Yōdanji: The Roguelike

Every once in a while, I feel the old itch for Nethack or Dungeon Crawl. Unfortunately, nowadays I have much less time & energy to spend on such games... which makes a smaller and more portable (but no less difficult or charming) game like this absolutely perfect. Admittedly, my prior experience probably made it easier for me to pick up, but I still feel like this game explains itself very well. The controls are smooth, the mechanics intuitive, and the yokai theme and cute graphics are both very fun to look at. My only complaint is actually the difficulty -- so far, I've had half my attempts end in starvation, UNLESS I'm lucky enough to find a Wood Omamori early. Perhaps I just need to fine-tune my strategy more, but it still feels like my run's success hinges on getting this random item. (I mean, not that I don't still die even with one, but at least it's not to "well I straight up haven't found enough food anywhere, time to lose HP every turn with no options to fix that before I perish.") It feels a bit imbalanced and frustrating, especially when the enemies are often difficult enough on their own! Still, this is a really easy game to pick up and play during lunch breaks, as advertised, and I consider it to be $3 very well spent. Thanks, Kemco!

This game offers a wealth of unique and interesting mechanics that differentiate it from other games of similar genres. I will note that it is very difficult, but that is a plus imo. The UI is actually really nice, the tutorial is helpful in learning said UI, and the game has a unique atmosphere among the genre that I truly appreciate. I’ve played countless mobile roguelikes and this is unquestionably one of my favorites.

Pretty much exactly what I was looking for. Something short and simple to play on breaks. Cute theme and design, challenging and lots to unlock. I really want to see more Japanese rogue likes.

UPDATE: The developer's read this review and in their next patch fixed the control issues I listed! The fact they listen to player concerns and updated their app accordingly reinforces what I said about them being developers worthy of support and recognition. Buy this game! If you're looking for a game that strikes the perfect balance between depth and accessibility, this app is an excellent choice. The writing is humorous, the characters are diverse, and the difficulty (though punishing at times) is just right for dungeon crawler fans. This game is best suited to short bursts, whether waiting for a friend or passing time on car ride. The art suits the style of game nicely, though you'll definitely want to mute the ingame music and play something else. Unfortunately, the controls (specifically the D-Pad) make it easy to make mistakes and press things you didn't want to press, specifically the "wait" button. If the developers could include an option to place it somewhere else on the screen or at least make it smaller, that'd be much appreciated. I would give it 4 stars for the stale music and controls frustration, but the amount of heart that went into this game makes it a 5. You can tell the developers wanted to make an enjoyable game pleasing to their players. If you want to support respectable indie developers, buy this game!

This game will test your patience at first, but the combat and hero abilities are very well developed, and since the heroes and enemies are the same(including abilities) it doesn't take too long to become familiar with them all. Even so, playing each hero is like solving a new puzzle and as you progress through the dungeon the enemies change too. Forcing you to rethink strategies every run in order to get further. Obviously the graphics, maps, and sound are quite simple, but if you enjoy strategy games this is a great pickup. Loads of replayability, and you can stop/go as you please making it a quintessential mobile game. *Don't be afraid of challenge mode! Unlocking new heroes in hunt/picnic is important, but the challenge mode allows you to dive deeper into the dungeon without worrying about scrolls, it's way more fun to see how far you can reach and your skills won't be limited.