Dungeon Munchies
- July 27, 2022
- maJAJa
- 5h median play time
In "Dungeon Munchies," players explore a dark dungeon as Simmi, a reanimated skeleton, to gather ingredients and cook meals that grant unique abilities. Defeat monsters, avoid traps, and manage hunger in this 2D action-adventure game with quirky humor and retro-style pixel art. Mix and match recipes to suit Jesus Christ's playstyle, discovering the perfect balance of power, speed, and strategy. Summary word count: 3 Number of characters: 351
Reviews
- The game features an extremely captivating story with surprising depth and emotional moments.
- Combat is engaging with a variety of build options, allowing players to experiment with different weapons and food buffs.
- The art style and character design are charming, contributing to a fun and humorous atmosphere.
- Some gameplay mechanics feel unpolished, particularly the movement and hit detection, which can lead to frustrating moments.
- Boss fights often include bullet hell mechanics that can feel overwhelming and detract from the overall enjoyment.
- The pacing of the story can be uneven, with some sections feeling rushed or overly simplistic compared to the later, more complex narrative.
- story469 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The story of the game is widely praised for its depth, humor, and emotional resonance, often surprising players with its unexpected twists and darker themes as it progresses. While some reviews note a slow start, many agree that the narrative becomes increasingly engaging, featuring well-developed characters and a blend of lighthearted and serious moments. Overall, the story is considered the standout element, making the game a compelling experience that keeps players invested throughout.
“The story is the strongest element in the game for me.”
“The story is completely off the wall and yet strangely compelling, somehow meandering through sentient fruit rebellions, the iron grip of government authoritarianism, and nihilism made manifest all while being both upbeat and sincere.”
“The story is deep and interesting, and despite how humorous it can be and how silly it may look at times, it speaks of what it really means to be human.”
“Again, later on they develop, you learn why they are the way they are, and it gets better, but the start of the game... honestly felt disappointed and wondered if I'd bother keeping to play since early story, gameplay, characters, everything... felt pretty subpar like a cheap indie game made by relatively unskilled/capable devs. So yeah, push past the start, was the weakest part of the game.”
“The story is also an absolute slog and can really hinder your ability to just get through the game.”
“The writing at points seems confused; the game doesn't really have a plot until far into it, and it's a shaky one at best.”
- gameplay228 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, with many players noting a slow and clunky start that improves as they progress, revealing a more engaging experience with diverse mechanics and build options. While some find the combat and movement mechanics enjoyable and innovative, others criticize them for being repetitive or unpolished, leading to a reliance on the compelling story and character interactions to maintain interest. Overall, the gameplay is seen as decent but not the main draw, with many players emphasizing the importance of the narrative and worldbuilding over the mechanics themselves.
“Amazing game with great storyline and interesting gameplay.”
“The gameplay is fun, chaotic, fast-paced at times, and the difficulty progresses at a reasonable pace so you don't feel like you're hitting random difficulty spikes that ruin your momentum.”
“The gameplay is superb, story is amazing and the characters are lovable.”
“Gameplay is... only okay, but early on before you get more weapons and options it's not great, so a rather slow/tough start on the game.”
“The gameplay just isn't great.”
“The level design is straight up bad and gets way worse further into the game, accompanied with janky controls leads to one of the worst gameplay experiences I have had in my whole life.”
- humor154 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its cleverness and ability to balance absurdity with emotional depth, often blending dark themes with lighthearted moments. Players appreciate the witty dialogue, charming characters, and meme-inspired jokes, though some note that the humor can be hit or miss and occasionally veers into immature territory. Overall, the game's writing and comedic elements contribute significantly to its appeal, making it both entertaining and engaging.
“The humor is great, the art style is incredibly appealing, and the story is both surprising and intriguing.”
“I wholeheartedly recommend this game, it's got a great balance of humor and heart, and it's obvious that a lot of passion went into making it.”
“Loving the juxtaposition of necromancy and cooking, makes for a ton of hilarious jokes and odd-ball powerups!”
- music74 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its ability to enhance the atmosphere and emotional depth of the experience, particularly in later chapters. While some tracks are described as memorable and fitting for the game's tone, others are considered forgettable or inconsistent, leading to a varied reception overall. Despite these criticisms, the soundtrack is often highlighted as a significant aspect of the game, contributing to memorable moments and engaging gameplay.
“The ambient music is fantastic and really suits the strange calm of a doomed world, and ramps up appropriately as the plot intensifies.”
“Frankly, the soundtrack was one of the best parts of the whole experience for me.”
“The soundtrack adds a nice touch to each area and boss fight; it's an amalgamation of several different music genres that combine into one 'experience'.”
“The music seems to be a point of pride with the developer and switches on the dime with boss battles and narrative events, but it always felt out of place and distracting for the entire length of the game.”
“A lot of the sounds are distinctly quiet and underwhelming compared to others, while the music is so inconsistent as to be forgettable.”
“The music does not have a uniform style, again feeling like unrelated tracks that were sourced as separate assets rather than written for the game, and the music may start and stop in odd places.”
