Although a bit repetitive, the highly addicting gameplay and amazing musical score will more than make up for it!!
DFO has five diverse characters to choose from. The Slayer, the Fighter, the Gunner, the Mage and the Priest. Each character has his/her strengths and weaknesses and below is a VERY BRIEF attempt to explain each class. They are as follows:
The Slayer is a sword wielding character and in my opinion is the most "balanced" class. The Slayer relies mostly on close range fighting, although he has some skills which can damage units from afar and also has skills that let him rush close into the fray while attacking. His attacks are also very powerful and they seem a bit overpowered (at the moment). However, with the Slayer you will find your magic depleting very quickly as his skills consume a lot of MP.
The Fighter is also a close ranged fighter, however, this is all she has in common with the Slayer. She can also wield weapons which give her a very small amount of additional range. The Fighter mostly relies on grappling attacks (although she also has a single ranged attack) to deal large amounts of damage and unlike the Slayer her skill set is not as varied. Her attacks also deal large chunks of damage and you will find your magic meter rather safe for the most part.
The Gunner is hated and loved. As the name implies, the Gunner is a ranged character who can wield various types of long range weapons. The Gunner can also create legions of mechanical robots which can aid him in battle. The Gunner also has a windmill attack (literally, this guy should enter some kinda break dancing competition) that obliterates enemies around him. In PvPs (more on PvPs in a bit) he is hated by most; a Gunner who is an equivalent level of the opponent can easily deal upwards of 20% of HP with a standard combo.
The Mage is a fun character to play. The Mage as the name implies, relies mostly on magic and is rather frail. The Mage can also be played as a summoner; calling forth creature(s) to aid her in battle. The Mage also has the ability to substitute her position with a voodoo doll to escape a dangerous situation (which helps tons in PvP and clustered dungeon rooms)
And finally the Priest. Priests arent your typical RPG priests. They aren't sitting there all old and frail waiting to Heal you hiding in the back. Although the Priest in DFO can heal, he is a very strong fighter. The Priest has a very good skill set that makes him a force to be reckoned with in PvP. He can fight with his weapon (usually a giant cross, axe or sickle of some sort) or with his bare fists. Either way, the Priest can take a lot of punishment and deal more than enough back.
Now that we have all the random (EXTREMELY BRIEF) introductory junk of each class out of the way we can get into the meat of the game.
Primarily in DFO you will be traversing through a multitude of dungeons. There are usually a variety of quests offered by NPCs which relate to a particular dungeon. For example, some quests will require you to beat a dungeon with a certain rank or within a time limit. Furthermore, in DFO you have Style% and Technique%. Some quests require you to complete a dungeon with a certain Style percentage and Technique percentage. The more combos and aerial combos you do, the more Style points you get. The technique points are given according to how quickly you obliterate through enemies (Overkills) and attacking enemies from the back. In order to actually advance from one room to the next, you will have to kill all the monster within that given room. The dungeons are also like a small maze (if you will) and you will have to find your way around the "maze" until you get to the boss room. All this is done in a very simple fashion and is the core of the game. As you progress to more difficult dungeons, the "mazes" get larger. This can become somewhat of an issue because (as of now) each player has fatigue points. Every room you enter will take away one fatigue point and you have a total of 156 (there is no way to increase or replenish it thus far).
Due to the fact you only have 156 fatigue points it is a wise idea to stack quests that pertain to a specific dungeon. By talking to NPCs which give quests that require you to complete a certain task within the same dungeon, you gain more out of the fatigue point system. By completing multiple quests at the same time, not only do you save fatigue points, but you save time and you still get the same amount of EXP as you would have if you only did one quest at a time. However, one can only attempt 10 quests at once; so make sure you do not have any idle quests which you are not intending on completing as it may take up a slot of another possible quest (although you can always abandon a quest and request for it whenever you please).
There is also a party system that will allow you to have up to three other players (four including yourself) enter the same dungeon. By joining other characters you gain more EXP and for the most part, acquiring Skill% and Technique% is much easier. You also get bonuses at the end of dungeons if you are in a party. However, the most important time to party up with other players is when you attempt to complete dungeons on harder difficulties. Dungeons can be completed on multiple difficulties assuming you complete the previous difficulty with a good rank at the end. Based on your Skill%, Technique% and how many times you have gotten hit in the dungeon, you are given a letter rank at the end (which goes from F to SSS rank). By completing dungeons with relatively high ranks you can unlock harder difficulties for that dungeon. This is essential for some quests and by partying up it makes the experience much more fun and definitely a lot easier.
NOTE: I've been playing the game for a few days now (as I write this review) and I've noticed that the biggest issue when it comes to dungeons is the amount of healing items you will have. Sometimes there are fairies located in barrels throughout the mazes, however, usually there are none throughout the entire dungeon and you are going to find yourself short on healing items. You will notice that compared to your items that replenish magic, your healing items will be very sparse. Just a friendly reminder; tread carefully.
