You ever wish a dating sim included cool combat and magic-girl-style transformations? Boyfriend Dungeon offers that and so much more.

Boyfriend Dungeon, developed by Kitfox Games in 2021, is a dungeon-crawler dating sim with roguelike aspects. Enter an urban fantasy setting while visiting your cousin for the summer. The main objective? Fall in love or make friends! Along the way you’ll learn that some of the folks of Verona Beach are more than what meets the eye. Throughout the story you’ll meet unique weapon-people, fight through dungeons (aka dunj), build relationships, and solve the weapon abductions mystery. 

Boyfriend Dungeon was nominated for the Games for Impact category for The Game Awards 2021.

Kitfox Games is also known for titles such as Shattered Planet and Moon Hunters.

GRAPHICS 8/10

Boyfriend Dungeon’s visuals and graphics are typical of most dating-sim-type games where you have a picture of the character you’re speaking to with a text box that plays out the conversation. It’s clear that a lot of passion went into character design because each person you encounter in Verona Beach is unique. I will gush about these characters later, but for now all you need to know is that they look great graphically.

My favorite visuals are the short cutscenes that occur whenever a new weapon-person is introduced. Remember the magic-girl-style transformations I mentioned? I squealed every time I discovered a new weapon-person in the dunj.

In addition to the dating sim format, the player enjoys a top-down-style map when exploring the world, dungeons, and fighting monsters. Combat and movement animations were smooth, and although maps could be repetitive, it was a lot of fun going from room to room. The monsters were unique and I loved how their designs represented the main character’s insecurities or fears.

SOUND QUALITY 8/10

I was pleasantly surprised by the sound quality of Boyfriend Dungeon because it’s one of the first dating sim games I’ve played that has voice acting. Not every scene’s text is fully narrated, but what is narrated is fantastic. The voices perfectly match each character, which made the dates more engaging. It gave the characters a lot more personality, which is impressive given that they were already written incredibly well.

The atmospheric music either in the dunj or out in the world captures the right mood for fighting or chilling. The original soundtrack for the game was composed by Marskye, a Palestinain-American artist based in New York. I definitely looked them up on Spotify to listen to the soundtrack while I was working at my day job.

GAMEPLAY 8/10

The main plot contains about five hours of gameplay, but if you choose to level up all the weapons, it’s closer to ten hours. The gameplay is straightforward in that there is not much gaming know-how required to have a good time. The dating sim aspect is a series of choices primarily determining if you pursue a romantic or platonic relationship. The choices you make have little impact on the world around you. If you choose a more romantic route there are no consequences to romancing more than one character. 

The dungeon-crawl mechanics will satisfy any casual gamer, as you can button-mash your way through combat or memorize the combat combos each weapon performs. I enjoyed the various types of weapons that allowed for a wide range of playstyles, from daggers to brass knuckles. Getting to know each of the characters through dates motivated me to use each weapon as I traversed through the dunj because you can only get new dates as you level up. The max level is six, and at least one weapon at that level is required to fight the final boss.

CHARACTERS 10/10

Although I love a good dungeon-crawl, my favorite part was the dating aspect because the characters make this game. Whether your relationship with each character is romantic or platonic, I loved everyone’s unique storylines and struggles. I enjoy the fact that Kitfox Games doesn’t force the player into anything regarding how to interact with the characters. My #1 bae of the game is Valeria, the fast-hitting dagger weapon, because she is smart, artistic, and has a sharp wit (get it?). She also shares my fear of ducks.

If you’re curious like me and want to know how every romance shakes out, there is no penalty for dating everyone. I ended up pursuing all human-weapon relationships. Interactions are sweet and occasionally steamy, but if you prefer a more platonic route, you’ll still feel the love of friendship from your newfound squad. Not every character you meet will be human. One of my favorite characters and weapons is Pocket, the brass knuckle cat, who you befriend about halfway through the game. 

Even though all the characters are lovable in their own way, there is one detestable character who is a clear antagonist in the story. I really appreciated that Kitfox Games provided a lovely trigger warning at the beginning of the game: “This game’s story involves exposure to unwanted advances, stalking, and other forms of emotional manipulation. Play with care and take breaks as needed.” 

Without spoiling too much of the story, this antagonist spends a lot of their time following you around to win your affections in the worst ways possible. Luckily, your character is provided with the dialogue to stand up for themselves, and your new friends will protect you too. 

STORY 9/10

Your journey through the story and the characters you meet provide a nice break from reality.

The story is engaging from the get-go and provides the player a bit of a mystery to solve. Although the main plot only amounts to about five hours of gameplay, the dates and the dunj provide excellent layers to the story and your relationship with Verona Beach. 

If you’re a player who requires the “whys” of a world be answered, then this game might not be for you. This is a fictional universe in which people and animals can transform into weapons to be used by others to fight monsters in public spaces. What gave them the ability to transform into weapons? Why do monsters manifest from the characters’ deepest fears? Although these questions aren’t answered throughout the story, I would argue it isn’t necessary. I am not the type of person who needs these questions answered, so I was able to just get lost in the game.

OVERALL 8.6/10

Together, the music, gameplay, characters, and story create a compelling world that sparks a delightful experience for the player. I recommend this game to fans of dating sims who are looking for more engaging action. Overall I liked the composition of this game and was enchanted by the characters in this story. I am looking forward to future DLCs Kitfox Games creates for Boyfriend Dungeon, which is currently being crowdfunded on their Kickstarter.

Boyfriend Dungeon was released on Steam on August 11, 2021. Version 1.2.6301 was launched on September 29, 2021 and is available now on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox One, Linux, Microsoft Windows, and MacOS. The Nintendo Switch version of Boyfriend Dungeon was used for this review. The reviewer purchased this game at full retail price.