Developer: MaJaJa
Publisher: MaJaJa
Platform: PC, Switch, PS4, PS5
Tested On: PC
Dungeon Munchies – Review
As the saying goes, it’s never good to judge a book by its cover. This also applies to video games, with some appearing mediocre or strange at first glance but becoming charming upon being played. Such is the case for Dungeon Munchies, a game that at first appears like a simple goofy hack-n’-slash title but ends up containing a lot of charm.
Story
Dungeon Munchies’ story is surprisingly good. While not especially deep or a literary masterpiece, it is a pretty fun take on a post-apocalypse scenario filled with eldritch horrors, talking plants, and cooking ghosts. Mostly going for a tongue-in-cheek humorous tone, most of the jokes land pretty well thanks to the visual humor and straight deliveries that don’t disrupt the flow of the actual plot.
Said plot mainly involves the player, a recently resurrected zombie, as he helps the ghostly chef Simmer escape the dungeon they’re all living in by using stargates built before the demise of humanity. However, while attempting to locate and power on the remaining gate, a biohazard entity manages to escape containment, forcing the player to find and destroy it before it thwarts the plan.
Graphics
The game’s graphics consist of both pixel art during gameplay and static visual novel-like images for dialogues and cutscenes. Both of the styles are consistently high quality, with the cutscene sprites being particularly praiseworthy for their ability to convey physical humor. The only letdown in the game comes with its areas, which despite featuring varied and plentiful environments, tend to be a bit repetitive or rather run too long while only using a handful of assets.
Sound
Dungeon Munchies’ sound design is the most questionable part of the game. Although it seemingly features a full soundtrack, the game has the tendency to stop music altogether, making it hard to actually enjoy said soundtrack. Besides this, there is no voice acting and, while sufficient, the SFX are nothing to write home about.
Gameplay
Dungeon Munchies is a linear hack-n’-slash game with some Metroidvania mechanics, such as introducing movement options, double jumps, and more. That said, those mechanics are only necessary for the areas they’re obtained in and those after, not the ones before. Instead of making players backtrack, any optional pickups can be obtained by exploring a bit. This, combined with the smooth controls and fun combat with ample room for different builds, makes the game a breeze to play.
The main gimmick of the game is that players will be able to create dishes with enemy parts. Said dishes will grant special abilities and bonuses to the player, such as mana regeneration, sword combos, or simply more health. As the game progresses, more dishes and upgrades for the old ones are unlocked as new enemies are introduced. From these dishes, players will be able to select a handful to make their loadout, alongside a main and secondary weapon.
Said weapons also offer a wide variety of options, including straightforward swords, damage over time, or even magical weapons that consume mana. Depending on how players form their loadout, incredibly powerful synergies can be formed. However, this does require unlocking all of the blueprints and recipes, tying neatly with the aforementioned exploration, which is always rewarded with a new tool. It should also be mentioned that in order to craft any recipe, players will need “Insight”, obtained from exploring and killing enemies, although its plentiful nature makes being short on it rare.
Besides this, the game is relatively simple. Players will be tasked with going through the linear areas while wiping out the enemies and surviving the platforming challenges. The game itself is not particularly hard thanks to the plentiful respawn points and the possibility of simply ignoring enemies and making a run for it. While this will leave the players missing some resources, it is offset by the common fast travel points which make backtracking for missed items or monster pieces rather easy.
At the end of each story segment, players will also encounter bosses. These are not too common, with only a handful for the whole game. During bossfights, players will mainly have to whittle down the bosses until their health runs out (obviously), after which a bullet hell phase will start. Said phases last for as long as the timer that replaces the boss’ health lasts, although the time can be reduced by continuing to hit the enemy. However, that is easier said than done, since the bullet hell phase tends to be much harder than the rest of the fight.
Conclusion
Dungeon Munchies is an enjoyable hack-n’-slash title with a fun story and entertaining gameplay. Although perhaps not as good as an indie darling or an AAA title, it is still a rather enjoyable experience. Sold for €16,79/$19,99/£15,49, the title is not particularly expensive and offers a decent enough amount of content to be worth it at around 8+ hours.
Personal Opinion
“I honestly had a lot of fun with Dungeon Munchies. The story is bonkers (in a good way) and would carry everything by itself. That said, it’s not like it needs to, since the gameplay itself is also pretty fun. Although some areas can run on for a bit too long, the build possibilities make blowing up enemies pretty fun. While I started with a sword and poison build and tried working around all the combo dishes, I ultimately ended with an absurdly broken build that let me spam the most powerful magic weapon at no cost while having regenerating health. That kind of freedom is always welcome and makes things more fun. There is not a moment where you go ‘Oh I’ll stick with this’ for too long, since the new weapons and dishes make you want to try stuff out.”
Dungeon Munchies - Review,
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