable. Information technology is considerate of the developers to take this approach.

(Image credit: Kitfox Games)

The main aspect that sets Boyfriend Dungeon apart from other dating simulators is the dungeons — referred to in-game every bit "the dunj." The player will routinely go through dungeons, where the game shifts a visual novel to a dungeon crawler. You lot'll fight various monsters to figure out why each dunj exists, all while confronting the main grapheme's inner demons and fears. In each dunj, you will observe cleaved, worn-out weapons who can transform into people. Finding these weapons lets you use them in battle, besides equally go on dates with them.

The game includes dateable queer and/or transgender characters. Some of the grapheme backstories are also explicitly queer. Isaac talks about how the monsters he fought in the dunj were trucks, and how they represented his family unit'south issues with rigid masculinity. Sawyer directly talks about how they merely came out equally non-binary, and are adjusting to new pronouns. Quite a lot of thought went into each character.

The game as well lets you customize your appearance. When I saw the game had turbans, I cried.

Turbans, and Sikh characters more generally, have been in games since dorsum in the NES days. Recently, turban options are popping upward more oft in games. Not having to unlock this pick moved me to tears. Compare and dissimilarity to a game such as Cozy Grove, where it took me ii total weeks to unlock a turban choice.

Yet, I wasn't able to equip the turban with other headwear, like crowns or glasses. I couldn't habiliment damage-increasing glasses with a turban, or headphones that changed the dunj's soundtrack. An option that fabricated me feel so represented at first ultimately felt pretty lacking. I was missing out on in-game bonuses because I wanted to have my character await like me. This ultimately made the game harder than information technology needed to be, since I couldn't equip extra accessories with perks.

Boyfriend Dungeon review: Combat

Each weapon in Young man Dungeon has a human form, likewise as a unique gameplay style. You're most sure to find ane that suits you. You starting time off with Isaac, a fencing teacher who transforms into an estoc, and strikes with fierce, quick pokes. Later on, you might equip Seven, a lasersaber who tin inflict massive electric shockwaves to zap enemies.

(Prototype credit: Kitfox Games)

The gainsay is simple, with light and heavy attacks and a dodge-roll. Boyfriend Dungeon has some rogue-like elements, but the penalties for fainting in the dunj are low. You lot keep any treasures y'all discover, and earn rewards for completing each floor, finding subconscious secrets, or simply hanging with your weapon-friends. Most floors accept an arcade or skating rink where you can restore life and have a breather together. There is likewise a Goddess Shield selection that you can toggle in the Settings to reduce all impairment by fifty%. This is helpful for players who aren't expert at activeness/hazard games. Some rooms can have more than than xx enemies, and feel much more than challenging than normal treks into the dunj.

(Image credit: Kitfox Games)

Discovering hangouts lets yous give a gift to your weapon friend. This volition normally increase your relationship rank with them. Maxing out each relationship level will prompt an inevitable engagement text, which further increases your rank. Leveling up your relationships with weapon-friends unlocks new, and more than powerful abilities.

However, I constitute myself increasing beloved ranks much quicker past just exploring the dunj. After you max out each weapon'due south love ranks, there's not much reason to revisit the dunj. That's disappointing, especially considering in that location are only 2 dungeons in the game.

Beau Dungeon review: Story

The story in Boyfriend Dungeon is a pretty straightforward fish-out-of-water state of affairs. The histrion visits Verona Beach for the summer, and learns to create meaningful relationships with other residents past going on dates. The cadre narrative focuses on dealing with a jerk named Eric, who impedes your progress throughout.

(Image credit: Kitfox Games)

The player can interact with up to vii weapon-people, each one of whom has an private arc. Helping ane character process grief, or teaching another how to melt, made me await forward to these dates. Each graphic symbol exudes a very different energy. Information technology was too refreshing for characters to discuss topics like consent, or managing depression with medication.

There's non much replay value at the moment, merely I hope to dive in again when the developers add more than dateable characters in the time to come. The cease had me smiling, only also sad about leaving Verona Beach. Maxim goodbye to major characters in games with huge casts is always a downer, but their stories and problems helped me remember about my ain feet and hesitancy in making new relationships, just like the chief graphic symbol. People tin can better and be better, as long as they have some space to amend past mistakes.

Swain Dungeon: Visuals and audio

Boyfriend Dungeon has a fantastic, relaxing vibe throughout. When y'all meet each weapon, you lot see a gorgeous animation of them transforming from weapon form into homo form, or vice versa, as if you were watching a magical girl show. Fifty-fifty though the transformation sequences are short, each one is memorable.

(Image credit: Kitfox Games)

Just like whatsoever visual novel, the game employs stills for characters, and some characters accept voice acting as well. The voicework is generally pretty solid. Some of the subtitles were incorrect, though, which would have me out of the game for a moment.

The game's soundtrack is mesmerizing, and I institute myself listening to it away from the game, besides. Information technology sets the tone extraordinarily well, and the lyrical tracks were my absolute favourites. They all transported me back to my pleasant memories of Verona Beach.

Beau Dungeon review: Verdict

Boyfriend Dungeon has been in evolution for several years, and it basically delivers what it promised. I was sorely disappointed that the game only had two dungeons, though. By the terminate, I was mostly simply reading, having exhausted virtually of the combat options. The game tries to bring together the visual novel aesthetic with action/adventure gameplay, but at that place is not an equal rest of the ii.

Still, I was taken in by Fellow Dungeon'southward accessibility, and by having numerous characters exist outwardly queer and/or transgender. I also personally establish the choice of having a turban right from the start beauteous. I do hope to visit Verona Beach again, when future dateable characters come out. But as of now, the game has very little replayability. I would take liked more than dungeons to explore and conquer.

If you lot haven't already backed this game on Kickstarter, I would say to hold off for now — but maybe pick it up when the inevitable future content hits.

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/boyfriend-dungeon

Posted by: duetwidell.blogspot.com

Share this post