Bizarre dating sim Boyfriend Dungeon causes a stir on Twitter – ‘so is this Hades but gayer?’
Announced at the Nintendo Indie World Showcase, Boyfriend Dungeon is out right now and gamers are confused and delighted by it in equal measure.
Developed by Kitfox Games, it’s both a dungeon crawler and a dating sim in which your weapons are also your boyfriends.
Yes, it’s as bizarre as it sounds.
https://twitter.com/KitfoxGames/status/1425505065780011008?s=20
The game was originally announced in 2017 and successfully raised $272,000 on Kickstarter. Fans have been eager to play it ever since.
And now it’s finally here across Switch, PC and Xbox – plus it’s available on Game Pass. Nintendo tweeted about the release after their Indie World Showcase in August, and the tweet went viral.
In this dungeon crawling adventure, your weapons are more than hunks of steel, they’re actual hunks!
Date your weapons in #BoyfriendDungeon by @KitfoxGames, available now on #NintendoSwitch! #IndieWorld
🗡️: https://t.co/qEgfoPRQdA pic.twitter.com/AsWtPqlphu
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) August 11, 2021
It gathered a whole host of confused and admiring replies, including one person who asked: “so is this Hades but gayer?”
So how exactly does it work? You can date up to nine different weapons that not only represent battle options but different genders and sexualities with male, female and non-binary characters.
And if you can’t settle on one weapon to date… just date them all.
You’ll date your weapon(s) through a visual novel style narrative and take them on a variety of dates, before battling through procedurally generated dungeons.
“You move into your cousin’s old apartment, rent-free for the summer. Plus, he’ll help you solve your little problem… you’ve never been on a date in your life!” explains the Steam page.
“To get some confidence and meet people, plus earn a little cash, you’re tasked with clearing the creatures in “the dunj”. Soon you discover weapons you find transform into cuties… and they’re SINGLE! (What a craaazy coincidence because you also happen to be up for grabs yourself.) But someone’s abducting weapons and leaving them damaged in the dungeon! Who could do such a thing? Will you solve the blade-napping mystery? Will you find love? Or, friendship, at least?”
The internet is already going wild for Boyfriend Dungeon thanks to its queer-friendly narrative and meme-worthy humour.
I AM OBSESSED WITH BOYFRIEND DUNGEON by @KitfoxGames!
I LOVE THIS GAME. Its a dating sim where you date your weapons.
I was sent a ⚔️ pic live on stream! pic.twitter.com/zPiAXs6KPF— iamBrandon 🇵🇸 🏳️🌈 (@iamBrandonTV) August 12, 2021
https://twitter.com/MermaidRoyal/status/1425544032516812803?s=20
The developers are certainly proud of the game.
boyfriend dungeon's coming out in 6 minutes
on Xbox, Windows Store, Steam, Epic, Nintendo Switch, itchbeen working on it for 4 years
I'll have a lot to write but for now
my team is the best and I can say, honestly, it's true success to work with them every day— Tanya X. Short (@tanyaxshort) August 11, 2021
Boyfriend Dungeon is finally out!!
I voice Isaac the Estoc!
If you wanna date my voice it’s now possible!! Out Now!! https://t.co/1esMo8p2Rp— Justice 🎙️ (@Seigi_VA) August 11, 2021
🗡️ Boyfriend Dungeon is out NOW 🗡️
I'm so happy everyone can finally play this dungeon crawler dating sim on PC, Xbox & Switch! This was my life for almost 4 years – building a lovely, thirsty @KitfoxGames communtiy.
I hope you love it.
💜 https://t.co/ruVZ1sGJNs pic.twitter.com/bKS1TN1Mfp
— Victoria Tran 🧋 (@TheVTran) August 11, 2021
Even more, it’s the thoughtful touches that have pleased players. For instance, you can choose whether a character called “Mom” interacts with you, as well as choosing pronouns.
https://twitter.com/catfashionshow/status/1425511562186399755?s=20
Jenn started playing @KitfoxGames Boyfriend Dungeon, and this came up and struck us in the heart.
Jenn's mother passed when she was young and their relationship was traumatic for her.
It meant so much for her to see this. pic.twitter.com/8xeQvFA0fh— 💀 Christopher Means 💀 (@Christoph_Means) August 11, 2021
We’ll have a review of Boyfriend Dungeon very soon.
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