#dungeonfighter

Dungeon Fighter - Ranger [ Pen Drawing Fan Art Commission ]

This is Dungeon Fighter - Ranger. 

I've got Commission again!  so happy! Lol

Dungeon Fighter - Ranger.

 I've got Commission again!  so happy! Lol 

Dungeon Fighter Online is online action RPG beat em up by Neople.

The Roots

Ever since I first played Renegade and Double Dragon on the NES I knew i was a fan of the beat em up video game genre. Multiple beat em ups would follow after that from one generation of console to another. Some of my most memorable gaming experiences has been from beat em ups. I remember playing Final Fight in the arcades in the late 80's and dumping all my quarters in one visit to the arcade, just so I can see what happens next.

The Mechanics

Some may argue that most of these games are "repetitive". I agree. They are quite repetitive. Most beat em ups typically only have about 2 or 3 buttons beyond the control stick. There's an attack button, a jump button, and maybe, depending on the game, a "special" button. The special button is often based on the beat em up your playing. Some beat em ups use the button as a long rage projectile attack. Some use it as a "screen clearer".  A screen clear usually kills everyone bad guy on the screen to keep your character from being whelmed. Most of the time, these screen clearers are often finite and in limited supply.

Dungeon Fighter takes the beat em up genre and adds slight fighting game mechanics with rpg elements. You can do special moves with special inputs and you can level up your character and equip gear and items onto them to improve their stats. Most beat em ups do not have this formula. You are limited to basic attack and a jump. Sometimes you can combine your button presses to have different attacks but not at the level of directional inputs much like in a fighting game.

The Look

Dungeon Fighter Online (DFO) has a pixel art style reminiscent of the arcade era of beat em ups mixed with an anime art aesthetic. The concept art is amazing and the effects of pixel art style is a personal favorite of mine. The animations of the characters are very "anime" and stylistic but that's just the art direction DFO wants to take.

The Story/Plot

There's a story and it's confusing. Every character class you select has their own generic story background which isn't really represented in the main story of the game. To be honest after my first play-through I stopped paying attention to the story and just focused mainly on the action.

The Sound

There's barely any music. When I play I usually have music playing in the background. The death cries of the NPCs are all recycled throughout the game. It feels like sound wasn't the focus of the game but if they did I'm not seeing it.

The Feel

Feels awesome. Mixing a beat em up with fighting game mechanics adds extra depth to the genre. Adding weapons, armor, accessories, and even avatar pieces also creates a more unique experience for the gamer. DFO really shines on the gameplay. It's called dungeon fighter because you have to clear rooms (dungeons) until you get to the boss. The bosses are typical pushovers much like most of the game's library of villains. But I did notice once you get to level 80+ the difficulty curve does increase drastically. You are easier to kill and the baddies take more hits to defeat.

The combat feels great. There is somewhat of an impact on most hits but it's how they are delivered and visually portrayed is what makes them feel powerful. Once again this game is very anime inspired so if you don't like that that art style then you probably won't like this game. There are also multiple character classes you can select that play completely different from one another. Playing the game as a Slayer will have a totally different feel as if you were playing with the Gunner. I suggest you try them all to find your favorite way to fight.

My personal favorite

The Why

Play it if you love beat em ups. The price is right and you don't need an expensive computer to play it. The game has a stamina/energy meter that depletes once you enter a new room in a dungeon. This meter refreshes every 24 hours. You can also acquire in game items to give you more stamina for more play time. To be honest, each character has enough stamina up to where once it you run out you are pretty satisfied with how much you've covered. If you still don't feel content feel free to create another character because she character has their own stamina meter. DFO also has a PVP mode if you're into that kind of thing. (I never really play it).

Last Thoughts

If you like beat em ups, anime style, and FREE, play this game. You can even play it with your friends. Up to 4 players can dungeon fight. If you want to invest in the game and support it you can buy "CERA" which is the in game current that can only purchased with real life dollars. Most of the purchasable items are cosmetic avatar pieces that help your character stand out and look unique. But without cosmetic avatars there is no way to make your character look distinguished. If you're a fan of beat em ups check it out. If you're not, I'd say pass on this one, but if you are looking to get into a FREE action RPG with an anime look, DFO is a great place to start.