Dungeon Drafters (Switch) review

Fusing grid-based movement with card battling, Dungeon Drafters demonstrates a lot of ambition. Although the Switch port improves upon the original PC release, the nonsensical writing and balancing issues haven’t been remedied.

2005’s Metal Gear Acid was one of the first games to blend grid-based battles with deck builder elements. And while the spinoff didn’t have the elaborate storyline of the main series, a turn-based approach to stealth and tactical combat made it one of the best originals in the PSP’s software library. Konami, if you’re looking to publish a remaster, Acid and its sequel would be an astute choice.

Since the odds of that happening are likely infinitesimal, Dungeon Drafters might comfort those yearning for a vaguely similar experience on Switch. And here’s the best part: this release incorporates bug-fixes and tweaks that mend many of the issues that plagued the original PC release. There are still some problems, with bosses that are exponentially more difficult to kill than basic enemies. But largely, the number of frustrations has been reduced.

Six Archetypes, But No Proofreader?

Largely, Drafter’s premise is still conveyed through a word soup that’s over seasoned with lore. The opening text crawl has a surprisingly rich vocabulary but doesn’t make a lick of sense. There are incomplete sentences like, “Clearly opposed to the stable rigidity and orderly harmony of the 4 Archetypes”. Other statements are like Zen paradoxes. “Until a young man traveled to a forgotten corner of The World of Four Corners” is the type of prose you’ll be forced to contemplate in Drafter.

I’d advise you to ignore most of it and just enjoy the game’s pixel art animations. At the beginning of a run, these show your character’s ship confronting a massive storm. They awaken marooned face-down on a beach, with an imposing spite in the distance. Most gamers will recognize what this signifies.

Although there’s a map that offers plenty of NPCs to communicate with, the long-term objective is to improve your starting deck. Pleasingly, you can begin the game with one of six characters that range from a hunky brawler, a miniskirt-clad mage, a shinobi with fox ears, and a stout Totoro-looking creature. Each represents a different class and comes with its own initial deck that caters to a distinctive style of play. From a bard that summons minions, a monk who can invert the tide of combat, and that certain Ghibli-esque character’s ability to lay down traps, role-playing’s aptitudes are all accounted for. Whether you prefer direct, indirect, a robust offense, or resilient healing, you’ll earn cards that let you transcend rigid class styles.

A Slightly Improved UI

The downside is that you’ll have to do a portion of the learning on your own. Sure, there’s an interactive tutorial as well as a help guide that comes up with a push of the Switch’s minus button. But both have their minor faults. Some of the lessons can be a bit vague, so when you first encounter an effect state that leaves you immobilized until you play a specific card, bewilderment can emerge.

Previously, card descriptions weren’t always clear. This resulted in frustration until you learned how each card worked, and you became aware of your strategic possibilities. But the game now offers slightly better descriptors and offers visual highlights that show the range or direction of a card’s action. But oddly, Drafters still lacks an undo function.

Draft Dodging

Dungeon Decker’s delightful art is one of the best aspects of the title. Although the graphical fidelity and widescreen output elevated the title over Game Boy Advance efforts, there’s a similar style that paints the world with bulky, warmly colored pixels. Elements like particle effects, sweeping animations (love that Hokusai reference), and attractive title cards that announce player and enemy turns will undoubtedly charm the eyes.

And if you’re able to peer past the lingering issues, Dungeon Drafters’ core gameplay can be satisfying. As you enter each procedurally-generated room, you’ll likely find adversaries scattered about. Characters have three action points that can be used to move, attack adjacent squares, or play one of the cards in your hand. Once your points are consumed, enemy units get to do the same. Although opponent AI isn’t sophisticated, adversaries assail with different techniques. Some monsters might charge you, others might launch ground, or air-based projectiles, while still other varieties summon minions.

Spelling Flexibility

Since the game randomly draws cards from your custom deck, with a bit of practice and luck, you’ll be able to take down enemies as quickly and methodically as any John Wick film. At its best, Drafters provides a lot of autonomy, with players able to vault across the playfield while dropping a bomb midflight, or even pushing opponents into traps. Things don’t always work, with foes oblivious to a dropped dummy or an inoperative crossbow that was dropped in the middle of the playfield. But there is an auspicious amount of variety. Later, an ice zone caused the character to slide, extending my character’s movement range and changing the way I approached each encounter.

Even when you’re dealt a subpar hand, maneuvering to make the best of the situation can be fun. But your character has ten hit points which can be depleted quickly. And facing a run that doesn’t result in any rewards or boosters feels punitive. Additionally, trying to make headway without an upgraded deck can be difficult.

Trapped in the Dungeon

Since you might not earn any upgrades from early runs, prepare to face frustration with your underpowered character. The best deck builders nail a shrewd balance, where you’ll have the tools to face robust challenges. Here, Dungeon Drafters falters. There’s enjoyment to be found but also the feeling that the deck is stacked against you.

Dungeon Drafters was played on Switch with review code provided by the publisher