dungeon crawler
A dungeon crawl is a type of scenario in fantasy role-playing games in which heroes navigate a labyrinth environment (a "dungeon"), battling various monsters, avoiding traps, solving puzzles, and looting any treasure they may find. Video games an ...
role-playing video game
A role-playing video game (commonly referred to as simply a role-playing game or RPG, as well as a computer role-playing game or CRPG) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character (or several party members) immers ...
developed by
Sting Entertainment
is a Japanese game development studio. Some of their titles include ''Treasure Hunter G'', '' Evolution: The World of Sacred Device'', and the ''Dept. Heaven'' series of games. Its active properties currently include '' Baroque'', ''Dokapon'' ...
To Heart 2
''To Heart 2'' (stylized as ''ToHeart2'') is a Japanese romance visual novel developed by Leaf and published by Aquaplus. It was first released for the PlayStation 2 on December 28, 2004 as an all-ages title, and was followed by an a ...
'' franchise. ''Dungeon Travelers 2'' was released on March 28, 2013, on the
PlayStation Portable
The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, ...
in Japan; an enhanced remake for the
PlayStation Vita
The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita, or Vita) is a handheld video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, and in North America, Europe, and other international territo ...
was released in Japan on September 25, 2014, and later in North America and Europe in 2015.
A sequel game for the PlayStation Vita titled ''Dungeon Travelers 2-2'' was released in 2017 in Japan. The game was slated to be released on
Steam
Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...
alongside '' To Heart 2: Dungeon Travelers'' but was cancelled as both games failed to pass the service's guidelines.
Gameplay
The player takes on the role of an adventurer who is tasked with forming a party, navigating through dungeons, gathering treasure, and engaging in combat against monsters. Characters can be improved through learning skills and equipping items. The battle system is turn-based, and dungeon navigation takes place from a first-person perspective on a grid map. Party members can belong to five main classes (namely fighters, magic users, scouts, maids and spielers) which branch into over 30 different subclasses with unique skill sets and outfits as characters progress in specialisation. For instance, a fighter can develop into a paladin and a valkyrie, while magic users can transition into enchantresses and witches.
Setting
Monsters have been appearing throughout the Kingdom of Romulea, and have become a threat to humanity. In order to subdue the monsters, an alchemist devised a magic seal able to constrain them. Fried Einhard, an adventurer dispatched by the Royal Library, discovers a damaged shrine on his journey to stop the monster uprising.
Development
The original PlayStation Portable game was released in March 2013 by Aquaplus, as part of a long line of games and media derived from the
erotic
Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, scul ...
visual novel
A , often abbreviated as VN, is a form of digital semi-interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with and used in the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with sta ...
''
To Heart
''To Heart'' is a Japanese adult visual novel developed by Leaf and released on May 23, 1997 for Windows. It was later ported to the PlayStation and given voice acting. A second PC version, titled ''To Heart PSE'' was released containin ...
'' and its sequel, ''To Heart 2''. Later in June 2014, the PlayStation Vita version was released, which included additional characters, redesigned dungeons, improved user interface, and improved quality illustrations.
The western localisation by Atlus features Japanese voices with English subtitles, and is compatible with the
PlayStation TV
The PlayStation TV (abbreviated to PS TV), known in Japan and other parts of Asia as the PlayStation Vita TV or PS Vita TV, is a microconsole, and a non-handheld variant of the PlayStation Vita handheld game console. It was released in Japan on ...
. In order to ensure that the game remains acceptable for a western audience and meets a "Mature"
ESRB
The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is a self-regulatory organization that assigns age and content ratings to consumer video games in the United States and Canada. The ESRB was established in 1994 by the Entertainment Software Asso ...
rating, Atlus censored a total of four CG images within the game which were deemed to be overtly sexual in nature.
Reception
The game has a score of 76 on Metacritic.
''PlayStation Nation'' gave the game a review score of 8/10, stating that the game is an accommodating and gentle introduction to the dungeon crawler genre for newcomers. Meanwhile, ''Gaming Age'' scored the game B+, noting that while not all players will be able to accept the game's sexual fanservice, it provides an adequate level of challenge and that the RPG mechanics are well detailed and enjoyable.
''Gamecritics.com'' suggests that although the overall storyline is not particularly interesting, the character dialogue is engaging and that the artwork is well done. ''PlayStation Lifestyle'' rates the game 7.5 out of 10, praising the game's variety in terms of character upgrades, while similarly finding the story lacklustre. ''Capsule Computers'' and ''BioGamer Girl'' both gave an 8/10 rating, referring to the game as a satisfying dungeon crawling game with solid mechanics.
Sales
When it released in Japan on the PSP, 32,000 copies of ''Dungeon Travelers 2'' were sold, with 39,000 sold after two weeks, while the PS Vita version sold 16,000 copies in its launch week and 20,000 total after its second week.