Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I DON’T KNOW! allows up to four players to step into the booties of their favourite characters, taking on 100 randomly-generated dungeon levels filled with monsters, treasures and all sorts of Gauntlet-style coolness. It would be the perfect online multiplayer dungeon crawl — if it had online multiplayer.
Online multiplayer was the first feature I asked about during my hands-on session with the game at San Diego Comic-Con last week. The moment I set eyes on the game I knew that this could be the game that could finally bring Tina Amini and I together. See, I think she’s bossy (she’s my boss, technically), and she thinks I am a cruel and heartless. We’re both Adventure Time fans though, so I figured if we could play this online together, maybe I could finally convince her I wasn’t some sort of inhuman monster.
Within moments of kicking a wide-eyed, innocent 10-year-old off the demo kiosk I was flitting about a dungeon in the Xbox 360 version as Marceline the Vampire Queen, whose low health is offset by her ability to float over the game’s frequently appearing pits. The rep for the game, whose name I didn’t get over the sweet sound of child tears, joined me as the ever-delicious Cinnamon Bun.
We kicked complete booty, which might be code for “died within 30 seconds of each other.” We laughed, returned to the central hub and started over. This time we were Finn the Human and Jake the Dog, and we did much better. It helped that the level we were on — the same numerically as the last — was now a timed treasure-grab straight out of Gauntlet.
Developer Wayforward, as I’ve mentioned far too many times in the past, really knows its way around a set of sprites. This be their jam, with old-school flair erupting from the Candy Kingdom quest hub to the depths of the deepest dungeon. The style may look primitive in screenshots, but once you’re playing it’s pretty much perfect.
While editing this article, Tina told me I should mention any bosses I might have encountered. See what I am talking about?
We fought skellingtons, and bats and blobs and other dungeon fare. We unlocked doors with our charming personalities (also: keys). We picked up sub-weapons to help us along the way. We did not, however, participate in a boss fight.
Well, except for the Demon Cat. He went down pretty quickly.
Randomly-generated levels, smooth 2D action, four-player co-op and collectible power-up badges equal one hell of dungeon romp, especially if they figure out how to stuff Lady Rainicorn into those cramped corridors as one of the yet-to-be-revealed additional playable characters, instead of limiting her majestic presence to a special move for her boyfriend.
Did I mention the game includes the voices of the original cast? They’re right here in this video. Look at them.
Alas, this is not a game I can play with Tina Amini this fall, unless she uses her new powers to fly me up to New York City and put me up in a swanky hotel. Despite being released on all of the online-friendly platforms — Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U and PC — there is no online multiplayer for Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I DON’T KNOW!
The realisation made me very sad. I would have cried if that stupid little kid didn’t already have that covered. I guess Tina will have to continue to operate under the assumption that I am some unfeeling beast. Poop.
Comments
14 responses to “The Next Big Adventure Time Game Is Missing Something”
I thought you were going to say a PC version, since you tagged it as PC
who is the publisher/developer, this game would sell like hot cakes on steam
^this, I would buy in an instant if it was on steam with supported multiplayer
can adventure time crawl back into the joke of a hole it came from and die
I don’t understand the hate for Adventure Time. It’s the best thing we’ve gotten cartoon wise since shows like Ren and Stimpy, Angry Beavers and Rocko’s Modern Life. I think that is why it has so much appeal for adults.
Wait, wait wait.
So if this doesn’t have online multiplayer – will have nostalgia rushing back, as we either
a) Have to connect our computers into a LAn (nevermind that fancy wifi, home network stuff)
or
b) All play on the one keyboard, or multiple controllers on the one console or PC?
Will Hamachi work for LAN play?
I mean, this isn’t going to stop me from getting or anything though!
i don’t usually say stuff like this but
This game looks shit and Adventure Time is shit, grow up hipsters.
Inb4 ATHipster Brony defenders.
just contradicted yourself there, you obviously don’t like what i said, and you are being a dick about it by posting that link, smooth.
Sorry, I wasn’t trying to be a dick. I just wanted to calmly and politely let you know that you were being a bit too brash. What better way to do it than with that video?
People like things that you don’t. Just because you can’t understand the appeal of something, doesn’t mean that there isn’t any. How much of an ego do you have to have to consider your opinions and tastes universal?
I like Adventure Time; it’s hilarious, adorable and the animation is great. Sorry if you can’t understand that, but that isn’t my problem, and that doesn’t mean that I “only like it because it’s cool to like it,” it just means that you’re a very one-dimensional kind of guy.
you’re a friendly chap, i wonder when you’re childhood died.
be honest with your self’s, yous only like it because apparently its COOL to like it.
Being 100% honest with myself, i like adventure time because i started watching it back in 2009 when it started and it reminded me of my favorite show Invader Zim, i couldn’t give a rats ass if hipsters have latched onto it, and im certainly not going to race down to Jay Jays and buy any merch for it, but i still love the show and will happily play the games.
Now go take you’re loathing elsewhere and go back to you’re regular programming of cop shows and masterchef.
the fuck is masterchef? I dont even watch regular tv or foxtel, its just full of crap, the only thing that i watch that is anything to do with tv is anime.
So no word on FP as a playable character? Presumably a tad too OP