If Boyfriend Dungeon seems like a name that’s been knocking around for a while, you’d be right; it was initially announced back in 2017, and successfully raised $272,000 in Kickstarter crowdfunding a year later. Since then, Kitfox has been hard at work on its genre-mash-up oddity - lovingly referred to as a “shack-and-slash” - that’s part dungeon-crawler (complete with procedurally generated maps and varied combat styles) and part dating sim. “You move into your cousin’s old apartment, rent-free for the summer,” Kitfox explains in a bout of scene-setting. “To get some confidence and meet people, plus earn a little cash, you’re tasked with clearing the creatures in ’the dunj’. Soon you discover weapons [that] transform into cuties… and they’re SINGLE!… But someone’s abducting weapons and leaving them damaged in the dungeon! Who could do such a thing? Will you solve the blade-napping mystery? Will you find love? Or, friendship, at least?”. In total, Boyfriend Dungeon features seven “bae blades”, designed with an “inclusive, tasteful approach to gender and sexuality” that features male, female, and non-binary romance options. Here are your new potential weapon pals:
Estoc (Isaac): the sharpest dresser Dagger (Valeria): tired of backstabs Talwar (Sunder): worried he’s becoming an antique Lasersaber (Seven): hard to get a handle on him Glaive (Sawyer): awkward in the wrong hands Scythe (Rowan): reaping what they sow Brass Knuckles (Pocket): loves cat naps
“Take your dates out as you uncover their stories and level them up,” explains Kifox. “Embark on blossoming relationships with your weapon cuties as you capture their hearts in friendship and in love… improve your skills and fend off the monsters together because the couple that slays together, stays together.” Max Love Rank can either be reached through romantic entanglements or by forming strong platonic friendships, and for those players that simply can’t settle on a single blade, Kitfox says, “Date them all without a care, you polyarmourous dual-wielder”. You cannot, however, romance the cat, in case you were wondering. Boyfriend Dungeon also features “basic” support for modding your own weapon looks on Steam at launch, with Kitfox promising “more features to help you blacksmith your own sharp cuties and trade them with your friends” in future updates. Those ready to woo their weapons can pick up Boyfriend Dungeon on Switch, Xbox, and PC (via itch.io, Steam, the Windows Store, and Epic) for around £15/$19.99 USD. And if you happen to be a Game Pass subscribers, you can also play it there for both Xbox and PC.
