Last year, Kitfox Games pitched an idea for a video game that mixes dungeon crawling with a dating sim. Now, the game, titled Boyfriend Dungeon has launched on Kickstarter and it has already raised almost twice as much as its goal of $50,000.
Boyfriend Dungeon is a game that mixes classic action-packed dungeon crawling with dating sims. The game takes place in modern-day Verona Beach, a southern California town. The player creates their own character (including options for non-binary) and enters the ‘dunj’ to fight monsters for money and glory. The two dunj locations revealed so far are the Verona Beach Center and the Nightclub, with a secret third location also accessible. All the dunj locations also allow spots to go on mini-dates with your weapons.
Speaking of dating your weapons, one of the main draws to the game is the dating sim aspect. In the world of Boyfriend Dungeon, certain people have the power to transform into weapons. By dating these characters/weapons (affectionately called ‘bae blades’), both you and the weapons become stronger. The weapons/suitors that have been introduced so far are:
- Sunder the talwar (male,) a club owner
- Valeria the dagger (female,) a painter
- Isaac the epee (male,) a financer
- Seven the lasersaber (male,) a K-pop idol
- Sawyer the glaive (non-binary,) a student
- Pocket the brass knuckles (male,) a cat (“Platonic love can be fulfilling, too!” says Kitfox Games.) He’s a backer reward for hitting $50,000.
- Rowan Blair the scythe (non-binary.) Their character is an original design by HATO MOA, the creator of the wacky bird dating sim Hatoful Boyfriend.
The Kickstarter explains how the dating system works:
As you date each weapon, you’ll learn more about them and earn their trust, making you a more effective team in combat.
But, in this game as in real life, every relationship is a little bit different in its benefits and demands. Some partners will teach you how to do more damage, while others will help you use skills more effectively.
Boyfriend Dungeon is currently on Kickstarter. According to its newly-made Steam page, the game is expected to release sometime mid to late 2019.