With its ambitious blend of card battles and grid-based mobility, Dungeon Drafters is a captivating game. While the Switch version is an improvement over the PC version, the incoherent narrative and unbalanced gameplay remain.
Dungeon Drafters
Platform:Â Switch, previous on PC, PlayStation 4/5 and Xbox One and Series S/X
Developer:Â Manalith Studios
Publisher:Â DANGEN Entertainment
Release date:Â AMarch 14th, 2024
Price:Â $24.99
Digital availability:Â eShop
One of the first games to combine deck construction components with grid-based fights was Metal Gear Acid from 2005. Even while the offshoot lacked the main series’ complex plot, its turn-based strategy for stealth and tactical warfare made it one of the finest original PSP games. Acid and its sequel would be a great choice for Konami to publish a remaster of.
Though the likelihood of that occurring is probably minuscule, Dungeon Drafters could provide some solace to those who are pining for a somewhat comparable experience on Switch. The best thing is that many of the problems with the first PC release have been fixed by the adjustments and bug fixes included in this edition. There are still some issues, such as bosses that are ten times harder to defeat than regular adversaries. However, there are now fewer frustrations overall.
Not a Proofreader, But Six Archetypes?
Drafter’s idea is still mostly communicated through an overly seasoned word soup. Despite having an incredibly extensive vocabulary, the introductory text crawl is completely nonsensical. Some sentences, such as “Clearly opposed to the stable rigidity and orderly harmony of the 4 Archetypes,” are left unfinished. Some claims resemble Zen paradoxes. You’ll be forced to think about prose like “Until a young man traveled to a forgotten corner of The World of Four Corners” when using Drafter.
The most of it should be ignored, so just take pleasure in the pixel art animations throughout the game. These open a run with the ship of your character facing a tremendous storm. They wake up facedown on a beach, surrounded by an intimidating resentment in the distance. Most players will understand what this means.
The long-term goal is to strengthen your starting deck, even though the map has a lot of NPCs for you to talk to. Thankfully, you can start the game as one of six characters, which include a robust creature like Totoro, a shinobi with fox ears, a cute brawler, and a mage dressed in miniskirts. Each one represents a different class and has an initial deck tailored to a certain way of playing. The abilities of role-playing games are diverse and include the power to summon minions, change the course of action, lay traps, and create characters reminiscent of Ghibli. Regardless of your inclination towards direct, indirect, strong offensive, or durable healing, you will obtain cards that enable you to surpass inflexible class styles.
A Little UI Improvement
The drawback is that you will need to study independently for a certain amount of the material. Indeed, a help guide and interactive tutorial are available when pressing the Switch’s minus button. However, each have a few small issues. You may become confused when you meet an effect state that prevents you from moving until you play a particular card because some of the lessons can be a little hazy.
Card descriptions weren’t always obvious in the past. This caused you to become frustrated until you realized how each card functioned and what strategic options you had. However, the descriptors and visual accents that indicate the direction or range of a card’s action are now a little better in the game. Strangely enough, Drafters is still missing its undo feature.
Avoiding Drafts
One of the best things about the game is the hilarious artwork by Dungeon Decker. While the title’s widescreen output and improved graphics quality over Game Boy Advance attempts, the world is still rendered in a similar manner with large, warmly colored pixels. Particle effects, sweeping animations (love that Hokusai allusion), and eye-catching title cards that reveal the turns of the opponent and player will surely be visually appealing features.
Additionally, the primary gameplay of Dungeon Drafters might be enjoyable if you can see past the persistent problems. Every procedurally-generated chamber has enemies all about, so be prepared for them when you enter. Characters can move, attack nearby squares, or play a card from their hand with their three action points. Enemy troops also get to expend points after you do. Even though their AI isn’t very advanced, opponents attack using a variety of strategies. Certain monsters have the ability to charge you, while others can shoot air or ground-based projectiles, while yet others can call out minions.
How to Spell Flexibility
With a little luck and experience, you should be able to dispatch foes as swiftly and systematically as any John Wick movie because the game picks cards at random from your personalized deck. When played well, Drafters gives players a great deal of freedom. They can vault over the playfield, drop bombs midair, or even force opponents into traps. Sometimes things go wrong; opponents might not notice a dummy that has been dumped or a crossbow that has been left in the midst of the playfield. However, there is a fortunate amount of diversity. Later, the character slipped across an ice zone, increasing my character’s range of motion and altering how I approached every combat.
Making the most of a bad hand may still be enjoyable when you maneuver to your advantage. However, the ten hit points on your character are fast running out. Furthermore, it feels harsh to go into a run and not receive any boosters or incentives. Furthermore, it can be challenging to advance without an improved deck.
Stuck in the Dungeon
You may not receive any improvements from your early runs, so be ready to deal with an underpowered character. The most skilled deck builders achieve a deft balance that gives you the means to take on difficult tasks. Dungeon Drafters stumbles here. While there is delight to be had, you can’t help but feel that the odds are against you.
I played Dungeon Drafters on the Switch using a review code that the publisher sent me.
Review Overview
Gameplay – 70%
Controls – 60%
Aesthetics – 80%
Performance – 65%
Accessibility – 60%
Value – 70%
68%
OK
Summary :Â Although Dungeon Drafters is an upgrade over the first PC releases, there are still some unresolved difficulties. You’ll be frustrated by everything from boss balancing problems to a script that begs for proofreading. Nevertheless, despite all of these flaws, the combination of grid-based mobility and the copious amount of card-based attacks has potential. Perhaps there will be another fix soon.