Dokapon Kingdom

Party games have been around for quite some time, ever since a certain mustachioed plumber gathered his pals for a series of titles. However, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that this genre has not been flushed with new IP’s. In fact, you could probably count all the memorable party game series of this nature on one hand. Well, rewind to the days of the PS2 and this was an even more prevalent issue for party game fans. So seeing a gap in the market, Atlus produced a title called Dokapon Kingdom that would aim to offer Atlus’ usual brand of quirkness, style and fun.

This title plays similarly to titles such as Mario Party, Fortune Street, Billion Road and various other titles from the Dokapon series. This game has been affectionately referred to as Mario Party on steroids, so we aim to find out what happens when you turn the wackiness up to eleven. Here is our review of Dokapon Kindgdom.

A Beautiful Hybrid

This game is very much inspired by Mario Party, that much is immediately clear. The game takes place on a board, the game is made up of intense mini games and you control the action with dice rolls. So far, it’s one in the same. However, Dokapon Kingdom sets itself apart by offering a much more deep, complex and strategic experience than it’s Nintendo flagship counterpart. This game allows the player to strategize, to customise their game plan and as a whole, plays quite similarly to a JRPG which makes this game like nothing you have ever seen before.

The game has tonnes of humourous moments, the games the player will take part in are intense and chaotic. Plus, the game plays more like a board game than any other game of this nature. Other titles use the board game format as an aesthetic choice. This game decides to lean in on this and offer a format abundant with features, tactical options and gameplay styles that make one game different from the last. Which isn’t something that party games of this era can match.

All Or Nothing

The key downside of this title is that without partners to play with, it’s a very dull experience. The AI isn’t competent at the game, the games lack the same intruige or competitive edge and as a whole, the game falls flat, so we wouldn’t advise you play without company.

Plus, the game presentationally, is nothing to write home about. The graphics are akin to budget Wii games of the era, the UI is simple yet still clunky and the performance of the game itself is a little shaky at times too. So if you aren’t willing to excuse the rough edges this game has, you might want to skip this one.

The Verdict

Overall, Dokapon Kingdom is a game directly like Mario Party and yet it’s own entity entirely. This party game offers some of the most deep and complex tactical gaming experiences of the era. The humour and style within the game is quintessentially Atlus and the multiplayer experience is a joy to behold. However, the game is dragged down by it’s lacklustre single player functionality, poor graphics, audio and UI.

Pros:

• A wonderful multiplayer experience
• More strategic than any other party game of the era
• Brilliantly wacky and fun

Cons:

• The game’s presentation leaves a lot to be desired
• The single player experience is really poor