Dungeon Antiqua
- October 9, 2024
- Shiromofu Factory
Get on Steam"Dungeon Antiqua is a 2D, dungeon crawl-type RPG with nostalgic 80s/90s aesthetic and chiptune music. Its replayability is enhanced by varying professions, free party formation, and auto-generated maps. The game focuses on hack-and-slash mechanics and exploration, avoiding repetitive scenarios. It offers modern, comfortable controls and is available for handheld consoles."
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Reviews
- Dungeon Antiqua offers a nostalgic experience reminiscent of classic JRPGs like Final Fantasy and Wizardry, appealing to fans of the genre.
- The game features a lightweight design with procedural dungeon generation, providing a fresh experience with each playthrough.
- Despite its short length, the game is engaging and fun, making it a good value for players looking for a quick dungeon-crawling adventure.
- The game suffers from a lack of depth and polish, with limited mechanics and a simplistic UI that can be frustrating for players.
- Many players found the game to be too short, with a playtime of only a few hours, leading to concerns about replayability.
- Technical issues, such as poor keybinding options and bugs, detract from the overall experience and can hinder enjoyment.
- gameplay14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a mix of classic JRPG mechanics and dungeon exploration, drawing parallels to titles like Wizardry and Etrian Odyssey. While the streamlined mechanics and automatic mapping make it accessible, some players find the gameplay repetitive and the explanations for certain mechanics lacking, leading to confusion. Overall, it serves as a decent introduction to old-school dungeon crawling, though it may not satisfy those seeking depth or variety.
“Functionally, it ends up working like Wizardry or Etrian Odyssey, with several other clear mechanical parallels (especially in combat and treasure chest-opening) to the former.”
“Definitely a fun roguelite for people who love classic JRPG mechanics and dungeon crawling.”
“It's not gonna blow anyone's socks off, but it is a very good onboarding for old school dungeon crawling mechanics.”
“The mechanics and everything else get repetitive real quick, and I won't be buying it again.”
“Mechanics aren't explained very well, and little to no information is given by the UI or tooltips.”
“Need more real gameplay and not fake waste of time mechanics like that.”
- music12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its charm and retro feel, particularly in the context of dungeon crawling. However, many users noted the limited variety and repetitiveness of the tracks, which can detract from the overall experience. While some find the music nostalgic and fitting for the genre, others criticize it for being derivative and monotonous.
“Super addictive with great music and pixel art.”
“The battle music works quite well considering how often you get to hear it should you wish to grind.”
“There's not a lot of music but what's there is charming.”
“We need at least 1 more for sound effects, as only 1 labeled music track is not enough here.”
“Music is really bad, even considering it's supposed to sound 8-bit.”
“I actually like retro music when done well, but here it drones on repetitively, giving a literal headache.”
- story10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The story in "Saviors of Sapphire Wings" is minimal and serves primarily as a framework for gameplay, focusing more on dungeon crawling than narrative depth. While the main quest is short and straightforward, it lacks high stakes and complex character interactions, making it feel simplistic. Players seeking a rich story may be disappointed, but the game offers enjoyable fast-paced gameplay and engaging side quests for item hunting.
“If you'd like an introductory DRPG with a heavy emphasis on story and characters, check out Saviors of Sapphire Wings.”
“The main quest was a fairly short but sweet experience.”
“This is an extremely simple game and premise; the quests purely serve as a way to guide the player to content.”
“All in all, while I can appreciate that the devs put story aside to focus on the dungeon crawl, there just aren't enough pieces to play with to make any aspect of the gameplay feel satisfying.”
“There's no high stakes story or complex character interaction, but it's good fun and fast-paced and offers enough secrets or interesting items to pick up to not get boring.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics are described as having a nostalgic, old-school vibe reminiscent of classic titles like Final Fantasy 1, featuring limited visual variety with only one set of tiles. While some players appreciate the retro pixel art style and its effective callbacks to earlier RPGs, others note the minimal scope and simplicity of the visuals. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's charm, especially for fans of the genre.
“Like the sound, the visuals give me that old-school vibe and I'm always down for that.”
“Again, I like pixel/retro graphics when done well.”
“A pretty brilliant dungeon-crawling high fantasy RPG with a classic Final Fantasy aesthetic.”
“It's like a blobber except it has Final Fantasy 1 graphics.”
“Very limited scope: effectively no plot, a small number of dungeon floors, only one set of graphical tiles, minimal music tracks.”
“The visuals give me that old-school vibe, but they feel outdated and lack detail.”
- replayability5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game offers some replayability through its party composition and randomly generated dungeons, allowing for varied experiences with different team setups. However, many players feel that the overall replay value is limited, as the core playthrough lasts only about 2-3 hours, leaving little incentive to return after completing it.
“The lean design leads to a quick, enjoyable playthrough for folks familiar with the genre, with a bit of party composition and treasure variety to add replayability.”
“Rolled credits pretty quickly at 2 and a half hours, but seems to be replayable due to a randomly generated dungeon on launch and conflicting class options.”
“Because of the party creation, there is replay value in the game.”
“Unfortunately, there isn't much replay value at the moment, so once you complete your 2-3 hour playthrough, there isn't much else to it.”
“I rolled credits pretty quickly at 2 and a half hours, but it seems to be replayable due to a randomly generated dungeon and conflicting class options.”
“There is some replay value in terms of different team compositions, but that's about it.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players note that while battles are generally quick, there is a significant amount of grinding required for gear and levels, particularly at the start. This grinding can become tedious, even though the fights themselves are not particularly challenging.
“Battles normally go pretty fast, but there is a fair amount of grinding for gear or levels.”
“It's not as if the fights are difficult, but it can get tedious at times.”
“There's a lot of grinding in the beginning.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the game's stability is lacking, with players experiencing numerous bugs that detract from the overall experience, leading to disappointment compared to expectations of a polished title.
“I expected a polished Final Fantasy dungeon crawler, but instead I got a buggy NES Final Fantasy game.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable.”
“I encountered numerous glitches that ruined my experience.”
