Boyfriend Dungeon (Kitfox Games) Video Game Review
Developer: Kitfox Games
Publisher: Kitfox Games
Reviewed on: PC
Also on: Xbox Series S/X, Switch, Xbox One
INCLUSIVE TALLY (Overall): 6.7/10
"A daring and unorthodox spin on the genre that flounders to captivate the audience"
Bang for your Bounty (Value): 6.5/10
Free-99 on gamepass or $19.99 if not. One of these is worth it, one is not. The game is quite quick for the $19.99 price tag. Boyfriend dungeon only offers 5-8 hours of gameplay depending on the stamina of your romantic appetite. If you don't have game pass I would recommend waiting unless dating sims speak to you on another level.
Ocular Pleasure (Graphics): 7.0/10
Let's break down the graphics into two portions. The beautiful animation with the hand drawn anime-style sequences seen when stumbling upon a new "weapon" were smashing and worth commending. They reinforced the personification of the character by bringing charismatic entries to inanimate objects and giving you a good feel for their aura. The "dunj" (cool-cat abridgement for dungeon) and open world animations however, while polished felt a little on undeveloped and on the primitive side. I could faintly hear a tattoo artist exclaiming "bold will hold" as I managed to lacerate another "construction paper style" Nokia RAZR with vamp teeth.
Butter or Stutter (Gameplay/Mechanics): 7.0/10
To a great extent the controls are smooth, but not without concerns. We spend half of our time mashing a button and reading with bated breath for our next dialogue choice. The remaining half we find ourselves weaving in and out of dungeon crevices carving up mall and club inventory. The combat controls do a satisfying job of making the respective arsenal feel logical. The combo system offers a moderate amount of variety but sticks to the classic heavy / quick attack combo system. Chiefly the combat is adequate but not absolved of gripe. With maybe the exception of regulating Rowan (the scythe) the roll mechanic lags quite substantially and feels awkward to an extremely annoying extent. Unequivocally, it does not match the hurried pace of the "dunj" and endless waves of enemies.
Body of Expression (Story): 5.9/10
I popped in Boyfriend Dungeon with an open mind and high hopes after seeing a few mentions of it in the GOTY conversation. I opened the title screen to see manga-style art and heard the pop music that could only mean I was getting boba tea, singing karaoke at sushi, or playing a date sim game. After a quick customization sequence, the mood was set. Between the hype, the first impression, the inclusive acknowledgement of all preferences/pronouns and the unrivalled concept of weapons being our love interest, I was eager to dive in.
I launched my experience conducting a naively celibate individual tense & reluctant to plunge into the dating world. Upon arrival at Verona Beach it becomes apparent that I was secretly coerced into spending an amorous summer at the council of my romantically seasoned cousin - although I'm not sold on the seasoned part. Hastily I was thrown into a few blind dates and introduced to the "dunj." Before I could blink I found myself submerged in the sea of intrigue with an abundance of potential suitors.
As I got my feet wet and scampered around Verona Beach testing fascination with the dashing arms I became discouraged with the illogical pace of romantic advancement. I went from an innocent virgin to a precarious philanderer at lightspeed. I mean come on... there is no challenge or concession to the initial angsty nature. It felt like I flipped a switch and became expertly provocative. Other frustrations included a pushy villain, rushed relationship progression, and a shallow underlying trail of stories. As I continued to swallow the dry story it also became apparent that the weapon I wanted to carnage azoic effects in the dungeon with didn't align with the love interest infatuation. This left no room to play the way I wanted because of the intertwined nature of the two.
Boyfriend Dungeon did stay tone diverse. It was playful at times, steamy at others and even touched on meaningful subjects. I faced regrettable realities with a pushy antagonist who put me in some infuriating and genuinely uncomfortable situations. Naturally, the way this character conducted himself unveiled the writing on the wall for a telegraphed ending. The foreseeable conclusion and incomplete departure really solidified this mediocre score.
Harmony of Workings (Balance/Interest/Gameplay): 5.5/10
I found the volume of decision based story impacts to be impressive but overall Boyfriend Dungeon lacked substance and felt excessively monotonous. BD offered a meager pair of dungeons and even worse, only a handful of unique enemies / date spots in each one. The bosses of the dungeons lacked cleverness and felt like more of a mash attack and heal quick fight. On a lighter note the wearable cosmetics were a great touch and bonus points for buffing the cosmetics. Overall, the positive perks were severely overshadowed by the endless "grind" of mining resources, opening safes and fighting the same stale goods over and over.
My journey started tenacious but my dwindling interest lost traction faster than the forced character progression. It is probably worth noting that I ignored the texts of Eric (the pushy creep) which were crucial to the story progression. Despite the halted progression of the latter being a frustration in itself, my playthrough was only extended to to a sparse 7 hours even after maxing out all character love levels. Not exactly "War & Peace" longevity justifying and induced depreciation in interest...
Unique Entities (Characters): 8.5/10
This is probably the strongest category of Boyfriend Dunj. This core of unique companions includes a tactful and complex pop star, a suave yet supernatural night club owner, a tense and conflicted financier, an inept but harmless student, a somber yet acute mythic, a covert free-spirited artist and well... a cat that acts just like a cat. All beautifully drawn and enjoyable, this cast allows you to be as platonic or romantic as you see fit. Personally I enjoyed the company and personalities of Rowan and Valeria the most.
The striking supporting cast and adversary are noteworthy. I especially respected the design of a certain "botched" weapon- it reminded me of an early Inuyasha demon. I wish the playthrough offered more but those present were delightful. A few of the gems seemed like they may be future DLC or present in a sequel. Stay tuned.
Triumphs/Keepsakes (Achievements/Trophies):
6/10 difficulty, 8-10 hour range for all achievements. Difficulty is only a 6 for the bug racing mini game or it would be more like 3/10.. I found it to be unnecessarily hard and all around awful. It's time I face that fact that I don't have it in me to grind the last few out on this one. I found the title of the achievements to be very clever for whatever that is worth to you.
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