Overview – developed by DualArcade and published by Shady Corner Games, Dungeon Vixens: A Tale of Temptation is an old school style dungeon crawler, with a seductive and saucy twist to it. Challenge the labyrinthine dungeon, battle monster girls and find your way to the throne room to reclaim your lost love. This title is out now for Steam, GOG and Kagura with a link to each version of the game available at the bottom of this review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank DualArcade for providing the copy of Dungeon vixens that was used for this piece. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
Mature Content Warning: this title is intended for adults only, this is due to the inclusion of explicit sexual content, with sexual language, graphics and sexual contact involving non-human fantasy characters. If this type of content offends you or you are under the age of 18, please click off this piece and check out some of the other content on the site.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review, starting off with the story. Please note that I will be referring to the game as simply Dungeon Vixens ATOT for the sake of brevity.
Story – a year has passed since you lost the love of your life, lonely and alone you hear whispers of the Monster Queen’s Labyrinth, a place where wishes can be granted. Filled with the determination to reclaim your lost love, you set out on the perilous journey to the heart of the mysterious maze. Do you have what it takes to reach the end, find the Monster Queen who resides in the labyrinth and get your wish granted.
Gameplay – Dungeon Vixens ATOT is an old school style dungeon crawler, reminiscent of classics like monster maze, with the goal being to reach the final floor of the dungeon. Navigate the halls of the labyrinth, uncover the secrets that it contains and engage in battle with the monster girls that call the maze home. The labyrinth will have many twists and turns, making it easy to get lost in the halls of the dungeon, along with traps and gates that will hinder progress.
While traversing the labyrinth, the player will encounter enemies that will attack when they are within the line of sight. When this happens, combat will begin using a special turn based battle system. Combat in Dungeon Vixens ATOT uses a battle slider system, where the player will need to time their actions to succeed in battle. When attacking and defending the slider will move left and right, with the timing of the player affecting the damage of that turn.
The battle slider behaves differently based on attacking and defending. When the player is making their move, the slider marker must be stopped as close to the middle as possible for a critical hit. During the enemy turn, a timer bar will deplete with the target being to keep the marker in the middle as it bounces with each input. Mastering these combat mechanics are key to success within the dungeon, as the player has one life per run.
If the player is successful in battle, the monster girl will give up and an intimacy scene will occur the first time they are defeated (this can be changed in the settings). After defeating an enemy, the player is given coins as a reward which is added to their loot bag. These aren’t the only treasures that can be found in the many floors of the dungeon. There are chests that are scattered throughout the labyrinth, containing coins and items that can aid the player, including healing potions and markers that can aid navigation. Players can also find spells that can change the outcome of battles, with the spells affecting the stats of monster girls in combat.
Hostile monster girls aren’t the only inhabitants of Monster Queen’s Labyrinth. Players will encounter NPC characters within the halls of the dungeon, interacting with them to gain a variety of benefits. The most important one is the Shop, run by the Goblin shopkeeper GlimGlim who will sell a variety of wares to the adventurer. If the player has the coin, they can woo GlimGlim and be rewarded with discounts in exchange for more personal services.
Last to discuss are the countless secrets and bonuses that are scattered throughout the dungeon. Hidden behind secret walls and light puzzles, players will encounter special secret images, treasures and much more while exploring the dungeon floors. These secrets and bonuses, as well as multiple endings and even the potential for speedrunning add to the replay value of this title, giving players a lot to do in a relatively modest package.
Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to move onto the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.
Controls – Dungeon Vixens ATOT uses a nice and simple control method, with support for both keyboard/mouse and controllers. The game can be played with just the keyboard, just a mouse or an Xbox controller, with the most comfortable way to enjoy the game for me being with the standard pc control set up. The feel of the game inputs is very smooth, with no lag during play with any of the chosen control styles and the game is comfortable in general.
Difficulty – there is a moderate difficulty curve to this title, as some monster girls have the capability to wipe the player out in a single hit. This can be dangerous when at low health while in the dungeon, as being taken down in a battle will send you back to the title screen. Luckily, there are checkpoints at set levels that players can jump back to after defeat. Players will also get to keep all gold and items they earn each run, giving players a better start each time.
Presentation – visually, Dungeon Vixens ATOT is a real throwback to classic adventure games, like Monster Maze with 3D style environments, flat sprites and limited use of color. The overall style of the game works well in tandem with the gameplay, alongside adult material that adds to the distinct feel of the game. The dungeon itself is mostly silent, with music only playing when encountering a monster girl, this gives each encounter more depth and can add to the tension of a battle.
Final Thoughts – I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first loaded this game up, as I went into it with little knowledge of it while doing some testing of the pre-release version. After getting to grips with the game and the unique combat system, I had a great time with it and very much enjoyed my stay in the dungeon. The story is fairly simple, but the secrets throughout the labyrinth give so much more depth to the game, along with the various NPC characters that can be encountered.
The concept, gameplay and overall presentation of Dungeon Vixens ATOT come together to create something more than just adult content. There is fun and challenge with the gameplay, needing strategy and planning to be able to make it to the end of the Labyrinth. This like many of the titles under the Shady Corner Library focus on gameplay first, with the adult content secondary to everything else. Dungeon Vixens ATOT is an easy recommendation, especially at the modest price.
In the end, I give Dungeon Vixens: A Tale of Temptation a final score of 4.5/5. This is a fun and challenging throwback to classic dungeon crawlers, with a lot of depth to the narrative, a unique combat system and good use of adult content that is more than just mindless titillation. If you want to check this title out for yourself, a link to the game will be below.
Link to Steam version (HERE)
Link to GOG version (HERE)
Link to Kagura version (HERE)
W.Kohaku Media 