I’m not a mobile gamer, since I am not to keen on the free to play model that most mobile games are based upon. But there is no secret that mobile games move the money. The Nintendo Switch console had made developing so easy that even mobile-only devs are trying their hand on the nifty console. We now have a game called Dungeon Stars, and I must say that I was surprised how fun the game is even if it sometimes it can’t let go of its mobile pay to win tactics.
Dungeon Stars story is about how brave heroes using the power of star portals were able to defeat an ancient evil. However, their power has been fading, and it’s up to a new cast of heroes to venture into the portals and discover why the stars eternal power is fading while rescuing fallen heroes. This is the story in a nutshell. It is not going to win awards for being that original, but it’s fine. The game mechanics more than make up for the silliness of the story.
When you start the game, you can choose from one of three heroes. I went with the Assassin with the poison blade (I like the assassin job in every game that has it). After I chose my hero, the game throws at me a tutorial stage to learn the ins and outs of the game. That is when I found out that the game is an auto runner type of game! Your character moves on its own as expected and attacks automatically.
However, the tutorial fails to mention several important game play information. For example, by pressing B repeatedly, your character can attack faster By pressing and holding A, you can do a shield breaker attack. When you encounter enemies with a shield icon above their heads, you need to use that attack to break their defenses and make short work of them. With Y, you can block enemy attacks (you still suffer some damage but not as if you didn’t block).
After going through the basic tutorial, you can then enter the Star portals. There are several objectives in each one and each portal has several levels. You need to play through in order to beat it. However, with only one character, it is hard to do it. Luckily, there are rescue missions within the star portals that you can tackle and at the end, you can rescue another hero or pet to help you on your quest. It is really important to save as many heroes as possible, since the game uses a rock, paper, scissors system. Green beats Blue. Blue beats Red, and Red beats Green (so that is why the characters have those color auras).
The same can be said about pets. Pets are companions that allow you to use a special skill, depending on the pet and the color alignment. For example, a red ghost uses a scream that scare enemies and stop them in their tracks (regardless of the color alignment) and can help you deal some extra damage without you being damaged. If the enemies hits are weak against Red, the damage is greater. If they are the same or other color, it is just standard damage.
Once you get three heroes, you can chose all three to tackle each dungeon. You can swap your current hero with ZL or ZR . You can do it in real time while attacking after doing a swap. There is a cool-down period you must wait it order to swap again. This makes the battles really dynamic because a dungeon could be full of Blue type enemies but you can find a tough mid-boss enemy who can be contrary of your color. So, a quick swap to deal with it its a must.
You can also upgrade your heroes. In each dungeon, you can find treasure chests. In these chests, you can find sigils. These sigils can be used to add a Star to your heroes. Upgraded heroes have better stats and are able to use different accessories to give them the edge on the dungeons (you can find these accessories while defeating enemies and opening chests). Also, upgraded heroes are able to take a pet to help them in the dungeons.
In some dungeons you can find a dark sinister star that if you attack and break the pedestal it’s on, you can unlock a limited time Star Dungeon. In these star dungeons, you can find powerful allies and pets as well as powerful necklaces and belts to power you up, so it’s worth to venture into them. Some have restrictions like only one of your heroes can enter the dungeon or two but with different levels and color alignments that make it hard to choose the right team. However, the rewards that can be reaped are so worth it.
I like how the game looks. Graphically, it has cartoonish look, and the music goes well with the theme.
I also like how for example the salesman at the store says, “I have 5 dragons to feed, so don’t ask for any discounts.” And there sure aren’t. This is my only qualm with the game because it seems that the pay to win model hasn’t left the game completely.
While there is no DLC or anything, the prices of the items on the store are absurdly high. This wouldn’t be a problem if the enemy’s drop rate was decent, but it isn’t. They drop but a few coins, and when you want to upgrade just one hero from two stars to three, you have to pay 10,000. Besides the items needed the sigils and essences needed, I’m okay with grinding, but getting only 2,000 gold after four or more runs makes upgrading or purchasing items a chore.
Bottom Line: Dungeon Stars is a interesting take on dungeon crawling. While the only control you have over your character is attacking and defending, it’s nonetheless a really fun experience. I liked my time with the game, even if I don’t like the drop rate of gold or items. If you are looking for a fun game to sink several hours without noticing and don’t mind the steep prices to upgrade and purchase items, the stars can show you the way.
A Review Code was provided for this review.