Dungeons & Doom Knights

[neogeo1982]

Saving the souls of your fellow people who have been killed by the Doom Knights and now roam the land as undead. An interesting mix of Zelda 1&2 and it's own gimmicks too. Ordered in 2 flavors, the cib $65 or $100 limited edition from their website. I'll cover the limited one and my thoughts on the game.

 

 

Pretty high quality package, not normal Kickstarter fodder. At the $100 level, the box has gold foil lettering and added borders. The cart itself is golden like the old Zelda carts. A faux leather world map, artist print, QR code for the soundtrack are included. A COA for the the whole package is included with either package. The game magazine geared specifically to the game and styled after Nintendo Power, "Pretendo Empower", is included in either flavor that's bought.

 

Packaging and goodies: 10/10

    For me it sits squarely next to Alwa's Awakening goodies and packaging. Something you'd get as a preorder package at retail.

    The $65 package holds a lot of value also if you enjoyed waiting for Nintendo Power to come in the mail each month. 

    Pretendo Empower is full of tongue and cheek humor, glossy cover & pages, and all Dungeons & DoomKnights.

    The "cloth map" feels like faux leather and is really cool! Small in size though. Just not sure if I'd want to pin it up as it is really nice. Maybe a D&D prop would be a good use.

    The artist print is big enough to frame and display with my other game posters so this was a real win!

    QR code and advert I'm not picturing for obvious reasons but are on a nice game related postcard. I'll comment on the soundtrack in the game section. An included soundtrack is good and is pretty standard with the limited edition packages nowadays.

    And the COA and included game letter. The COA is a wet signature, not printed, so that's a nice touch. 

    

Edited September 12, 2023 by neogeo1982
Forgot a picture

[neogeo1982]

Now that packaging is out of the way, what about the actual game? 

Gameplay & Presentation

    D&DK mixes top down with sidescrolling action Adventure. Dialogue and static cutscenes progress the story. Axes & Sorcery adventure.  Big hearts increase your life bar, power skulls your skull power (magic). Your dog sidekick acts as your magic skill to figure out puzzles and kill distant enemies with. It all feels familar but with a different window dressing in this.  No pause or status screen, all stats and skills right on top, clean and simple. The graphics are fairly detailed and animated. Bosses are original and detailed nicely. The overworld and dungeons graphics remind of Zelda, Willow, and Faxanadu games. It has its own art style but feels familiar at the same time. 

7/10

 

Story

    Without going into much detail, avenging the death and reanimation of all the people the DoomKnights have killed in the land. This game is goofy. Fantasy movie and game references abound. There's a story but everything in-between is goofy. Reference and parody of many games and scenes I caught myself smiling at. It doesn't have the most compelling story but the humor and charm keep you wanting to play more to see whats next. It's pop culture but D&D culture humor.

8/10

Controls

    Here's where it takes a hit. Overworld or dungeon, you only attack left and right. I found myself taking cheap hits many times from this scheme in the overworld. Your axe has limited overhead hit range so only 2 direction combat can be infuriating sometimes. In dungeons it's better, all side scrolling, though some of the backgrounds obstruct where you can jump or go. This results in cheap hits sometimes due to pathfinding. There's no climbing or crouching. Just jump, axe, magic.

5/10

 

Quality of life

    In most instances you don't have to restart very far away. As long as you saved at a save book. That's your respawn point. Pick up a key or skill in a dungeon, then die to cheap hits, no problem. Smart respawn keeps your new item and respawn at the last save book. This is a welcome addition and keeps me playing longer.

10/10

 

Music & Sound

    Fantasy fare. It all sounds the part, appropriate for this type of game. I kept it turned up awhile then turned it back down. It's not grating, not gonna make my mix list either though. Makes me question the included ost though.

6/10

 

Overall

    It is a fun and funny fantasy. A lot of effort into the references and parodies. I tried a couple other Kickstarter action adventures I wish I had not. This one was a definite win. The smart respawns make up for questionable controls. The package and goodies are excellent in the limited edition if you enjoy the items included. Standard edition is a good value also, as it's a pretty good game and worth a playthrough.

7/10

 

[+wongojack]

great coverage - thank you!

[moycon]

Wow that looks amazing! As a kid I would have eaten it up in spite of the minor flaws. 

Thanks for the taking the time to show this off!

[asmikace]

Cool The homebrew games are really getting on the same level as the big games back in the day.

[neogeo1982]

On 3/7/2024 at 10:47 PM, asmikace said:

Cool The homebrew games are really getting on the same level as the big games back in the day.

Though some are still single hobbyists working on a passion project, many are by studios with multiple people and large budgets. Or companies making PSN/Xbox/PC games deciding to do a demake onto NES cartridge. Alwa's Awakening is an example this. The guys doing Dungeons&Doomknights include a code in the NES package for items in their modern PC game. Cross advert that I'll probably never use but interesting nonetheless.