Cards meet dungeons… again!
Developed by XPII and published by Waku Waku Games, this innovative title is as simple as it is captivating. Following in the footsteps of many dungeon crawlers before it, and the current trend of card battlers, XPII have hit Gold(en Warden) with this delightfully cute 2D adventure.
Starting off with just the brave knight, we enter a tutorial. Each turn we will draw 3 cards that each have their own effects, and a movement value which is indicated by a die on the top of the card. Any weapon cards that are unused get stockpiled to deal more damage to the next unlucky foe on your warpath. It’s that straightforward! As you descend through the dungeons, slaying beats, battling bosses and dodging traps the game gets more complex.
We’re still relegated to moving through our cards but after each floor is beaten, or survived… we get treated either to a shop where we can spend our coins (which are exclusive to that run) or we are offered a choice of 3 power ups which can be weapons, trinkets or sub-cards! We can also visit shops on the floor, and sometimes use that to our advantage by dodging an attack by ducking into a shop, or using it as a safe floor panel.
Traps vary in complexity from simple explosives to sticky traps, fake floors and later even lava pits. Sub cards can be used to either boost your defences to survive, or to transform the tiles into money or some other useful thing.
Currently there are 5 playable characters, each with their own loadouts, mechanics and abilities. The knight for example gains 1HP between floors, whereas the Hunter excels at long range, gaining +1 to damage against enemies 4 or more tiles away. All of these characters are cute, with equally cute sprites to fight through the dungeon with, but all equally vulnerable to the treacherous depths. Sadly there’s no multiplayer option, but perhaps it could be implemented in future updates or releases from the developers
Soundwise the game emulates the chiptune melodies and sound effects of games long since past, evoking a retro vibe that matches its difficult nature perfectly. I can imagine this as a fairly successful or popular arcade cabinet akin to Contra or other coin guzzlers.
It’s a solid game with a lot of heart and plenty of different methods and approaches to victory and honestly such a fun, addictive experience that’s perfect to just pick up and play without needing to worry how far in the game you are. While it does follow a lot of modern rogue-lite tropes, there’s not a soft power-up between runs available. Diamonds, unlocked from gameplay, go towards character unlocks or unlocking fun new colour filters, based on different locations and palettes, which is a nice touch, especially if you’re not a massive fan of the GameBoy™ original green.
Verdict
Golden Warden will fit nicely into any roguelike or dungeon crawler sized gaps in your game library. It’s definitely worth a pick-up if it sounds interesting to you, and I guarantee it’ll take a while for you to put it down!
Where to Buy
- Nintendo eShop
#AffiliateLinks – Prices correct at time of publishing.
Credits
Written by Luke Young
Edited by Mark McAllister and Leon Fletcher
Graphic Template by Paul L. Russell
Disclaimer: Occasionally, we are sent a copy of the game from the publisher to review.