Now on to the PvP. As of right now, the PvP system isn't exactly the most balanced thing. It isn't as balanced as StarCraft (but then again what game is? X_x),nevertheless it is very satisfying to play. In PvP certain match ups work better than other match ups, but depending on the player and his/her skill set, obstacles can be overcome. Gunners are brutal in 1 v 1 and even in team fights. Yes, you can have team brawls in which all members of the team fight at one time. This is when Gunners are a real pain. Gunners can hit multiple targets from a far range and deal immense amounts of damage without having to get in the fray. You can also have a relay type system in which one character from each team squares off one another. The winner gets to stay on (and is healed a small amount after the match) and will fight the next opponent. This is a really fun system and its true value is only shown when the teams are balanced (its kinda hard when there is a Slayer or Priest that is 10 levels higher than his/her opponent and is able to kill them with a set of two to three well done combos). There are also a small variety of stages (which will definitely be increased in the future). These stages contain obstacles (whether it be spikes, swamp pits, poison swamp pits, etc.). These, albeit small, are very influential on the battle. Small fairies are also located somewhere in the stage and can turn the tides of battle (especially that healing fairy 0_0)
~~~~ Information/ Random Tidbits ~~~~
Without spoiling too much (or anymore than I already have), Dungeon Fighter is a classic beat em' game which is very satisfying. Definitely the biggest highlight (for me at least) is the AMAZING soundtrack the game has. From the character select screen to the dungeons and boss music; its simply a gem and aurally astounding. The 2D visuals are solid and very crisp. On a computer with a decent video card and 2GB of RAM you should experience no lag at all and only a bit if you are doing a four member party with everyone casting their magic/using their skills. The game also features an SP system. To make it short, its currency needed to buy skills; most skills also require you to be a certain level before you can acquire them/upgrade. Monsters drop loot like typical RPG games and it can become an issue if you are not careful. Your character can carry only so much in his/her inventory because every item has a certain weight. Upon reaching level 18 characters can advance to the next class/job. This allows characters to acquire even more skills and will ultimately make the gameplay even more satisfying and open up much more in PvPs. Without rambling on anymore than I already have, I will give my verdict from what I have experienced thus far.
~~~~ VERDICT ~~~~
THE GOOD:
- AMAZING soundtrack, arguably the best soundtrack as a whole for any game I have ever played (console and online alike)
- Very crisp and solid 2D animation; feels very comic book like
- Each class is varied and plays differently
- Each class has sub classes. The classes have a variety of skills. This will allow for characters of the same class to have a lot of variety (unlike other MMORPG games)
- Large amount of skills allow for you to do some sweet combos (lets not forget the juggling)
- PvP is highly addicting, just make sure you watch out for those Gunners and people who are a much higher level than you
THE BAD:
- As of right now, the PvP system could use some balancing.
- Relatively repetitive, but not to the point where your grinding like MapleStory. (But then again, you don't complain about Castevania being repetitive because you just use a whip all day. You don't complain about Megaman being repetitive or God of War being repetitive...)
- However, the quests are repetitive (I will give you that much).
- You will find yourself in one area of the game for a good portion of the game (although each area houses several dungeons). And only every 10-15 levels or so will you move onto the next and that can take a while.
THE MAYBE GOOD, THE MAYBE BAD:
- Fatigue system can limit gameplay OR force you to make wise decisions
- Healing items are sparse (you will find yourself running out of them much more than your MP restoring items), however this does add to the challenge of the game
- Some enemy attacks will catch you off guard. For example, when you start an attack, some enemies will not flinch and will tank the hit and simply perform their attack animation (trust me you dont want to be taking random hits ESPECIALLY from the bosses)...once again, adds to the difficulty of the game and is not THAT big of an issue.
- Melee characters will have to watch very carefully for long range enemies when in the fray (animation canceling skills are in the game, but are costly)
- Inventory system is user friendly and accessible. But the amount of weight you can hold may end up restricting you (usually not too big of a problem, but will force you to let go of some items)
- Although I rated the game "Just Right"...I would say it can get pretty difficult at times...but it is not terribly difficult; just expect to do some leveling. You don't want to be paying that heavy sum to heal yourself, if you die in a dungeon/wait a really long time for your HP and MP to restore.
All in all, definitely at least worth checking out. To me, a very hardcore fan of Streets of Rage, Golden Axe, Fatal Fury and the other beat em' ups from the early 90s, I loved this game. Feels very innovative and polished. Although the North American release of the game is only about a month old now, it is still solid. They are planning to add many new features and the game should be getting updates very steadily over the next few weeks and months to come. Great music coupled with crisp visuals and highly addictive game play, Dungeon Fighter will have you hooked for hours on end. A must play for everyone, hardcore gamers and casual gamers alike.