Review scoopings 3/5 · Jul 14, 2025
Impressive, Cute SNES Roguelike
Preliminary: Wow I haven't been much into the more modern takes on roguelikes but this has great colors and tho I didn't love DQ5 like many others, it's cute that it's an offshoot. I knew about the FFX-2 roguelike tower offshoot--I didn't know it had a precedent tho :-p. But so far it's playing like an approachable roguelike with an …
Preliminary: Wow I haven't been much into the more modern takes on roguelikes but this has great colors and tho I didn't love DQ5 like many others, it's cute that it's an offshoot. I knew about the FFX-2 roguelike tower offshoot--I didn't know it had a precedent tho :-p. But so far it's playing like an approachable roguelike with an actual easing-in process unlike most roguelikes. I gasp am actually surviving for a bit! I doubt I will replay it a bunch or pursue a lot of gold, but this is imrpessive for being the best-looking, best-sounding, and best-feel graphic roguelike so far!
I love the automapping, the way you have a minimap that can pull up (even lets yous ort of dash around) and the ease of pulling up a full map,
I'm on Floor 3 and really enjoying it so far, very impressed. Never love the whole Identification process of roguelikes, so haven't delved into items much but this si still just a good vibe leveling up fast and enjoying myself. Too bad I now see there's a hunger factor, never like that in roguelikes RPGs or adventure games.
Based on what I'm reading I will probly only plan to get to one new village and call it. Treat it almost like the first Final Fantasy Legends where it's a tower/dungeon that I access new villages on new floors heh, but not go for the full floors. Argh and I'm reading that the difficultry gets to usual roguelike levels and lots of Cursed items (a mechanic I despise) etc. So this'll likely just be the Trial Dungeon and a 3 star heh.
Day 1
I like that you can move diagonally. And that you can hit enemies not currently visible, which is nice with range weapons for enemies like Magicians who stand there till you hit them. The music has definitely lost its allure, tho I do still like the colors. (Ironically, the music changed the very next level). This is the first roguelike since, I believe, Larn that I have actually chosen to explore the entirety of floors before moving on, out of curiosity not necessity to level/upgrade, tho again I am still only on the Trial Dungeon.
Welp I made it to Floor 10 and proud of myself! And the music is better. Omg bahaha I figured I would get the Jewel and just tele back... Duh I have to make it back.. and I assume all the items wont respawn and I'm out of bread soooo. This isn't looking good. Good thing I have the full maps so I can find fastest way to the stairs but.. the irony is I'm out of Bread precisely because I explored so much lol. Hunger will always be a despised mechanic for me.
Hm wait it seems the Floors completely re-generate... but I haven't found any new Items? Only enemies haha. Well, in one more plot twist it seems my Belly doesn't go down on the way back? So that's good. And I am really liking this... And wow that was a really cute store-setting-up after I finished the trial and introduction to the village mechanic. And there is a set ending ... but how much roguelike dungeon crawling do I really wanna do?
Wait... all the items I collected are gone. Boo! And oh I see so you really just need to get increasingly higher gold totals by going depper and eventually there is a "true" ending. Kinda reminiscent of PLATO dnd tho.
Wow! Lame! Even my level reset? Boooo. I get the Trial Dungeon was a tutorial but that was a huge buzzkill, and the music is the same etc. I enjoyed my Trial Dungeon and that's what I will settle with. This really could've been a 4+ tho argh
Look: 8/10
Sound: 7.5/10 Some real standouts but also some kinda annoying songs that get repeated a lot.
Play: 7.5/10 Best roguelike in a long while. But I can only ever play a roguelike for so long.
Feel: 8/10
Attachment: 8/10 This definitely stands out among early roguelikes
Overall: 7.8/10
Completion: Floor 1 of Mystery Dungeon
Playtime: ~1h
