Devious Dungeon (Nintendo Switch) Review

As with most indie titles that focus on gameplay, there really isn't much of a plot going on here. A standard warrior type goes through portals to vanquish various mutated and demonic forms using different equipables, collecting some dollar along the way (yes, the currency really is dollars here).

The action is structured into levels that checkpoint once you complete three or four randomly-generated stages, followed by fighting a big bad boss at the end of the set. Things then move on to another set of levels, which contain new monsters every few levels. The variety in Devious Dungeon is brilliant, and the procedural generation of levels makes sure the replay value is safe and sound. The 8-bit design theme works really well with the generated levels, too; this, along with the pixel art characters, SFX, and gore, creates a polished and immersive experience every time.

As with all good action RPGs, Devious Dungeon has a merchant selling weapons and armour. Buff items such as potions, rings, and circlets can also be purchased that improve Attack, Health and Speed statistics. Merchants appear at your base of operations and also at checkpoints where a Cleric also awaits to heal (for a hefty $50, the leech!). Although weapons have their own speed and damage stats, heavy weapons, such as Laces, Warhammer, and Long Swords all hit at a similar slower pace than that of weapons like the Rapier. Given that advantage, heavy weapons have a longer reach, which comes in handy for despatching on ledges and for hovering enemies, and so on.

Armour options as standard increase the player's defence against the dark hordes; the more expensive the amour, the better it is. It's as simple as that. One thing to point out is players can't just save up dollars and buy the most impressive piece of equipment; instead, this requires going up the ladder, just like everybody else. The noise of these weapons sounds like stamping on a box of Rice Krispies, in good ol' bit chip tradition, with the backing of a fantasy style plod number. It's pretty obvious that the soundtrack was an afterthought during development, which is fine as the game doesn't need to rely on such things.

Controls are very straightforward: B to hit, A to jump (hold for longer jump), and movement with the left analogue stick. Combat is fairly simple - in all honesty it is merely very hack-and-slash. As previously touched on, it's always good to make sure you know the weapon range. If a player comes into contact with an enemy, they receive damage regardless. XP is gained every time enemies are despatched, which builds up a level meter on the top of the screen. Once it's full, a pop-up gives the choice of three attributes to level up. This writer concentrated on health as if a player dies without hitting a checkpoint they have to start all over again; on a different level all together. This means if people play a game of endurance, damage doesn't really increase enough to make use of any improved weaponry as strength has not been levelled up.