DNF Duel – Review
Our Score: 8/10
DNF Duel is action-packed combat at its finest! Dungeon and Fighter, one of the most played and well-known RPGs in the world, is now available as a 2.5D action fighting game. Choose from 16 endearing characters, all of them have unique talents and personalities. Defeat your opponents by outwitting, outperforming, or just beating them up to become the Ultimate Will’s master!
In DNF Duel the renowned classes from the vintage Dungeon and Fighter RPG are masterfully recreated. Each character’s trademark features have been emphasised and revised. Wwhether it be the sneaky Ranger’s lightning-quick and showy gunfire or the crazed Berserker’s unrestrained raw might.
The Duelists
With 16 characters in the cast of DNF Duel, players may master a variety of battle styles regardless of how they choose to play. There are a variety of characters available, including powerful melee and ranged classes. There are also a couple of rush-down characters, and I found myself drawn to them.
If you prefer being tactical in strategy games, DNF Duel is the game for you. After blocking damage, some systems allow for some HP regeneration as well as quick retreats and dashes. Fights often include counters, and there is also a chance to land a vital blow. Buffs and debuffs are also available depending on the character, and elemental damage should be considered before each fight. Given the many facets of each character that must be taken into account, the basic matches seem to be entertaining on the surface. However, there isn’t really a drawback to starting the game and learning as you go.
Wax On Wax Off
When you take into account the MP use for special attacks, things get a little trickier. These are connected to a button push and direction. Although MP replenishes after use, you are urged to utilise it in order to increase the maximum amount of MP you have available. Every character has a unique Special that deals significant damage but can be deflected or evaded.
This game was obviously designed with accessibility in mind. Attacks related to face buttons and a directional push are shared by each character in common combo actions, but nothing too elaborate. High-level players, though, can benefit from features like block counters and combo cancels, but if you’re simply playing through the Story Mode, you won’t need that.
The combo structure was great. As you chain together strikes with the specials, you may launch characters into the air, do juggling, and execute all subsequent attacks with ease and precision. Though it’s beautifully executed, I really like how many bouts were decided by a single blow. Thanks to technologies that make it simple for players to transition between defensive and offensive play, it’s possible to change the course of a battle even if you only have a tiny amount of health remaining.
Story of the Fight
DNF Duel’s Story Mode isn’t all that thrilling, but the developers didn’t entirely slack off. Each character is forced to engage in a similar contest of wills as portals open and powerful warriors emerge to gather the world’s will, which is meant to summon someone. Although it won’t receive any accolades, it has accomplished more than previous fighting games have.
Additionally, each character has their own tale based on this idea. However, no matter which character you play as, the game’s end always comes to the same conclusion. The CG graphics that showcase the characters are some of the story’s more interesting elements, but you can still anticipate events to unfold consistently across each campaign.
Multiversal Fighting
The game’s online net code is roll-back based which is close to being the industry standard. The matches are fluid and even when facing opponents far away, the lag and latency was not really noticeavle. Input lag in particular wasn’t noticeable in online play and the overall experience is very enjoyable.
Final Verdict
DNF Duel is another fantastic Arc Sys fighting game that is accessible to beginners but also has enough depth and complexity to satisfy veterans. It’s stylish, packed with great music and great online play. Not to mention, a good tutorial for newcomers. If you enjoy Arc Sys games, this is a no-brainer.
