Game Review: Dungeon Arsenal

By Al

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC

It seems like I open every few reviews with the "roguelike games come out at a near constant pace these days..." opening, and this one quite nearly ended up that way. Dungeon Arsenal is a roguelike card game that recently released on the Nintendo Switch, following a previous release on Steam. Its simple gameplay sees you explore a Tower armed only with a deck of cards. We're going to be taking a look at that new Switch version today, and see if this game has what it takes to stand out in the already crowded roguelike genre. There's no need for further intro here, so let's dive right in!

Surprisingly, Dungeon Arsenal does have a story that tells of a five-sectioned Tower that's full of weapons and treasure. A Dungeon Arsenal if you will. Heroes constantly go into it to explore, with most never returning. Even the ones that do return have no memory of what occurred inside. Despite the fact that either of those options seem like a poor reward for all their efforts, there is no shortage of others ready in their attempt to brave its floors. Though not the strongest of stories, I do commend the developers for including one at all. That said, I can't help but wonder if it was worth the effort, as it's only ever mentioned at the start and full end of every run. There's no mid-reveals as you complete each of the Tower's sections, and you'll never encounter NPCs to give you more lore. It feels like a tacked on afterthought at best. A story really isn't important in a game like this though, so I don't want to be too hard on the game for delivering such a bare bones one. With that in mind, let's move on to looking at what is the most important aspect of Dungeon Arsenal: its gameplay.

Dungeon Arsenal is a roguelike card game in the purest sense. Every attack, action, movement, and all the treasure collecting, are done by way of finding and using cards. I wouldn't call it a deckbuilder though, as you can't keep anything above a five-card hand with you at any one time. These cards can be used for attacking, defense, healing, buffs and debuffs, and even for things like keys. You also start with, and can find, relic cards that have far greater effects that essentially act as spells. Each floor of a dungeon has several cards laid face down, and you have to flip them over one at a time. Each flip uses up Action Points, of which you have five, and you have to end your turn when you have one or less action points remaining. You'll mostly start with no equipment on you, so hopefully one of the first cards you uncover will be a weapon. Not all cards are good things though, as you'll just as likely uncover monsters or a trap card too. Uncovering the stairs means you can then move to the next floor, but that can be a dangerous option if there are enemies still left on the one you're currently on.

Combat is where a lot of the gameplay comes in, so let's talk about that a bit. Each monster has a number that indicates the damage they'll deal when attacking, as well as their life. The only way to kill a monster is by using weapons on it, and the weapon cards have numbers that show their attack power, the number of uses they have, and their AP cost. Most monsters will counter-attack when hit, so it's best to pick a card that either negates that action, or kills them in one hit. If a monster card is active when you end your turn, or if you try to leave the floor with them still alive, you'll leave yourself open to attack. All attacks, yours and the monsters, can potentially miss or be altered by stat cards, so it might not be instant death. Speaking of which, losing all your HP sends you back to the start, though relics and healing items can help you avoid this. Killing monsters also adds to a meter that eventually unlocks a special attack. This attack deals far more damage, but often at great AP cost. It also is the only form of offense that you don't have to worry about losing due to simple inventory management. Nothing is worse than having to face a horde of monsters on a floor that has an inadequate supply of weapons. And that's something that happens surprisingly often.

If there is one thing I truly enjoyed regarding Dungeon Arsenal, it has to be its fast-moving gameplay loop. Like all roguelikes, some runs are doomed from the start, while others seem to have everything good lined up in their favor. Each of the Tower's five areas consist of ten floors. Somewhere in the middle you'll find a monster-less treasure room, which contains gold and a free relic, as well a shop where you can use your gold to buy relics, weapons, and items. The final floor is always a boss encounter, and defeating them grants you a bonus to your character. Said bonus can be an HP boost, money, or a relic. I found that HP boosts were the most effective, but none of these upgrades are permanent. Every other floor in the current Tower section contains the usual combo of enemies and random cards. Completing in-game challenges actually unlocks other characters and starting relics, so even though there is nothing in the way of permanent upgrades you can keep between runs, there is something of a progression system. Runs come and go so fast that it usually doesn't matter that one ends in failure, the fun is simply going through and hoping that the next one goes better than the one before.

Even though I think Dungeon Arsenal is far more fun than its basic visuals imply, I do have to admit that the novelty will probably wear off after a while. It didn't take long for me to feel that the point and click nature of everything felt a bit clunky and lazy, and the music barely helps move the action along. Actually the music is set to the lowest setting by default, so maybe the developers themselves were aware of that last part themselves. Visual-wise, there's nothing appealing to it either. Every floor looks essentially the same, and you can probably notice that just by looking at the screenshots that accompany this review. There's hours of gameplay to be had here, but it really isn't the most fulfilling gameplay experience out there. All that said, its biggest saving grace has to be its price, as it currently comes in at a very reasonable $4.99. That makes picking it up a far more likely scenario, even if it's for the sake of curiosity.

Issues with gameplay longevity aside, I think Dungeon Arsenal is a must-have for fans of the roguelike genre. If you're a deckbuilding fan, this is a neat take on the formula that actually brings something a little different to the table. It's not the most in-depth game, but it doesn't have to be. On the other hand, I don't think anything about it stands out enough for casual gamers to go out of their way in picking it up. It's really not the best entry point into the genre, even if it is rather cheap. If you do end up picking it up, try out the Rogue, he's my favorite. See you in the next one!

Check Out Dungeon Arsenal on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/dungeon-arsenal-switch/

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Story: B (It's there...)
Gameplay: B
Graphics: B-
Music/Sound: B-
Value: A

Overall: B

Pros:
+ A cool, if simple, take on the roguelike card genre.
+ Even though most of them are locked at the start, there's a lot of customization options that greatly change up gameplay.
+ Each run plays out fairly quickly, without much in the way of filler or downtime.
+ Combat requires a lot of luck and strategy, and that's sure to be right up the alley of a certain type of gamer.
+ At just $4.99, picking it up won't break the bank. Even if it's just out of curiosity.

Cons:
- The cursor-based controls feel rather clunky, and imply that not much thought was given in converting this for consoles.
- While plot isn't important in a game like this, what is given here feels like it was tacked on at the end in an afterthought.
- The visuals and sound leave a lot to be desired, with the latter even being turned down to almost nothing by default.
- Though fast-playing, some runs feel like they end fast due to unfair RNG like not having enough weapons to actually get through the early floors.
- Even though there is a lot to like here, the novelty wears off rather quickly.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

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