14 DAY TRIAL // I use my Ranger to draw first blood from an enemy, dealing extra damage because he is at full health, before following that up with a powerful ranged hit from the Ogre. The Elf helps with some much-needed healing and gets behind one of my front-line fighters before the Eizardess delivers a classic fireball to a group of enemy magic wielders.
They are hiding behind pieces of the scenery, which means I send the Barbarian sprinting to their position, hoping he can take the damage they will throw his way and take them down. Meanwhile, the Dwarf uses his charge to eliminate two spiders, and Agent X deals with an enemy archer using his backstab move.
The Dungeon Of Naheulbeuk - Back to the Futon is developed by Artefacts Studio, with publishing handled by Dear Villagers and E-Home Entertainment. This is a downloadable content pack designed to appeal to fans of the core game, delivering four new story chapters and challenging new encounters.
The narrative is crafted to take the adventuring band back to their familiar stomping grounds, with the twist being that this is a different time. Everything is both familiar and different, with the characters constantly talking about the weirdness of the situation.
The Dungeon Of Naheulbeuk’s writing has been focused on quips and irony since the start, something that the DLC doubles down on. I laughed a few times but the humor is an acquired taste.
The biggest joys in Back to the Futon can be found in its turn-based, tactical engagements. The player’s party is made up of a variety of classic fantasy archetypes and each enemy group poses a different challenge. Make sure to see what each can do before placing your own characters to start the fight.
To win a battle, preferably with limited health loss, it is important to understand what each ability does and when it is best deployed. Use movement and facing to avoid flanking, spread out when facing casters, boost the ogre as much as possible, and send him into the enemy's second line.
Don’t forget to use the group's abilities just before the party’s situation becomes critical. Most players will try and keep all their characters conscious and fighting, but victory is possible with a loss or two, as long as you can them bring back to full health.
Enemy forces are smart and know when to focus their attacks on one party member. Outside of combat, gamers need to explore the place, looking for puzzles to solve or secret areas to loot. It’s also important to take care of the characters, improving their equipment where possible and investing XP in improved skills.
The Dungeon Of Naheulbeuk - Back to the Futon builds on the presentation of the original game. It mixes a cartoon-inspired look with classic fantasy elements. Combat is more visually engaging than exploration and the game offers all the information required to make good choices in battle. The voice actors know their characters and deliver the sometimes weird lines with the best of intentions.
The music is a little disappointing, as it stays too close to classic fantasy themes and doesn’t capitalize on the weirdness of the universe.
Conclusion
The tactical, turn-based battles, are the best part of the experience, challenging in all the right ways with little frustration. The Dungeon Of Naheulbeuk - Back to the Futon does not innovate in any significant way but it plays the hits using all the right notes, just like its minstrel.
A review code was provided by the publisher.
