Fairy Tail: Dungeons (PC)

Fairy Tail: Dungeons is the first of a number of Indie games using the Fairy Tail IP, bringing the series to a variety of new genres. Dungeons is a roguelike deck builder putting you in the shoes of iconic members of the Fairy Tail guild as they try to navigate through a mysterious labyrinth, complete with different abilities and styles for each playable character. The game was developed by Ginolabo and published by Kodansha on 26^th August 2024 for PC.

The story for the game follows the characters of Fairy Tail as they explore an underground labyrinth after Natsu and Happy find a mysterious door underneath the guild building. They meet new companion Labi here who tells them about their missing friend deep inside the labyrinth and decide to make their way to the depths themselves to save them. The story is fairly light and straightforward, but the characters themselves feel like their anime counterparts and have been adapted well for the game. The cast of characters expands throughout the games runtime, the original characters of the game add to the game well, with the story focusing on them alongside the core members of the Fairy Tail guild, with other characters appearing in more brief appearances.

The gameplay of the game tasks you with exploring the labyrinth to get down to the depths, defeating enemies you come across along the way. After selecting your character, with each of them having different specialties such as an all rounder or a support focused character, you’re let loose in the labyrinth which plays out on a grid that you can move around, collecting items and additional cards while fighting enemies before fighting the boss of the floor. The boss is triggered by a lamp being extinguished at the end of a countdown that progresses with every move, making each move count to either gear up for the ahead battle while keeping your HP as high as you can.

When in battle, you’re presented with 4 cards at a time to attack or defend with, with the ability to reroll at the cost of your own health. Each card has a set cost, meaning you must choose your moves carefully. This combat system is easy to pick up but feels great to play, with combos between moves being able to be chained together for bonuses. After three floors of the labyrinth are cleared this way, you can save the progress on the character and use it in the labyrinth depths which bring in multiple characters into a single party to fight stronger enemies as you progress deeper down into the labyrinth.

The game feels slightly easier than other games in the genre but can still offer a solid challenge, particularly later into the game with the party based battles. Each character has a grid of upgrades that can either unlock new magic chain combos or stat increases, adding more customisation to what your character focuses on outside of your deck. While in the labyrinth, you can also run into other characters from the series that offer rewards to help you in your run. While the games runtime can be fairly short, I found myself enjoying the core gameplay loop a lot, particularly the card based combat.

The visuals of the game are fantastic, with some great sprite art in the cast of characters and enemies, particularly in the case of the original final boss which was designed by Hiro Mashima, the creator of the Fairy Tail franchise. The games artstyle complements the rest of the game well, fitting in with the roguelike gameplay and combat, with some flashy animations for the more impactful attacks. The games soundtrack fits the game well too, with upbeat battle themes that fit the atmosphere of the fights well.

Overall, I enjoyed my time with Fairy Tail: Dungeons. The card based gameplay was a joy to play and meshes well with the game’s presentation, however the games fairly short runtime alongside not being quite as challenging as other similar titles hold it back from the heights the genres heavy hitters reach. Despite this, I feel Fairy Tails first foray into indie games was a great success and I look forward to seeing what other creative titles come from this new initiative.