Managing a dungeon is a tough task as there are many aspects to consider. It’s especially difficult when you believe that managing the dungeon well will lead to your death. Unsure what the exact truth is, you have no choice but to focus on the threats currently in front of you. A variety of explorers are looking to come into the dungeon looking for fame and riches. Your job is to make sure anyone who enters doesn’t leave. At least, not without it being a deliberate move.
Vambrace: Dungeon Monarch is a card battler from Dvora Studio Co. Ltd. that mixes some roguelike elements with strategy. You are placed in the titular role and are preparing your dungeon for battles against various invading forces and commanding creatures to fight aspiring explorers, sometimes taking to the field to do so. If you are following the story, you are also trying to find out the truth of your Monarch ascension. Are you always set up to fail or is there a way out of your predicament? However, the answers don’t get much clearer as you progress through the game.
It feels like Vambrace: Dungeon Monarch throws you in the deep-end too early without explaining much. It tries to include different elements but the result is a game with a story that is confusing and gameplay that isn’t sure what it wants to be. There’s a lot of missing exposition that prevents you from fully grasping the story. As far as you know, there’s a good chance you are deliberately walking into a trap but you have no way of getting out. What the trap could be, what the situation is, and your ability to change things doesn’t get much explanation. It feels like the story is an excuse plot to have something to work towards.
This results in a confusing story that doesn’t motivate you to keep going. The only need to play through the story is because it has a tutorial that teaches you how to play. Unfortunately, that tutorial has a tendency to explain things after-the-fact or leave out important information. It feels like you are better off struggling through free play mode because that’s where most of the fun is.
Vambrace: Dungeon Monarch’s gameplay has more appeal than the story. You hire units and position them to fight against adventurers. Before combat begins, you can influence the battle with cards. They either damage your enemies, change battlefield terrain, or let the Monarch fight. After you play your cards, combat occurs and the next round starts. You can hire more units after a few turns pass to replenish your forces.
When the battle ends, you can get new cards to boost your offensive capabilities. You can also obtain blueprints or perks to develop your dungeon with new structures. Depending on your intentions, you can specialize in a few aspects or split your investments to prepare for the worst. The freedom to develop your dungeon provides several avenues of experimentation that are fun to explore. There’s no right answer though you must edit your deck in anticipation of the future.
The main problem is that Vambrace: Dungeon Monarch feels more strategic in nature than a card battler. Where you put your units and how you allocate them is more important than the cards you play. While your cards are certainly not useless, it doesn’t feel like you are battling with cards. Gameplay feels like turn-based strategy and roguelike card-battling combined together, both vying for supremacy. It doesn’t feel like a pure card battler despite being advertised as such.
There are several opportunities for Vambrace: Dungeon Monarch to improve in Early Access and become easier to learn. You can still have fun and the mechanics are interesting, but it feels like Vambrace: Dungeon Monarch isn’t too sure what kind of game it wants to be. As the systems are being balanced out and refined, most of the issues should hopefully be resolved. Otherwise, this game runs the risk of broadening its appeal but ultimately failing on both fronts.
Victor played Vambrace: Dungeon Monarch on PC with a review code.
