Grotesque Tactics 2: Dungeons and Donuts is the direct sequel to Grotesque Tactics. Created by Headup Games, Grotesque Tactics is a turn based role playing game, set in the fantasy kingdom of Glory. Grotesque Tactics sets itself apart from the bog standard RPG, by setting itself as a parody of the standard RPG and fantasy game.
Set after the first game, the kingdom of Glory is plagued by a magical fog causing people to disappear. Those that survive do so by taking shelter in the catacombs, only to be forced out in search for food; Drake is one of these survivors. Soon Drake has bigger ideas, with the desire to begin his own guild, only for more complications to arise on the way as his adventure grows.Grotesque Tactics revolves around group control, much like any other game with “Tactics” on the end. Each character is given turns to move across a large grind, and then allowed to choose from a selection of moves. This style allows players to quickly flank targets or a pre-emptive move to give the player an advantage, of course the enemies you will face can also attempt this, but for the most part it is scarcely seen.
Combat has its own little charms, with characters overreacting to missing an attack, or trying to fire an arrow only to somehow trip, it certainly adds but doesn’t distract from the lacking gameplay. Grotesque Tactics gets the basics right, but fails to add enough depth for anyone who has played an RPG: A lack of equipment modification, with only four item slots means swapping equipment is less the frequent; Players are also given a talent tree for each character, but lack any drastic effects and are rarely noticed unless complete avoided.
The games graphics are average at best, however much colour is injected into the game’s world, which can prove a nice distraction to the common brown and grey game of today. The colour doesn’t save the game’s graphics and art style, which remain certainly not the best.
The game really goes for the humour, it’s everywhere: combat, art style and even most of the character names, with the likes of the Holy Avatar. The game drips at the seams with fourth wall breaking parody, from pointing out generic narrative to joking about the idea of a quest givers; the game really doesn’t have any areas of RPGs it doesn’t poke fun at. This really shows what Grotesque Tactics is trying to be, a self-parody. The humour will tend to hit the funny bone every now and then, but for the most part, it will only be chuckles, for some this might not be the case, but Grotesque Tactics certainly has its niche. One thing that can throw a spanner in the works is the voice acting, much of it is okay, with all most all the dialogue voiced, however much of it not the best. Drake the lead character is one of these problems, the character is intended to be whiny and easily labelled as Goth or Emo, and however the voice over for some can just be antagonising.
Gameplay
Grotesque knows the basics fine, but fails to make any advancement from there. It leaves many things without much if any depth, leaving much to be desired. Most players can bare it for the jokes but the much of the gameplay can prove to be more of a tedious issue, rather than a fun addition.
Much is left to be desired for a veteran RPG gamer, but for fans of any other Tactics series, this game is well worth a quick glance.
Presentation
With below average graphics, the game manages to pull its self-back up by bathing it’s self in layers and layers of parody, and observant jokes, It helps the game but sadly the average voice acting hits the game at points.
Longevity
A fairly long affair, lasting most players around the 14 hour mark, with additional selection of many different side quests, sadly the game doesn’t give much incentive other than the difficulty modes to replay the game, as once the jokes have been heard, the second time won’t be nearly as fun.
Overview
The game redeems itself with a modest length and vast amounts of jokes; however both of these things are never strong enough to get the game any higher. The game manages fine in most regards but lets it self-down by lacking depth in the gameplay.
Grotesque tactics can prove to be a good game for a select few, but for many it will remain a niche game for parody and tactical RPG lovers.
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.
