Fairy Tail: Dungeons review: Cards with character (2024)

Fairy Tail is one of the bigger anime/manga teen-centric action epics out there that doesn’t orbit the Shonen Jump banner. Because of that, we’ve seen some interesting video game projects using the IP, with different vibes from what we usually see from Bandai Namco. A recent RPG developed by GUST of the Atelier series was good, and a sequel is on the way. In the meantime, IP holder Kodansha has propped up a trio of indie developers to release smaller projects, letting them use creator Hiro Mashima’s world and characters. It’s an unusual move, but a respectful one in a world that’s rough for indies.

Dungeons and a Dragon Slayer (and cats and other weirdos)

Fairy Tail: Dungeons is the first of the set, made by solo developer ginolab (Soul Vars). This game is a fairly straightforward deck-building roguelike, which has players battling against the odds to make their way through an otherworldly dungeon. There aren’t a ton of wild gameplay twists that set Dungeons apart from its peers (and there are a lot of peers), but what ginolab does a great job of is capturing the boisterous vibes of Fairy Tail in such a small space. From the adventurous flute-driven soundtrack (from Secret of Mana composer Hiroki Kikuta!) to each character’s distinct power set, Fairy Tail: Dungeons is a perfect way to revisit the series in small, but satisfying portions.

It's FairyTail, not Fairy Tale

It’s probably not a surprise to know that story isn’t a driving element in Fairy Tail: Dungeons. The game assumes you know who the Fairy Tail members, including but not limited to Natsu, Erza, Lucy, and the smattering of weird cat creatures, are already. The scenario is a fairly boilerplate excuse to get the gang together exploring a mysterious, ever-shifting dungeon, featuring a couple of mysterious new characters you’ll never see again. It’s fine; this is a perfect game for popping in and out of on your Steam Deck, where the satisfaction comes from a well-done run. Or a memorable failure or two, you know, the roguelike way.

Each character has their own powers, and those powers are reflected in how their decks operate. Natsu is all about big damage, Gray is much more defensive, and Erza transforms with myriad side effects. Some impressive animations and the card synergies themselves are intuitive translations of these powers and personalities, making each character fun to play around with if you know the source material. A universal mechanic, Magic Chains, also makes deck-building exciting in and of itself.

Nuts and bolts, meat and potatoes, cards and explosions

Another key aspect of deck building involves unsealing skills. Each character's powers are locked by the dungeon, and only by getting through and gathering resources can they reopen their abilities. These come in the form of a skill tree that is never arranged the same way on a run. You get your basic Magic Chain to start, but everything else is a matter of choosing where to spend your initial points, then reacting to what gets opened up afterward. This keeps you on your toes, constantly having you choose between different passives, new Magic Chains, and stat boosts based on which cards and events you encounter in a room.

I mostly enjoy building my characters each run, although it can be frustrating when it feels like you’ve accidentally made a bunch of poor choices that don’t come together well. Sometimes you just never find the cards to make the other Magic Chains happen, or you grab some passives associated with defense or shield breaking that simply never get a chance to shine, leaving you to rely on luck and raw numbers to get by. The monsters are tuned way up in a way that can make even basic encounters stressful if you don’t have a good build, and sometimes you end up in dead end situations you just have to accept.

Those parts are a bummer, especially because Fairy Tail: Dungeon’s meta progression elements are kind of confusing and bland. When you finish a run you can save the build in one of four slots for each character, which you can then choose for certain boss levels that exist in-between labyrinth stages. Being able to save your awesome build is great, but not being able to add to them or take them into regular levels feels weird. There are also item abilities you can unlock and equip, but since you can only hold so many they don’t feel very impactful. Otherwise you’re always starting from scratch, and you never get to fully fill out a skill board to see the full extent of your powers. Which feels odd for a game based on a series all about going all out with crazy powers!

Meta progression isn’t a necessary facet of the genre, but when those systems do show up in more obtuse and fumbly ways it can be kind of tiresome to engage with them. I’d rather have something more straightforward, or just focus on the core mechanics entirely. And a game like this, with its smaller scope but explosive energy thanks to the Fairy Tail stuff, really thrives on a foundational level. The art is sharp and colorful, the series’ personality shines from every angle, and the combat itself is fun to grapple with. The game even has some interesting ideas with its checkpoint-like boss stages meant to challenge your saved builds. Making use of such a burly anime/manga IP as Fairy Tail to hoist up indie games is an awesome idea, and it’s great to see Fairy Tail: Dungeons come out swinging the moment the door opens.

Fairy Tail: Dungeons is available on August 26, 2024 for PC. A code was provided by the publisher for this review.