Dandy Dungeon – Legend of Brave Yamada –

Genre: Puzzle / RPG

Players: 1

.

Review:

Dandy Dungeon is an odd mix of Puzzle game and RPG where you take the role of the titular programmer, Yamada (or alternately, his assistant via fourth wall-breaking), as he designs and playtests his very own videogame.

The majority of the gameplay comes in the form of playing the game-within-a-game that Yamada is gradually designing, a game that combines a “draw the correct path”-style puzzle game with a traditional RPG. Each floor of a dungeon must be navigated from the entrance door to the exit, and the character is penalized for every tile left untrod when you reach the exit. Meanwhile, you must manage your spells and items as your character automatically fights enemies along the path you have set.

This, in and of itself, would be a really unique sort of puzzle/RPG hybrid, but the game goes a few steps beyond to make it something truly special. For starters, Yamada is constantly working on the game in between each run through the dungeon, meaning that subsequent trips incorporate more game systems and features. After items are added, your next playthrough might add on to that a new type of enemy or item, a new gameplay system, or some other surprise. This helps to keep the gameplay fresh even though it remains simple. It can still get repetitive at times, especially when you have to grind for materials to upgrade armor and weapons, but largely it’s a fun experience.

However, while the gameplay is good, the presentation here is phenomenal. This has to be one of the most charming presentations I’ve encountered in a game in a very long time. It’s funny, it’s cute, and it’s wonderfully original, with the gameplay snippets interspersed with some drama from Yamada’s life, whether it’s his struggles with his soulless job, his pining for the hot next door neighbor, or him dealing with his young assistant, there always seems to be some crazy new development in Yamada’s life, and whatever it is, it inevitably works its way into his game soon after.

Yamada himself has an irrepressible personality, with him gleefully dancing around his apartment in his boxer shorts, pantomiming kissing his dream girl, and singing his own theme song out loud, he’s a delight to watch and see just what he does next.

Speaking of singing his own theme song, the soundtrack in this game is literally that – him singing along with the game’s chiptune soundtrack. Again, it’s charming as hell, and it gives this game something more to it than just its 8-bit aesthetic to set it apart.

Honestly, I was surprised by Dandy Dungeon. I did not expect to like it as much as I do. The game is wonderfully original and absolutely oozing with charm. Fans of RPGs or Puzzle games looking for something new, interesting, different, and weird may very well fall in love with this game like I did… so long as the grinding and repetition doesn’t frustrate them.

tl;dr – Dandy Dungeon combines an RPG with a Puzzle game in a really unique and original way that has you stepping on every tile of each dungeon floor and fighting enemies in your path in the game-within-a-game, all while Yamada prances around in his underwear, sings the game’s music, and constantly adds stuff into the game based on the zany events of his life. It’s wacky, fun, wildly original, and instantly endearing, only being marred by repetitive gameplay and grinding. Definitely worth a look.

Grade: A-

.

This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2019 Game Awards:

Winner:

Funniest Game – This game is so absolutely loaded with charm, and a large part of that is the absurd exploits of the game’s titular character, who is bursting with energy, makes silly versions of his life events into game content, and loves parading around his apartment in his boxers. He even sings along with his own game’s music, meaning even the soundtrack makes me giggle! I enjoyed a lot of good games this year, but few made me truly smile like this one did.

Runner-Up: Most Original, Best Story, Best RPG / Action-RPG, Best Puzzle Game, Game of the Year

^{You can support eShopperReviews on Patreon! Please click HERE to become a Sponsor!}