The Nardio Review

 

 

Is Tottoko Dungeon worth your time?

YES!

 

What should I play Tottoko Dungeon on?

Tottoko Dungeon is a universal app for iTunes 7.0 or later and Google Play if you are into that android thing. You get the same great experience on all devices.  As always I prefer playing on the iPad.

 

What did we think without spoiling it?

Tottoko Dungeon is a wonderful new platformer from Room6. You control Umbrella, a girl who is trying to escape her evil aunty by finding a legendary wedding dress that will let her marry a prince. Trust me the writing for Umbrella is awesome. I loved her spunk and attitude as the game went on and even more so by the time the game was finished.

Tottoko Dungeon is a platformer with no jumps. In fact it’s all about forward movement. But don’t worry, this isn’t another endless runner. Instead you are able to use two special abilities to get around each level. You can stick to a few basics combinations, but if you really want to progress through the game and get all of the amazing outfits and weapons you are going to need to go back a few times and experiment with different combinations and hunt for new  abilities. This is really where Tottoko Dungeon shines brightest.

This new fresh element of power up combinations  tied to an item hunt really makes the levels pop. During your first play though of levels you constantly find yourself passing treasure chests. Lamenting not being able to immediately get it all. You can try to, but level difficulty has you playing a fun game of risk reward as you try to get as much in as possible per run while still having enough health to take down the floor bosses who hit really hard.

After you complete the game you are then able to take your gear and levels and test your luck in two harder difficulties. You can also choose to just replay the original game as much as you want. The difficulty adjustment isnt permanent. You can change it back or raise it any time you want.  You just need to unlock all of the harder levels by beating them.  As if right now I have only started doing the harder mode a bit. I am still trying to get all the items in the normal mode.

I absolutely love this game. It’s fresh, fun and familiar all at the same time.  I was entertained from start to finish and eagerly await new games from this developer. Tottoko Dungeon has been one of the most fun gaming experiances I have had in a while. Best of all: Tottoko Dungeon is FREE!!!!  Yes this is a freemium game with non intrusive ads and the ability to buy more gold if you need to. Honestly I never hit a paywall. You can also buy out of the ads if you wish to support the dev.

!!!GET THIS!!!

 

How it plays and why it works:

The gameplay for Tottoko Dungeon is almost perfect. There were some area’s I thought getting 100% was impossible, but with a lot of replay and patience I was able to 100% most areas so far. I still need to get a few more things, but so far everything seems doable if you put the time in. Just remember some runs require you to skip some things so that you can get others. Be ready for a lot of do overs for getting things, as quick button presses seem to be demanded for some areas. Completists are going to LOVE this game.

The art design is top notch here.  Everything just seems to pop in retro simple goodness. Umbrellas adorable outfits and weapons are maddeningly cute. Music and sound are quite good to.  My fave part has to do with the smart writing with some bad engrish thrown in that I’m not entirely sure is intentional or not. Either way it works marvelously. Weapon and armor descriptions could be better, but not a deal breaker.

Level design varies pretty well, enemies arent very different, but they all suite the level and go great with the story. The story here really is the winner for me. What starts off as a sort of generic quest and plot really goes out the window and we get something special and unique enough that makes Tottoko Dungeon a fresh experience.
Tottoko Dungeon is a fresh take on platforming that really works and I can’t wait to play more of this kind of game. The replay value of areas that need specific abilities to reach cannot be understated. It’s brilliant. How certain outfits give you perks while others seem useless is genius. You technically can power up even the most useless items to be useful if you really want to.  And power leveling can make a lot of the hardest parts of the game trivial.

For a free game Tottoko Dungeon puts to shame a lot of paid platformers on the appstore. With fresh gameplay that never seems too punishing. Smart writing, and a story that is actully there and good. I really have to wholeheartedly endorse any and everyone try this deceptivly simple looking game. I also really need to be the developer to hurry up and make more games like this!

With the amount of fun I have had playing Tottoko Dungeon I totally endorse supporting the developer with an in app purchase. Buy out the ads, get some gold, whatever you want. Just help support this insanely talented dev team.

!!!! Download this!!!!

 

 

No like?

Randomly missing when attacking certain enemies later in the game feels brutal at times. The way around this is some power leveling weapons /luck/ or the ability that makes you hit harder. But it does feel cheap at times. Again this isn’t a major problem, because you can just make sure you one shot these sorts of enemies. But when it does start to happen it hurts.

 

Agree? Disagree? Write your comments below

Read our other App Reviews

 

Basic info:

• FREE!!!!!
• Available for android or iOS
• 23.3  MB
• Universal app
• Three difficulty modes
• in app purchases
• Lots of replay

 

 

Weblinks

Developer: Room6

Game Site: Tottokodungeon.com

Tottoko Dungeon on iTunes

Tottoko Dungeon on Google Play

Twitter