Boyfriend Dungeon – Review

Full disclosure: Not only did we receive a copy of the game from the publisher but today’s author also backed the game on Kickstarter! You can find author Jamous within the backer credits!

Boyfriend Dungeon is both a dating sim and a light dungeon crawler. The stage is set with us arriving to meet our cousin Jesse at Verona Beach for a summer vacation, a vacation on which he intends to introduce us to the world of dating and getting to know other people – both platonic and romantically. The niche point? The people we get to know can all turn into weapons, which we can then wield as we delve into dungeons (or Dunj as they’re referred to ingame) for money and personal growth. The personal growth aspect is not solely because you’re facing a physical challenge, but each Dunj features monsters based on fears of the player character, and we’re tasked with figuring out what that fear is and overcoming it via swordplay and our connection with our weapon companions. The game is very clear that they are people first before weaponry (woe betide anyone who tried to use the dagger Valeria without her permission, for instance), and actually has some allusions to a subculture that’s formed around those with a weapon form – something I thought was pretty well informed by queer social scenes.

The game is delightfully and explicitly queer throughout. You’re able to choose your ingame pronouns (and change them as necessary, a useful feature for those of us with more fluid identities), it features plentiful fashion options through which to express yourself, and does not restrict who you can approach romantically. It even handles polyamory well (something we unfortunately don’t see often), with characters referencing other people you’re seeing, some mentioning other partners they have (or have had in the past) – it’s made very clear that how we approach our relationships is our personal choice, and we simply need to ensure that we properly communicate to ensure everybody involved is happy with the arrangement (I personally would have liked to be able to more clearly hang out with multiple partners at once and allow everyone to communicate, but that’s a whole extra chunk of work for the devs and they’ve already done well with it).

It should also be noted that the game doesn’t shy away from some of the less fun sides of relationships, opening with a content warning for unwanted advances, stalking, and similar themes – something present throughout courtesy of a particular member of the cast. It also deals maturely with subjects of self-care and mental health, with the cast both offering support and, in some cases, requiring it.

It needs to be said that Boyfriend Dungeon is an incredibly pretty game. Each of the seven weapon characters features a unique transformation video, where they show how they morph from one form to another. Each is an honestly spectacular piece, a full on magical girl transformation that can tell you a fair bit about both their personality and weapon form in and of itself. Characters all have varied art, all of which I personally found almost ridiculously attractive (especially with the voice acting). The game’s soundtrack is a synth-heavy vaporwave kind of deal, it sets the tone nicely and provides pretty easy listening as I both romanced my sharp friends and tore through dungeons with them.

The dating sim aspect of the game is fairly standard fare, offering dialogue choices for you to get to know characters and develop your relationship with them, with the opportunity for gift giving if you stumble across some things you think your partners might really appreciate – sometimes allowing for some very cute moments later down the line. I found the dialogue simple but satisfying, each character clearly showing off their personality in both the voice acting and choice of words. Social encounters are all referred to as dates, despite the fact that some of them definitely wouldn’t be considered such – for instance meeting cousin Jesse to hang out. Between dates you keep in contact via your phone, which allows for some cute interactions including a ‘nude’ from a Talwar.

In the Dunj itself you have two different levelling systems: your personal level which dictates your personal strength and skill, and Love Rank which represents how comfortable you and your partner are together, both in personal relationship and also as weapon and wielder. Your level is fairly straightforward – each rank gives you more health and attack in the Dunj. Love Rank however offers a few choices with each of the seven weapon partners, allowing you to customise how each weapon plays a little. It’s easy and free to change these Love Rank choices, so you don’t have to worry about making a decision that you might want to change. Combat is simple, you have light and heavy attacks, with combos leading up to a finisher that often has different effects depending on who you’re wielding. You also have access to Zines, a limited use special ability ranging from a fireball to a turret. The healing items are beverages (which you can customise in the options menu if boba tea or coffee isn’t your deal), they have a limited number of uses but can be found throughout the dungeon for restocking – and don’t stress; should you hit 0 HP you’ll get escorted out of the dungeon safely by your companion, to recuperate at home.

While playing with mouse and keyboard felt a bit clunky with me often missing attacks by the slightest margin, switching to a gamepad ironed that out nicely. I did find it a little difficult to tell what you can dodge through and what you’ll get stuck on, especially when dodging your way through some of the larger hordes of monsters – I ended up dying more than once simply due to getting trapped between monsters and scenery with no means to escape. There is a setting which can be turned on to halve the damage you take, letting you get through the game easier if the dungeon crawling aspect isn’t really what you’re here for. That said, after I’d gotten over these roadblocks I quickly found myself having a lot of fun trying out different ways to use my weapon friends, trying to delve deeper and deeper into dungeons for more loot, such as crafting recipes and materials.

Throughout the dungeon you’ll occasionally encounter hangouts, spots allowing you to take a breather, heal up, and spend some time with your partner – a convenient time for conversation, smooching, and gift-giving! Between dates and dungeons you can occupy yourself at home with a minigame or crafting, which allows you to expand your considerable fashion options, make extra zines, and prepare gifts for your weapons. Some of the headgear you can craft even offer various abilities, ranging from changing the music while you’re dungeoning to a one-time revive.

In conclusion I had a riotous time with the game. It was great. While I can see some maybe comparing it to Hades because of the shared features of fancy aesthetics, gorgeous characters, open queerness, and dungeon gameplay, I think that should only be taken positively. Highly recommended if you’re down for either dating sims or top-down dungeoning, and especially if you’re looking for more games with explicit queer representation. Time very well spent.