Tangledeep is a very fun and hectic dungeon crawler you should check out on Nintendo Switch. Find out why in our Tangledeep review!
Impact Gameworks took Tangledeep to Kickstarter back in the spring of 2017 with a plant to release on PC, Mac, and Linux. The game hit its base funding goal of $15,000 and accrued double that and while hitting some stretch goals. I’m happy to report that the game has now found its way to the Nintendo Switch console. I played the game both on the TV and on the console’s Portable mode, and I enjoyed it a bit more while playing on the go because the game does have some rather small text boxes.
Tangledeep is a retro turn-based dungeon crawler with strong RPG elements and a vast world to explore – this is not a game you’re going to finish in an afternoon! The game offers a lot concerning customization, with a total of 12 classes, with only four of those being locked. Each class has specific skills and abilities as well as weapons that are available to it, which adds a nice variety. For example, Paladins use swords, so you’ll need to make the most of their stat build and weapons to stay alive during your adventure. You can make the game as easy or as hard as you want to based on which class you use.
Before you start the game, you need to choose your style of play from the available modes. You can choose from a roguelike mode in which any money banked, and all town progress is saved, which is a good option for players of an intermediate skill level; one where upon returning to town half your money is lost, and any unspent Job Points (JP) and Experience Points (XP) are also lost, which is a big on the extreme side of things; and a mode with permadeath where if you’re done for then all your progress is lost and all save data is gone as well – this is only for those of you who are in for a more hardcore experience.
Combat is interesting since it is turn-based in the sense that you and your enemy takes turns to move around the area grid, but engaging in actual combat is a bit in real time, so you have a mix of elements from both. You will always need to be aware of your surroundings and keep an eye on your enemies, or else you risk making a mistake and painting yourself into a corner, with a group of enemies slowly making their way towards you to deal some considerable damage that could prove to be fatal.
As you explore more and more of the randomly generated dungeons, the treasures you will find will become better, while the enemies will get stronger. This is why you need to spend your JP as you go so that you can improve your character and gain access to bigger and better skills that can even out the playing field – same goes for you making the most of the loot you find so that you always have the best equipment on you so that you’re ready to go. Remember that if you play on some of the modes, you will lose some of your JP and XP, so there’s no use in stocking up on it if you’re going to die trying.
And there is a lot more to Tangledeep than just dungeon crawling! Your town is full of quests as well as shops where you can sell the stuff you get in dungeons. There is also a bank where you can deposit your money, which is a smart thing to do because if you die out in the field, you will lose your money. You do have to pay a deposit fee to put money in the bank, which is something that felt a bit weird and that might get in the way of your plans – in the end, it is a necessary evil and not a deal-breaker but something I did want to bring up. You can also plant stuff, catch monsters and tame them, turning them into pets, and more!
My two complaints with the game are that the menus are a bit too complicated and do take some getting used to since they offer a ton of things to do and not much of a tutorial on them. The other thing is that movement can only be handled with the D-Pad and not with the left analog stick, which feels like a weird design choice. Again neither one is going to destroy your overall enjoyment of the game, but they are things that need to be mentioned since some of you might feel put off about them.
Tangledeep is a game that I was looking forward to playing on a console, and I’m happy to report that it’s definitely one to buy on Nintendo Switch. The game offers a ton of things for you to do, a difficulty that goes up as you play at a steady pace, with only a few spots that felt like a bigger jump had taken place. You can also tailor your experience depending on the mode you select to play on, as well as the classes you use for your character since some certainly make the game a lot easier than others. And if you like the game, you’ll be happy to hear that the team is hard at work on more content by way of a DLC pack that will be released at a later date!
Disclaimer
This Tangledeep review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by Impact Gameworks.
