Sword-smooching hack n' slash hybrid Boyfriend Dungeon cuts a fine figure
They beat us to the Bae Blades pun...
Boyfriend Dungeon is a strange title - it manages to sound both more kinky and less weird than the game it's attached to. Announced back in October by Shrouded Isle and Moon Hunters studio Kitfox, it's about smoochin' on swords. Part hack and slash action-RPG, part dating sim, it features a variety of weapons that transform into an equally diverse suite of suitors. There's men and women of all stripes, folk who don't fit the gender binary and apparently a kitty to pet, too. It hit Kickstarter today and is well on the way to its initial funding goal. Check out the new trailer below.
Kitfox's previous games have been an imaginative lot (a near-monochrome cult management game and a high-concept 'personality test' action RPG), but Boyfriend Dungeon feels especially indulgent. It's the kind of gleeful, heartfelt weirdness I'm happy to see more of in this less irony-poisoned, more sincere era. Set in sunny and fashionable Verona Beach, the player finds a part time job clearing out 'The Dunj'. Stab monsters in ruined but contemporary-looking tunnels, make cash and spend it on a night on the town with your favourite weapon to get upgrades in combat.
While Boyfriend Dungeon will come out even if the Kickstarter fails, clearing that initial hurdle will bring the cat, Pocket, to the game. In combat, Pocket turns into a set of bladed brass knuckles, appropriately enough. Given that the Kickstarter page has only been up for two hours, and they're over halfway to their initial funding goal, it's safe to say this one will be funded very soon. They've also got some interesting contributors, including Christine Love (Ladykiller In A Bind), Meg Jaynath (80 Days) and Hato Moa (Hatoful Boyfriend) on narrative design, writing & art respectively.
You can find Boyfriend Dungeon on Kickstarter here (where a CA$20 pledge - around £12 - gets you the game when it's finished), or on Steam here. While anything can happen and all's fair in love, war and crowdfunding, Kitfox hope to get the game out by September 2019.