Review for Fairy Tail: Dungeons

Genres: Role-playing game, Indie game, Adventure

Developer: Ginolabo

Platform: Microsoft Windows

Publisher: Kodansha

Typically, the most popular manga are turned into either small mobile games or massive role-playing experiences. Given the wide range of interpretations of Hiro Mashima’s Fairy Tail, it’s refreshing to see an attempt that falls somewhere in the middle. Ginolabo (SOULVARS), a solo developer, imagines Fiore’s most powerful guild defeating a sequence of aggressors through deckbuilding. While this may sound like another Slay the Spire knockoff, Fairy Tail: Dungeons is more than just a clone with a familiar cast.

The storyline, like many non-canonical works, is straightforward, with each playable guild member’s talent stolen via a mysterious doorway. While there is a mystery surrounding a missing individual, Dungeon focuses on improving the talents of Natsu, Grey, Erza, Lucy, and Wendy through roguelike runs. Once individual members are reinforced, you will be able to take out the guild in team-based combat, which will put your synergistic plans to the test.

Stack the Punishment

While collaborative fighting is undoubtedly a highlight, you’ll probably enjoy the quick pace of taking solitary characters out for dungeon exploration. Like many of its counterparts, each turn grants three or so action points for selecting offensive, defensive, and support-based abilities. Fortunately, Fairy Tail: Dungeons maps its four options to the face button on a controller, making it one of the best deckbuilders for users of portable PCs such as the Steam Deck or ROG Ally. If you’re a staunch traditionalist, mouse-and-keyboard gameplay is just as slick.

Card sequencing makes a difference, owing to an abundance of buff cards and magic chains. The former may provide a stat increase for all following played cards, whilst the latter are connected cards that provide a significant boost to your damage output. When you consider the ability to redraw cards, blocking, status effects, enchantments, and equipable amulets, the possibilities are endless. However, after a few battles, everything becomes pretty clear. Dungeons’ difficulty is relatively mild, making it excellent for deckbuilding beginners.

Bringing the Guild Back Together

However, individuals with experience in the sub-genre understand that repetition can dull subsequent runs. Dungeons makes an effort to compensate for this by providing ample character development opportunities. Obviously, you’ll add new cards and improve your current ones. However, you can utilize a money known as Lacrima to buy stuff or acquire aid from a randomized skill grid. Periodically, you’ll be offered an HP-rejuvenating rest or the ability to upgrade one of your cards.

And, while the game’s playables could have been more diverse (give me a high-risk build, please), each guild member approaches the dungeons differently due to their unique decks. And, while defeat may appear unavoidable, Fairy Tail: Dungeons offers numerous methods to enhance your chances. I didn’t have as many demoralizing losses as typical deckbuilders, which helped keep me interested.

Hint of Exploration

Although you’ll probably spend the most of your time in combat, watching pixelated party members fight their way through a swarm of creatures, Fairy Tail: Dungeons makes every effort to avoid visual weariness. Between combat, you will get an isometric view of the dynamically generated dungeon, allowing you to reconnoiter each floor. Icons indicate the location of enemies, treasure chests, lacrima deposits, and ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’-style dilemmas, as each step counts down to a spectacular boss encounter. It may appear simple, but Dungeons grant liberty by allowing you to choose whether to play it safe with your resources or to develop your character.

While Dungeons lacks explication and character development, brief exchanges between characters such as Natsu and Happy add individuality. The game preserves several of the anime’s hallmark traits, like the spite-art renderings of Fairy Tail’s cast and Hiroki Kikuta’s (Secret of Mana) Gaelic-influenced soundtrack.

In summary

Fandom in the original works is not necessary to enjoy Fairy Tail: Dungeons because of its simple plot and simple yet interesting battles. One of this year’s best deckbuilders is ginolabo’s most recent creation, which is a really interesting experience as long as you’re willing to engage in some balanced stat farming.

On a PC, Fairy Tail: Dungeons was played using a review code that the publisher sent.

Review Overview

Gameplay – 82%

Controls – 88%

Aesthetics – 83%

Content – 78%

Accessibility – 85%

Value – 80%

Overall Rating – 83%

VERY GOOD!

Summary: With two more in the works, Fairy Tail’s first independent adaption is a huge success, tasked with having Natsu and the guild use strategy to navigate turn-based fights. Although there are many roguelike deckbuilders available, Dungeon strikes a good mix between ease of use and strategic depth.