Sakura Dungeon PC Review by DarkLunarDude – Edited by: – Developer: Winged Cloud – Publisher: Sekai Project – Genre: Dungeon Crawler
Role playing games have had a big effect on gaming as a whole, be it as small as simple character development, or big like opening up the whole world to explore, and while some games take a serious and darker tone, others stem from the lighter side of the spectrum. Sakura Dungeon is one of those light and charming rpgs that comes out of nowhere and surprises you with its offerings of simple controls and stylistic looks, but does this make Sakura Dungeon a worthy buy? Let’s delve deeper into this dungeon and find out.
Starting with the story, we are given a rather simple but solid tale which does the game justice. You start as Yomi, an ancient fox spirit who was sealed away in a dungeon, until you are woken up by an adventurer by the name of Ceri breaking your binding and releasing you. But when she loses to you in combat and is ready to accept death, Yomi puts a spell on her which bind her to you as a servant. Not quite happy with the situation, but with her armor destroyed, Ceri agrees to follow you back to a small village which Yomi ran before being sealed away hundreds of years before. After getting her armor repaired by a tavern worker by the name of Isabella, Ceri is filled in, along with Yomi, on the events that have transpired since Yomi’s sealing. Now back in the living world, Yomi has to earn her dungeon back and with Ceri’s help, she just might get it.
Sakura Dungeon has some unique characters, but it’s hard to say they aren’t generic in some degree. There is Yomi, who is the former dungeon ruler and simply wants her dungeon back, but is very calm and serene about the whole thing as the game goes forward. Followed after her is Ceri, an adventurer who, while brash in some nature, tends to calm down and think logically as the dungeon expands and elements like traps show up. The majority of the characters, though, are monsters in the form of girls you capture as you continue your journey. While these characters shows some promise with their lines and how they react to situations, they didn’t hold the same feel as Ceri or Yomi.
Regarding Sakura Dungeon’s presentation, the game is vibrant with visuals and upbeat with its music when it needs to be. Visually, the game is bright and colorful, with a art style similar to that of the other Sakura games, which is good for fans of the series so far as the characters pop out amongst the dark settings of the dungeons below. Musically, the game falls off as the soundtrack is very simple and solid listening material, with its guitar vibes for the first thirty minutes or so until you hit a new zone then, it gets repetitive and forgettable.
There are two different things in Sakura Dungeon that that require the most focus, as well as the village, or main hub of the game. The village is where you can go to buy items, such as warp stones, from the shop or recruit new followers from the monsters you capture. You can also change your costume once you find the fabric pieces in the dungeon and bring them to Isabella, see what’s going on around the village, trigger mini events, or save your game.
When you enter the dungeon, you can now move around with the WASD keys as well as turn left or right with Q and E, similar to that of old dungeon crawlers. The LMB, when not in combat, can be used to break open chest or other objects in the game as long as you are standing in front of it. In combat, you lose the ability to move but now have access to a list of moves and the ability to select who you want to target with your mouse cursor. This is the most essential part of the game because grinding your followers up will be vital for survival as you go farther, as well as giving your followers new moves you find while exploring via scrolls. Costumes can break, yours and the enemies, weakening a monsters or minions health regen in battle, but it can only be broken in combat or if you use a melting tonic which you get later in the shop.
The capture mechanic has to be one of the better gameplay elements, focusing on combat and when you can or cannot capture a monster. As you fight a monster, a meter will go up which indicates how easy they are to catch. The longer you take in a fight, the harder it will be to capture that monster. While some are easier than others, it’s one of the most rewarding systems when you capture that monster you have been seeking, because you can add them to your party in the village when you next go back, strengthening your team for future dungeoning.
Pros:
Solid back story
Capture mechanic
Simple control scheme
Vibrant and colorful visuals, even in the dark dungeons
Costume system over time
Cons:
Music can be forgettable
Capturing can take time to master
Costume breaking system could do more
DarkLunarDude gives Sakura Dungeon a Drastik Measure 8.1 out of 10 (81).
