Dokapon Kingdom: Connect
- September 7, 2023
- Compile Heart
- 3h median play time
Get on Steam"Dokapon Kingdom: Connect" is a revival of the hybrid RPG/board game first released for PlayStation and Wii. Up to 4 players can compete in collecting the most wealth to win the Princess' hand and the throne, now with online multiplayer capabilities. The game offers 5 modes and a massive game board, ensuring varied gameplay and heated battles among friends.
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Reviews
- Dokapon Kingdom is a highly entertaining party game that brings back nostalgic memories and is best enjoyed with friends, often leading to hilarious and chaotic moments.
- The game combines elements of RPGs and board games, offering a unique experience that encourages strategic play and friendly competition.
- Despite some flaws, the online multiplayer functionality and the ability to play with friends using Remote Play Together make it a worthwhile purchase for those who enjoy long-form gaming sessions.
- The port suffers from various technical issues, including poor controls, lack of full-screen support, and a high price point that many feel is unjustified for a game that is essentially a remaster of an older title.
- The AI can be frustratingly overpowered, often leading to a feeling of unfairness during gameplay, especially in single-player modes.
- The game's competitive nature can lead to significant frustration and potential fallout in friendships, as players can easily sabotage each other, making it not suitable for everyone.
- story56 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 82 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game features a lengthy story mode that can take over 24 to 40 hours to complete, offering a lighthearted narrative interspersed with competitive gameplay reminiscent of party classics like Mario Party and Monopoly. While the story mode serves as a gateway to various game mechanics and events, some players find it basic and reliant on chance rather than strategy. Overall, it is recommended to play with friends for a more engaging experience, as the competitive nature can test friendships.
“If you're looking for a party game that will take around 40 hours to complete, that has all the unfairness of Mario Party and Monopoly in the body of a turn-based RPG, a game that will either build you up to be the storybook hero or challenge your friendships, then I would highly recommend this.”
“The game is broken down into a series of chapters and plays out a lighthearted story that doesn't take itself too seriously.”
“Play story mode with friends, no CPU; it is a trip and a half, a very good JRPG x Monopoly game, and you get your money's worth!”
“Story mode is quite basic and really just acts as a gated experience to the world map and random events that occur as a means to learn the game.”
“It is borderline impossible to convince 3 other people to pay this price to get a story mode campaign going with friends.”
“I hope the official consider adding some new content such as storyline, characters, jobs, and weapons into the game; otherwise, it doesn't seem worth it, although I'm a huge Dokapon fan since their first release on SNES in 1993.”
- gameplay40 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Dokapon Kingdom is characterized by its chaotic blend of party game mechanics and RPG elements, featuring heavy reliance on chance through rock-paper-scissors mechanics and random events that can dramatically shift player fortunes. While it offers engaging and addictive gameplay with numerous comeback opportunities, many players find it overly reliant on RNG and frustrating mechanics, which can lead to a "friendship-ruining" experience. Overall, it remains a nostalgic classic that thrives on multiplayer interactions, making it a fun yet unpredictable choice for group play.
“Has catch-up mechanics and random events that can shift the power of players in a flash.”
“Dokapon Kingdom is a classic friendship-ruining experience that feels like Mario Party on steroids with the mini-games replaced by RPG mechanics, a class system, and a huge world map to explore instead of a small game board.”
“It's the friendship-testing chaos of Mario Party with the long-form classes and gameplay of Dragon Quest, and if that sounds appealing to you, features like online play and Steam remote play (meaning you only need one copy!) make this what I consider to be the definitive version of the game.”
“I do however love this concept of a party board game crossed with story RPG mechanics, but they lean too much on coin flips like roshambo and other random elements instead of focusing on the less random RPG aspects.”
“This would be alright, but there are rubber banding mechanics that give losing players a chance to catch up, and the AI knows how to use items wisely along with other strategies, making the cheating AI unnecessary.”
“Is it under a mountain of frustrating mechanics and RNG BS?”
- graphics18 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The graphics have been described as "classic," with minimal changes made to enhance their appearance on modern monitors, resulting in a straightforward port of the original game. While some users rated the graphics highly, they expressed disappointment over the lack of customization options and the absence of controller-specific graphics, especially given the $50 price tag. Overall, the visuals are solid but do not justify the cost for a simple port.
“Graphic: 10/10”
“Also, there have been some graphical changes to connect.”
“However, the $50 price tag is a tough pill to swallow with this being a fairly straightforward port. The only new features added are online multiplayer, which is a welcome change, but at $50 you'd hope to see a little more than just keyboard prompts and basic graphical options.”
“Graphics - I'd call them 'classic'; nothing has been changed, just updated to look good on modern monitors.”
“No graphics for different controllers like PS5/4 or Xbox controllers; it's literally a 1:1 port of the Switch game, for better or worse (mostly worse).”
- humor16 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players highlighting its silliness and the joy of playing with friends, often leading to uncontrollable laughter. Many reviews mention the game's ability to create memorable and hilarious moments, whether through unexpected gameplay twists or friendly betrayals. Overall, it is considered a highly entertaining experience that evokes nostalgia and fun.
“Me and a friend started a campaign of this game because I had played the Wii version before and knew it was funny beyond belief because it's so silly and provoking.”
“Good memories, even if you have terrible luck, the whole group was laughing and having a blast.”
“If you and your friends can tolerate having your balls stomped on for hours at a time while laughing at how the entire map just got reset 20 hours in because the guy in last place nuked the board, this is the game to play.”
- stability9 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 78 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant bugs, frequent freezes, and issues with online connectivity, particularly with multiplayer features. However, some users noted that it runs smoothly on the Steam Deck, highlighting a disparity in performance across different platforms. Overall, the game's stability is considered inadequate for its full price.
“I went ahead and checked, it runs great out of the box on Steam Deck, and by limiting the thermal power, you can easily get 3.5+ hours on a full charge.”
“I'd be fine with that if this was a 10 dollar game, but this is a full-priced game and it should not be this buggy.”
“Continually freezes and always plays at less than 1 frame per second.”
“Very buggy online; most of the time it will not reconnect, and the 4th player does not work or cannot join the lobby.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players report that the game evokes a strong emotional response, often leading to a profound sense of nostalgia and reflection on friendships, with some describing it as an emotional roller coaster that can impact social connections.
“This game is awesome; I played it for 30 hours and went on an emotional roller coaster with it.”
- music3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The music in the game has been criticized for its resemblance to "Harvest Moon," with reviewers noting it as unoriginal and lacking new compositions. Additionally, there are technical issues such as music bleeding, which detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the music does not contribute positively to the game's appeal.
“Same ugly models and weirdly Harvest Moon music, no new modes and very little additions to speak of.”
“It's not a perfect port; there are some oddities, such as music bleeding and a strange lack of mouth movements present in the original. Aside from those, the only real bad thing I can think of is the lack of cross-play.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability, particularly through its lengthy single-player "story" mode, which provides near infinite replay value. Additionally, multiplayer sessions can extend well beyond typical party game durations, enhancing the overall replay experience.
“The average game can take much longer than a Mario Party session, and the single-player 'story' mode offers near infinite replay value, making it quite lengthy for a 'party' game.”
“The average game can take much longer than a Mario Party session, and the single-player 'story' mode (which is supposed to have near infinite replay value) is quite long itself for a 'party' game.”
