Dungeon Munchies is the first game from maJAJa. They are a new indie studio hoping to make it big in the console world. Now, the game barely made it into 2021 as it launched in mid-December. Because of that, it hasn’t gotten a lot of coverage.
Most publications are focused on summing up the year right now as is standard. It’s hard to cover new games in this period. For example, the PC side on Metacritic has no reviews and the Switch version only has two. There is an 80 alongside a 40 which points to Dungeon Munchies being split on opinions. What does it do right and what does it do wrong?
8 Best: Cooking Upgrades
Cooking can be a lot of fun in Dungeon Munchies. It acts as a skill tree in other RPGs. Each dish players prepare will grant them a specific buff, be it double jumps or healing every few seconds or so. Once the food is prepared, it never has to be made again.
This removes the nausea of having to collect ingredients again. Food can be equipped, removed, or re-equipped infinitely. This saves the trouble of having to gather multiple boatloads of the same ingredient for cooking. There are still reasons to do that, but the sentiment still stands.
7 Worst: Limits To Cooking And Crafting
There is a problem with the food and weapon crafting systems in Dungeon Munchies. While weapons and food can be equipped and removed infinitely, this can only be done at camps. Food is one thing but not being able to swap weapons in the field is a real pain. This falls in line with the Monster Hunter series which is both good and bad.
Players aren’t going to know what monsters will appear in an area before venturing out. Some areas will have a lot of monsters that throw projectiles. It’s best to be up close and personal with them. In other areas, it’s advantageous to use ranged weapons instead. Players can balance themselves out by equipping one melee and one ranged weapon, but it’s still a pain not being able to swap weapons on the fly.
6 Best: Tons Of Weapons
The variety of weapons in Dungeon Munchies is outstanding. There are swords, spears, and other typical RPG weapons but they all have a twist. Their designs are interesting and fit with the game’s themes.
Swords can be made out of grass and spears can be shaped out of giant monster crab claws. The list goes on. There are also more unique weapons such as a jar filled with poison gas players can hurl at enemies.
5 Worst: Stiff Animations
The movement in Dungeon Munchies leaves something to be desired. The hero character is stiff, without much flexibility in his animations. His actual movement speed is also not great which can put a damper on running around. That’s one of the core principles of this action platformer too, exploring.
It’s a shame that all of these weapons and unique characters designs aren’t matched with equally strong animations. From monsters to humanoid characters, everyone looks a bit like puppets but not in a fun way.
4 Best: Crazy Characters And Monsters
Even though the animations may be stiff, the monster designs should be praised. This is a wild world filled with imaginative creatures seemingly created from ordinary things.
For example, one of the earlier encounters is a banana that wants the hero character to eat him. A simple slice will bring joy to his yellow face. His upgrade recipe is decent too, not that it matters. It is unavoidable. That awkwardness is part of this game’s charm.
3 Worst: Try-hard Comedy
The NPCs can be just as fun as the monster designs. Simmer, for example, is fun to listen to because she is so passionate about bringing the joy of cooking to the world. Except for her, most of the other dialogue can come across as a bit too try-hard and not that funny.
The writing tries to be as clever as the game’s character designs but it isn’t quite up to snuff. The overall story isn’t that engaging either. Dungeon Munchies is more about the platforming action and that’s fine.
2 Best: Endless Exploration
There are Metroidvania-like elements to Dungeon Munchies but they are light. For example, the hero character can gain new abilities for exploration such as double jumping and wall jumping. These powers can be gained from cooking certain foods or through limb implants.
These aren’t necessary for unlocking new, mandatory paths though. It’s a pretty straightforward action platforming but the added exploration upgrades are appreciated.
1 Worst: There Is No Map
One of the biggest reasons why Dungeon Munchies may not be considered to be a Metroidvania is because there is no map. Like the slow speed of the hero character, this lack of direction can hinder exploration. It’s up to the player to figure out which ways they have gone so far.
Because of this, it is recommended to take manual notes. It’s very old school in this design approach, which isn’t a good thing. It’s more annoying than anything else but also not something worth pulling hair out over.
Dungeon Munchies was released on December 15, 2021 and is available on PC and Switch.
