The Penny Arcade Expo was in full swing and my first appointment of the show was to play the game, Dungeon Stars. It took a few minutes to find the booth, stuffed in the back of the hall but once you do, it will be worth the effort. The game has gameplay elements of part RPG, part “simple mobile” and part reaction. What I mean by these is that the gameplay allows you to think on your feet and deal with certain situations. You’ll have different characters to discover/unlock while playing through the different run-throughs of the levels and you’ll be able to unlock different abilities for your characters during the gameplay.
You’ll also be able to find different animal companions during gameplay. The controls are straightforward and thus play into my interpretation of “simple-mobile” gameplay. You have your character, moving forward and you deal with the enemies blocking your path. Controls to counter attack are simple since it was a keyboard during the demo; left arrow to block/quick attack and right arrow to charge attack. Certain enemies can only be killed with a charged attack, such as enemies with helmets or shields. The items you find in the level will alter your attacks/strength for your characters as well and that plays into the RPG element of the game. You’ll have the option to heal and use options before you go into battle and that will be the only time you’re allowed to do so.
You’ll also have to think on your feet as in the full version of the game, there will be different element attacks and you’ll be able to set your character’s element during the run-through. Certain things won’t be doable unless you have the right elemental but you’ll be able to bring in quite a few characters into each run-through. Dungeon Stars has an interesting look to it and I really like how the characters have that over-the-top feeling to them. They look like they take themselves seriously but no one else does and that’s what’s fun about the look and feel of the characters. The only issue I had in the demo is with the special attacks you have and the cool down/recharge each one has. It is only supposed to take a few seconds for it to recharge but it felt like it was taking much longer to recharge at times and I let the developers know and they will look into it. Dungeon Stars was an interesting game and looks like a lot of fun. It has the charm and silliness games need to be fun! It’s going to be out on Steam soon and Nintendo Switch at a later date but be on the look out for it!