Fairy Tail is represented as one of the most beloved Shonens for its characters, since its creation at the hands of Hiro Mashima throughout 63 volumes, taken to anime and appreciated by all in its very vast adventures. So Kodansha, the company that owns the franchise’s imprint, has decided to give it a beautiful tribute in the form of a video game, one for which we have had the privilege of testing in advance. We are talking about Fairy Tail: Dungeons
We got our hands on the magical Fairy Tail: Dungeons and this is what we thought of it.
Story
Diving into a moment inside the Fairy Tail adventurers’ guild, we find Natsu Dragneel and Happy, his faithful companion, surprised to stumble upon an interesting find. A portal that takes them directly under the guild and that, in this hidden place, they find a small friend, Labi, a species with feline features like Happy. He offers them a request for help, as he is looking for his companion and friend, Arthur, in this place.
Natsu’s adventurous and kind-hearted spirit leads him to accept to help Labi and dive into this labyrinth, besides, Arthur is not the only one lost inside this place, other adventurers have announced their companions missing. Now, joining the friends of the guild as Gray Fullbuster, Lucy Heartfilia, Erza Scarlet, Wendy Marvell, the adventures guide you in the search of this companion, Arthur, in a labyrinth infested with strong monsters, which you must overcome with strategy and the unique power of each character.
Gameplay
In the first sonnets inside the game Fairy Tail: Dungeons we observe that it is a pure Roguelike, honoring the classics of the genre, also reminding us of games like Slay the Spire. Our weapons are cards, in this case four cards that you can use to attack and defend yourself, depending on what, you have the opportunity to change the ones you are given in your turn 1 time to restructure your strategy. In this act, Natsu forgets his powers, so he must learn to play thanks to Labi and his very detailed tutorial of the game mechanics.
In this compendium of cards, having the Deckbuilding classification we can get to make Magic Chains. These are powerful combinations between cards that can multiply the effects of the cards used. Each of these has a cost that consumes MP, being ours 3 and the base cost of the cards from 1 to 3. This increases the strategy within the selection of cards to fight against monsters.
The game, within the interface where it reveals our cards and the deck we have, also has a section on the skills that our character has and that can be unlocked with Lacrima. What are Lacrima, powerful crystals that give us power to evolve our character within the path in the labyrinth. Lacrima are found in battles, chests and advancing through the gridded corridors of this dark labyrinth.
Map and objectives
The map is constituted primarily by elements such as: Enemies, lacrima that you can collect, events marked with exclamation form that usually offer you objects, chests, bonfires to rest, forge cards or chat with our dear Labi. The objective is to go down a number of floors of this labyrinth to find Labi’s lost friend, this in an interesting way to strategize.
At the beginning of the game we have a limited amount of moves on the board, represented by Labi’s flashlight, which turns off when it reaches 0 and you must face the floor boss. This offers a difficulty if you don’t choose well the places where you walk or you haven’t prepared well, it could even be complicated if a combat has left you low on life and you must face a boss.
The Roguelike part is what makes this game a very comfortable cycle to play, where according to progress, you can get objects, amulets that give you certain “buffs” that can make your game every time something more bearable. The maximum number of amulets you can carry is 2, so you must know the best combinations for each character. Labi, although he is an NPC, is also a good way to help you with his advice and in the times you chat with him inside the campfires, you can find interesting objects in his stories.
Graphics and music
In the graphics section we can see pixelated graphics worthy of any Roguelike game, something that is very comfortable to watch, its visual effects are nice and can please casual players. On the other hand, the music section has very good songs and SFX, dedicated to anime fans, although they can become somewhat repetitive. The character designs have been well portrayed and the representation of the monsters is good. The cards and dungeons we explore have relevant things and very likable characters.
If you are able to continue into the floors of the giant maze, you will find the final boss, which is a treat for all fans of the manga/anime series. It has been illustrated and designed by the manga creator himself to delight his fans in the game. So it is a good option to come and enjoy his work.
Conclusion
Fairy Tail: Dungeons is magic, a roguelike that is enjoyable to have plenty of cards to combine and a group of characters to use that match well with their abilities. Adventures within a dungeon that you can explore with a time limit gives enough ability to have to constantly play the cycle of every roguelike. Lose and come back stronger with the amulets offered to you.
If you want a relaxed game to spend many hours combining cards, defeating bosses with strategy, searching for rare items, enjoying the dungeons and characters. Fairy Tail: Dungeons is the perfect game for you, the roguelike lovers with chartists that offer a lot of sauce. The soundtrack is good, it could be better, the art is cute. It has everything you need for a legitimate tribute from Kodansha along with Ginolabo to their beloved Fairy Tail guild franchise. Within the Steam platform it can currently be found with a 20% discount at a price affordable for everyone. You can buy it from here.
©Hiro Mashima, KODANSHA/ginolabo