Gamertell

Title: AWAY Shuffle Dungeon
Price: $29.99
System: DS
Release Date: November 6, 2008
Publisher (Developer): Majesco (Mistwalker/AQ Interactive)
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+
Pros: New twist on dungeon crawling, gorgeous design, high production values
Cons: “Shuffle” concept gets annoying, repetitive gameplay, shallow story, unimaginative dungeons and bosses
Overall Score: Two thumbs sideways; 73/100; C; 2 out 5.

AWAY Shuffle Dungeon is a game based on a gimmick. There’s no getting around that, especially considering the gimmick is built right into the title. (The dungeons shuffle, okay?)

The problem with such games is that the gimmick often isn’t enough to sustain game play. AWAY Shuffle Dungeon tries to avoid this trap through high production values and a decent mix between 2D dungeon crawling and 3D world exploration but the game ultimately doesn’t rise far enough above its gimmick.

Get AWAY From it All

In AWAY, you play as Sword, a young boy washed ashore at Webb Village after a shipwreck. It’s the wrong place to be, as Webb Village is cursed by the AWAY - a weird, annual phenomenon in which a single villager mysteriously disappears.

A couple years after his arrival, Sword seems destined to be the 100th victim of the AWAY until his love interest, Anella, sacrifices herself to save him. Ends up it wasn’t the most well-thought-out sacrifice, however, as the AWAY ends up taking the entire village, leaving only Sword behind. Thus, Sword begins his adventure to save, well, everyone but specifically Anella.

It Takes a Village

Sword will complete his quest in two ways: 2D dungeon crawling and 3D role playing. The role playing takes place above ground in Webb Village, which is mainly just a few screens of linked by caves. You’re encouraged to explore Webb village frequently as treasure chests keep popping up but the real reason you’re here is to discover the portals to the dungeons.

This isn’t difficult, as a starburst appears in the top screen when you’re in an area of importance. This is helpful but an odd giveaway in a game that encourages you to explore.

The 3D world, although limited, is attractively rendered. The graphics are pretty lush for a DS game, it’s just too bad there’s not more to do up here.

As you rescue Webb Village inhabitants from the AWAY, they’ll repopulate the town, setting up stores you can use to sell/purchase items. Materials can be found in the dungeons that you’ll sell to the merchants in order to upgrade their stores, making stronger items available.

It’s a decent enough system but it has some odd quirks. If you have an item that can only be used by the armor maker, you won’t see that item in your inventory when dealing with the weapon maker. This causes some confusion, and you’ll find yourself visiting every merchant frequently just to find out what you’re carrying around.

Lost in the Shuffle

It’s the 2D shuffling dungeons that will make or break this game for you. You’ll run between the top and bottom screens, timing your moves so you’re not caught on the screen that’s about to “shuffle” away. This is indicated by a countdown on the screen about to move, as well as rumbling when the shuffle is close.

Each dungeon behaves a bit differently but the gist is always that you have to memorize the screen order to properly position yourself to flip the right levers in order to get the treasures and reach the stairwell. If you’re on a screen that shuffles away, you’re sent back to the beginning of the dungeon (or to the bottom, if you’re on your way out).

At the bottom of each dungeon, you’ll usually find a villager to take back with you to Webb Village. Sometimes, but not always, there’ll be a boss to fight. The bosses are disappointingly boring, and you generally have to kill them all the same way (note to dungeon bosses: if you have a big, red weak spot, try some concealer).

The basic monsters you encounter throughout the dungeons are more troublesome, but you can pick up magic blobs called “fupongs” along the way to help. These little creatures follow you about (you can have up to six in tow at a time but you can’t pick up new fupongs if you’ve already got six) and provide you with unique weapons or healing abilities. In Webb Village, you can “farm” your fupongs to increase their ability levels.

The problem with the dungeons is that they all feel the same despite the different designs. Once you figure out the shuffling mechanics, there’s not much left to do other than hack and slash. Worse, the game makes it necessary for you to go into each dungeon multiple times, exacerbating the already repetitive game play. This would be more tolerable if there was a decent story to propel you into the dungeons.

But, no. It’s just your typical boy meets village, boy loses village, boy gets village back story. There are some quirky characters and a decent sense of humor, but the game doesn’t do much to bring them together.

Nice Place to Visit but Wouldn’t Want to Slash There Too Long

AWAY Shuffle Dungeon is a disappointment. It’s by no means a terrible game, but the shuffle gimmick looked more promising on paper than it does in execution. A better story and more interesting dungeons (with emphasis on solving puzzles instead of slashing enemies) could’ve easily put this game right up there with The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Instead, we’re left with a game that’s pretty cool at the start, but that few will bother to finish.

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