(Final Fantasy + Rogue) Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon Every Buddy

[Skinypupy]

As big of a Final Fantasy fan as I am, this is a game that had completely missed my radar. Mostly because it looked way too cutesy, but partly because I couldn't really figure out what the hell it was. I picked it up on a whim over the weekend (for Switch), and 10 hours later, it's become my sleeper hit of the year.

You'd never know it from the marketing, but this is simply a Rogue clone with a massive dose of Final Fantasy fanservice. You play as Chocobo, who - through strange series of events - finds himself in the town of Losttime. A giant bell rings every day in Losttime, which causes all the villagers to lost their memories of the previous day. Your job is to get to the bottom of the mystery through dungeon delving. It's worth noting that the story is secondary and can mostly be ignored. Which isn't a problem because the gameplay is fantastic.

The dungeon delving is an absolutel blast. This is a straight-up version of Rogue, with tile-based movement, traps, randomized maps, etc...but you're doing it all in the FF universe. Your Chocobo slings Esuna, Drain, and Osmose spells, chugs Hi-Potions and eats Gysahl Greens, all while the battle theme from FF IX plays in the background. You can choose a class at the beginning of each level, which determines the abilities you can use. So far, I've unlocked the Black Mage (spellcaster), Knight (melee fighter), and White Mage (healer) in addition to the Freelancer (base, jack-of-all-trades) class. These classes can all be leveled up, gaining additional abilities as you do. There are a total of 20 classes to unlock by completing specific dungeons or story missions, and they all play very differently. My favorite so far is the Black Mage, but I'm very much looking forward to additional classes. In typical Rogue fashion, you have limited bag space, so you have to be very judicious about what you keep during the dungeon. Do I pick up that potion because I might need it later? Or do I keep that open space in case I come across a stronger weapon? Choices, choices. You can also equip and improve gear, assigning it specific elemental or status properties against specific enemies.

You can also bring a "Buddy" along with you. Buddies are monsters that you have defeated in the dungeons. Defeat enough Goblins, for example, you can then bring one with you as a partner. They mostly just follow you and provide some extra muscle, but they will also each have a special action they can take. I'm currently partial to one who can cast Protect on my Mage (I'm a little squishy), but there are others who do damage, stun enemies, blind enemies, knock them back, etc. You can assign your Buddy at the beginning of a dungeon, and switch it out each time. There's looks to be around 100 or so different Buddies you can recruit, so the combinations with your job class seems endless. Oh, and a second person can jump in and control the Buddy as well for co-op play.

In addition to rock-solid Rogue-like gameplay, there's also a robust crafting system, a fun fishing mini-game, a gardening game, "puzzle" dungeons which require a specific set of actions to complete, and a bunch of other things to do.

The graphics are adorable (although a little dated...it's a Wii port after all) and the theme, the music, and the artwork are a FF fan's dream. That said, don't mistake it's cuteness for simplicity, as the game will absolutely kick your ass. If you die in a dungeon (and you're likely to...quite a bit), you lose everything you've picked up except for the gear you have equipped. There's also a Hard setting where you lose everything. It takes some grinding, some strategy, and a little luck to get through the difficult dungeons, but I'm finding it to be remarkably rewarding. I spent pretty much all day with this yesterday, completing the first major dungeon (fire) and quite a few of the side dungeons that open up different shops/town services/etc..

tl:dr. If you enjoy Rogue-likes and you're a Final Fantasy fan, absolutely do not miss this game. It's been mostly ignored (only one review on Metacritic), but don't let that deter you. It has been far more fun that I expected.

[Baroquen]

Awesome that you're digging the game. I assumed this was a Switch version of the old Chocobos Dungeon series, yes? With some sort of buddy/multiplayer added?

After a quick google search, I think I played the PS2 and Wii versions of it, as both sets of cover art looked familiar. I always enjoyed dabbling with those games, but there came a point where I couldn't make much more progress. I think I made the most progress with Torneko: The Last Hope (which was a Dragon Warrior/Dragon Quest version back on the original PSX).

If I grab a Switch, I'll definitely look it up.

[baelthazar]

It is also available on PS4.

[Skinypupy]

Awesome that you're digging the game. I assumed this was a Switch version of the old Chocobos Dungeon series, yes? With some sort of buddy/multiplayer added?

After a quick google search, I think I played the PS2 and Wii versions of it, as both sets of cover art looked familiar. I always enjoyed dabbling with those games, but there came a point where I couldn't make much more progress. I think I made the most progress with Torneko: The Last Hope (which was a Dragon Warrior/Dragon Quest version back on the original PSX).

If I grab a Switch, I'll definitely look it up.

Correct, it is apparently a port of a Wii game. I have it on Switch.