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Boyfriend Dungeon review: be still my metal heartLooking sharp
Looking sharp
It was always my understanding that describing someone as a “weapon” was a (generally benign) insult: they behave in a manner that makes them a danger to themselves or others. Recently, however, I heard a woman refer to herself as a weapon, meaning “extremely attractive”, a meaning that only makes sense in the world ofBoyfriend Dungeon, a dungeon battler-meets-dating sim where your love interests are both extremely attractive and literally weapons. As in swords and that.
Boyfriend Dungeon - Launch TrailerWatch on YouTube
Boyfriend Dungeon - Launch Trailer
There’s a mix of genders (including non-binary pals), and everyone gets a very dynamic intro cutscene showing them transform into a person. To my relief, you can tell someone that you’re not interested romantically and just be best buds. You can also forgo any actual shagging if you want - although I recommend trying at least a couple out, because they’re often cool and odd and suggest sexing your partner while they’re in weapon form, without getting explicit. Just fluttering mentions of blade edges and so on, binding the person and intimacy with the concept of their weapon forms.
It sounds weird, but it’s not in context. In fact, the romantic threads are woven quite deftly into a larger story about mutual consent and trust, both in combat and out. It culminates in a boss fight and everything.
It’s a shame that the dungeons don’t have the same depth. In theory, the combat isn’t treated as an add-on, and it would be nice if it were meatier in practice. I really like how the weapons feel markedly different from each other, feeding in to how you feel about them personally. My favourite, on balance, is Seven, who has a lovely chaining lightning attack and is quick enough that I feel comfortable making jabs in short enemy attack windows. I did also really like Pocket the cat, who turns into bladed knuckledusters (and for the sake of clarity I will state that you are not even presented with the option of necking him), whose heavy attacks can combo into furious leaps and swipes.
Aiming and dodging can feel a bit loosey-goosey at times, but the levels of the dunj are ultimately easy enough. You’ll hit walls every so often, but you also level up absurdly quickly - this isn’t aimed at hardcore bullet-hell afficionados. And I wouldn’t demand that of it, in fairness. But I did feel let down when it turned out that there were only two dungeons: a mall full of snapping phones and TVs spitting static, and a nightclub basement with aggressive cocktails and speakers shooting explosive notes. I was looking forward to attacking more mal-adjusted representations of my psyche, but alas no.
