Boyfriend Dungeon Review (la .lilis.)
i cant wield the non-binary masochist so i hate it
Okay, with that out of the way, I love Boyfriend Dungeon. It is genuinely so much fun, I have very little interest in dating sims but BD is a huge exception with its incredibly compelling characters mixed with its roguelike gameplay.
It does LGBTQ+ representation wonderfully, having not one but *three* non-binary characters from all walks of life, being able to choose what pronouns your character goes by without it interfering with who you can date, and characters just casually being mentioned as gay. I love this, it's representation done so well. It's not subtle but it's also not in your face and the characters are more than their genders or sexualities. This is the key to writing compelling LGBTQ+ characters.
The gameplay, while it can get a bit stale at times, is still quite engaging. it's somewhat difficult, and the theming behind each area is clear and well implemented. The enemies can be a bit frustrating, but the game spams you with heals enough that this becomes less of an enemy design issue and more of a game design issue. Don't get me wrong, that's also bad, but it's easier to ignore.
The game also does an excellent job of introducing its main villain. From your very first date with him Sunders manages to establish that he is a narcissist who only gets by because of his looks, and a trusted advisor to him warns you that he'll chew you up and spit you out. And he maintains a constant presence in the dialogues between characters you can take part in while walking about town.
Oh wait, sorry, that's not the villain. My bad.
Sunders is the main weak point of the game for me. Even from your first date with him there are more red flags than a communist parade. There's not an atom in my body that was ever interested in his story, and I was already busy enough with the actual villain stalking me. I didn't need another one. On repeat playthroughs I never even touched his story, it just makes me sad.
But looking past Sunders, Boyfriend Dungeon is a wonderful game. The setting is pretty good, the premise is heartwarming and the various ways you can interact with the characters add so much flavor to it. This game is a steal for the price it's usually at.
but like i said i cant wield the non-binary masochist so 0/10 will never play again