- graphics49 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their vibrant and charming pixel art style, featuring a diverse array of characters and environments that enhance the overall experience. Many reviewers highlight the unique art direction and humor, noting that the visuals contribute significantly to immersion and storytelling, despite some criticisms regarding basic GUI elements and occasional graphical limitations. Overall, the game's aesthetics are considered a standout feature, making it visually appealing and enjoyable to play.
“Visually, the game is stunning, with a ton of enemy variety, excellent boss design, and progressively better level artwork.”
“The game's graphics are beautiful and well-designed, with a cute and colorful pixel art style.”
“The visuals are stunning, one of the best pixel art styles I've seen in a long time; the backgrounds are the icing on the cake.”
“Granted, this game has the graphical intensity of a Newgrounds flash game.”
“There were some problems immediately apparent; just off the top of my head, I recall that the GUI is basic to the point of being a turn-off, there are some graphics that would be fine for internet memes but come off as cringy in the context of this game.”
“It's 'core' graphics are low res to a degree I'm not even sure I'd call them charming, and I'm mildly concerned about the difficulty curve going forward.”
- emotional43 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its unexpected depth, blending humor with heartfelt moments that resonate with players. Many reviewers noted the game's ability to evoke strong feelings, ranging from joy to existential dread, through its charming characters and touching narratives. However, some expressed disappointment with the pacing and resolution of the story, feeling that it undermined the emotional connections built throughout the gameplay.
“Mixes some great absurdist humor and existential dread with great sprite work and a surprisingly emotional story.”
“The story is funny, but also heart-wrenching, and the visual design is beautiful.”
“The story and character made me feel emotions that not many games are able to bring out.”
- grinding18 mentions
- 6 % positive mentions
- 11 % neutral mentions
- 83 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding in the game to be minimal and manageable, with meaningful upgrades that don't require extensive farming unless pursuing multiple builds or achievements. The crafting system is praised for providing a sense of accomplishment without feeling tedious, and while some material gathering is necessary, it is generally described as satisfying rather than annoying. The game strikes a balance, allowing for smooth progression without the burden of excessive grinding.
“It isn't such a long game, with the currently 2 chapters released, it took me about 7 hours to finish, while I wasn't grinding or trying to get every achievement.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“It was about 3/4 of the way through the game and playing through again would be annoyingly tedious.”
“This means, the only real grinding you would do in this game would be for the achievement for crafting and cooking everything.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is a striking blend of lightheartedness and darkness, transitioning from a cute environment to serious and even horror elements. The detailed pixel art and character designs enhance the immersive experience, while the soundtrack complements the gameplay, creating a unique and engaging ambiance. Overall, players appreciate the rich atmosphere that combines humor, complexity, and emotional depth.
“Really detailed pixel art combined with the large variety of more fleshed out character art for the conversations made for a very nice atmosphere.”
“Great comedy, excellent atmosphere, and a complex horror plot that just lulls you with its initial comedy before the true nightmares begin.”
“I expected just a funny and cute environment, but the story and the atmosphere is serious and later on, even dark.”
“This is what happens when you mix the gameplay of Terraria with the atmosphere of Made in Abyss.”
- stability7 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is marked by frequent bugs and glitches, particularly in the menu and combat systems, which can lead to confusion and frustration. While some players report no game-breaking issues, many note that the experience is marred by minor but persistent technical problems, especially in weapon crafting and attack mechanics.
“Too buggy for me right now.”
“It glitches the menus and other weird things like breaking the screen, but it left me more confused than excited.”
“The combat can be slightly buggy in some areas such as attacks clipping through terrain and large almost impossible to dodge attacks if positioned wrong.”
- character development6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is highlighted by its unique and charming character designs, which some players find endearing despite their absurdity. While the designs are praised for their creativity, opinions vary on whether they compensate for other shortcomings in the game. Overall, the character designs are considered a standout feature, appealing even to those who may not typically enjoy anime or manga aesthetics.
“Can't wait for the next game from the studio, with more mature game systems and the same level of character designs that made me fall in love with this game <3”
“Character design in general was top tier!”
“Character designs are great, especially the last boss.”
“While the absurd character designs can be a bit distracting, pulling you out of the moment and asking such questions as 'why the hell am I listening to a living pineapple ponder the meaning of its place in society and have an existential meltdown while being slowly crushed under the tyrannical rule of a living ice cream cone?' I've found those moments only serve to enhance the charm of the game.”
“- Cute character designs that don't ultimately make up for the game's negatives in my opinion.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is considered decent due to varied combat and build options, which can make each playthrough feel distinct. However, with only two hours of content currently available, many players feel that the replay value is limited, and some do not recommend the game based on this aspect. Future updates may enhance replayability as the game develops.
“In terms of replayability, I'd say it's pretty decent as the combat is fun enough and varies with each build, making every playthrough feel different enough to not get old.”
“The game might have a small amount of playtime or replay value right now, but as the game finishes development, that should increase.”
“There are only 2 hours of content, so it might be intended to be played multiple times, but the replay value isn't there.”
“Overall, I would not recommend this game; there is no replay value, so the money is better spent elsewhere.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is praised for its smooth performance, contributing to an enjoyable experience, while its unique art style enhances the visual appeal.
“The game runs smoothly and features a very fun and unique art style.”
“Optimization will also increase.”