Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I DON'T KNOW!Travel back to Comic-con last Summer with me, won't you? I was dressed as a 1950's News Reporter and on a Adventure Time quest that lost it's value when Mighty Fine gave out the medals you'd win at New York Comic-Con. I was testing an early build of the game 'Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I DON'T KNOW!'. It was fun, playable and the first level had me and other players having to hug air as we were incapacitated by a hug wolf curse.
Skip forward to last weekend, Level 2 with two amigos with me playing the game. The game was turned off by my amigos and then we played 2009's Trash Panic, a Tetris like Japanese garbage destroying game from the PSN. Garbage was more fun than Adventure Time: Pen Ward does these long titles as a joke.
Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I DON'T KNOW! was played both on the PS3 and 3DS for this review and neither held up. The graphics for the 3DS version make it a sin against the graphics style it's tries to emulate from classic games. They are both less fun versions of Gauntlet, a four player hack and slash dungeon crawl game from 1985 that has been re-done multiple times.
I get the nostalgia, I don't get why it's so boring.
You are tasked by Princess Bubblegum to go into the many floors of the Royal Secret Dungeon. There you'll fight skeletons, some sort of a bird thing and gum goo tentacles. That's as far as I got with enemies up to level 8 or 9.
Finn, Jake, Marceline and Cinnamon Bun (wrongfully-sized as smaller then everyone in cut-scenes) are all playable from the get go. Why is Cinnamon Bun a main character? Oh, so many odd choices here. They each have their own move set, but don't learn any new moves. If you attack enough and build up their imagination bars your dungeon crawler can unleash a super attack. Finn's super attack won't make much sense unless you're beyond a fan of the show.
*Finn is in an elevator with a half- orc shaman, this comes from the episode "The Creeps" when Jake asks him to prove his identity. He asks Finn what reoccurring nightmare he has and it's being in an elevator with a half orc-shaman. It makes no sense why this cut scene is the super attack and it took me a while too even get that joke and I'm a super fan of the series.
There are some sub-weapons to collect and badges that give you certain boosts you can attach to yourself at the start of every new venture into the dungeon. I collect a cat gun that shot cats and went meow every time it fired. In theory I should have never gotten bored with that gun, it's animations weren't big enough nor did it change people into cats leaving me wanting.
One or two inside jokes aren't enough for me, the dungeon layout and attacks are boring and repetitive. The tiny 16-bit like versions of Finn and Jake are fun to glimpse at. Playing as them you get bored, start to yawn and imagine how they game could be fun.
Level layout changes further on, my amigos and I didn't make it that far. I've played the game alone and it's even less pleasing.
Loading on either one of the copies of the game was ridiculous. The game has to be so small a file size I wonder what has to even load.
Going back to look real quick, everything looked fine on my PS3 copy. The 3DS version, which should easily be able to handle the 16 bit like graphics looks ugly as the characters and enemies are blobby. Finn and Jake lose shape on the 3DS.
*3DS version has no multiplayer, what???
*3DS version has the character talking with "wawawawa" or tiny toy versions of themselves from another episode.
Clearing out a dungeon and another and another is monotonousness and gets on your nerves. The layouts are far to similar to be anything eye catching.
Many reviews complain about the music. I won't as I simply don't remember they're even being music in this title. Just want to remind you the list Adventure Time title had an OST soundtrack people wanted to get.
How WayForward managed to go so backwards on this title and make it so unplayable might be because it was directed by Tomm Hulett instead of the previous Adventure Time game director James Montagna and music seems does not come from Jake Kaufman also from the previous title.
Blame also needs to rest on Pen Ward who as a gamer himself should have stepped in a little more. I assume his role was little more than a few meetings with WayForward, but if he really wants an Adventure Time game he needs to take the time to direct it himself.
Be sure to ask for your money back from Ward at the Adventure Time Encyclopedia Benefit Dec 18 then put that money into the benefit.
Here are some current reviews off of Amazon, just debasing the game.
Even for a fan of the series I can't recommend this title.
For future reference WayForward make a title that has a thoughtful new story. Is big enough to see the quality animation and is better than a cheap homage to old school titles. I can't believe the same developer who made the Double Dragon Neon game couldn't make this a better title.
Reviewer was given copies by publisher for review purposes.
