Though most Japanese games fall on deaf ears, this particular one has had my intrigue ever since I read an article about how dirty it is. It’s fair to say that I’ve waited a while to play this one because you think “I’m a bit of a perv”, but earlier this month I got married so that opinion of me is totally invalid. For the first time ever I’ve been playing a game whilst simultaneously checking my surroundings, to make sure that when these fabled smutty screenshots and scantily clad girls fill my screen I’m not being tutted at by other holiday makers. Yes I did play this game on my honeymoon. If any of these other holiday goers were to approach me however and glare in disgust at the characters seemingly performing fellatio on my Vita, I would have gladly discussed the game to them in great detail as despite what you and they may think, it’s actually a pretty good game.
Dungeon Travellers 2: The Royal Library and The Monster Seal is a brand new dungeon RPG for the Playstation Vita and sequel to the just as dirty To Heart: Dungeon Travellers, which released in 2011 on the PSP. In Dungeon Travellers 2, players control Fried Einhard, a ‘Libra’ for the Royal Military, a rare class of citizen that specialises in researching monsters and sealing them away into a spell book, a job that has only become necessary since the feared outbreak and return of The Demon God. Fried has also been tasked with commanding a band of sexy, barely dressed ladies with kick ass weapons and abilities as he raids the world’s dungeons and rids them of, well, sexy and barely dressed monsters. Players tackle each dungeon in first person view and must make their way through the labyrinths defeating every monster in their path, unearthing treasure and sealing away powerful beings that boost Fried’s ability to lead and succeed. If you google the game you’ll quickly find the kind of NSFW images and monsters I’m referring to, however what you won’t find is that they are not the most outrageous things found in this game, it’s in fact Fried, simply because he’s an absolute tosser.
In regards to the game’s content, I was initially shocked but not surprised at the huge level of ‘fan service’ that Dungeon Travellers relies on, so players with weak hearts or defects may want to give this game a miss. Every character and enemy is a provocative Japanese girl in some kind of slutty get up that in all honestly emits a rather desperate odour. From screenshots of defeated monsters with their clothes ripped off to a boss deepthroating a spirit, this game has it all and is certainly one to play on your own. This game by far outweighs the amount of erotic content I’ve found in previous games I’ve reviewed and it’s as if ATLUS have relied purely on male players to get turned on for this game to even be considered successful, which just gets more and more awkward and daft as you progress. But let it be known that Dungeon Travellers’ explicit content often takes a back seat in favour of the game’s protagonist being a sexist misogynist who commands a team of helpless women who can’t think for themselves. On numerous occasions I’ve sat through cutscenes that revolve around Fried calling his band of female warriors fat and stupid, if his team give him any jip he confiscates their cakes and sweets because that’s all they want in life and he also enjoys criticising his teams general appearances and attires in a cringy Dad kind of way; it’s as if this is the studio’s way of making you aware that they know their game is filthy in the worst way possible. I do not in any way find this game to be offensive as it’s just a title that has tried to appeal to its target audience in a totally extreme way, I just find it to be a tad awkward to play at times which is a shame because if you brush all of that aside you’ll unearth a pretty solid and very challenging RPG.
Each chapter will ask you to traipse through a labyrinth in search of a mutant which must be defeated and sealed away, and in order to so you must command your team efficiently and strategically as it’s certainly a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. In the beginning you’ll start with Alisia (Fighter) and Melvy (Magic User) and within the next 3 chapters you’ll accumulate the rest of the 5 base classes, Lillian (Spieler), Connette (Maid) and Monica (Scout). Each of these classes can be promoted twice to become more powerful and effective in battle and picking the best combination will determine victory, especially seeing there is 16 ladies in all to choose from. Weapons and armour isn’t purchased like in most RPGs but found in each dungeon and dropped by enemies and then ‘Identified’ at HQ which will reveal what it is you’ve picked up. These unidentified weapons are generated at random depending on your experience, so work hard and kill tons and you’ll find yourself much more worthwhile equipment. Aside from peculiar items, bizarre paraphernalia and health healing cakes, Dungeon Travellers otherwise works like your typical turn based RPG. Grind and level up your squad before each boss battle (which you’re kindly alerted to beforehand because some of them are bloody hard), buff up your team, acquire powerful attributes and strategically decimate your opposition. Each of the game’s dungeons may be bland and repetitive to play through, but they do differ to one another and you’ll be engaged in so many battles that walking through those familiar corridors and doorways won’t be too much of an issue. If it’s a lengthy RPG that you’re looking for than Dungeon Travellers isn’t quite packed to the rafters as aside from walking through winding passageways there isn’t a whole lot to do. With a single objective of hunting down a threatening mutant, each destination isn’t worth revisiting unless you wish to complete extra quests that become available later in the game, but honestly they’re not worth bothering with. These extra quests will reward your efforts with an item, some money or a weapon and to do so all you need to do is gather a few items or slay a few monsters. Sure they’re easy to do and you’ll often complete them without realising but they don’t add anything to the game experience at all, just an attempt to pad it out a bit.
Dungeon Travellers 2 is a terrifically challenging RPG and one that too carries a pretty solid and enjoyable narrative. At times the content and dialogue was a little too unnecessary, out of place and desperate to come across as funny that I often sighed at the direction I thought it was taking, so if you’re not one that appeals to the anime/manga world of ‘fan service’ this won’t be a game for you. It may be plagued with one too many strip teasing adolescents, the protagonist may be a bit of a dick and the biggest threat to the game’s world is demonic babes and fruit (seriously), but underneath all that is an addictive game that is great fun to play even if the content is as skimpy as your team’s battle attire.
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
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