RingoGaSuki

User Score
9.7

Presentation - 9.5
Gameplay - 10
Value - 10

Every now and then, a game comes along and does what it aims to do, and does it perfectly. Super Mario Galaxy, Breath of the Wild, and now, Tangledeep. 

Tangledeep is a mystery dungeon game that, in the genre, has unparalleled depth and perfectly balanced gameplay.

There are three game modes, they are:

• A true perma-death mode for traditionalists, in which you must start over again and lose all progress after each death.
• A perma-death lite option in which your character progress is lost after death, but everything back in town is left untouched.
• A 'regular' mode in which you lose half your money, JP and EXP after each death, but the rest of your progress is untouched.

The variety of options provided to players is astounding for an indie game.

Your character levels up slowly, so to grow your strength, you instead place your equipment into the 'Dreamcaster' and enter an item dream (a dungeon) to take down the memory king who takes possession of it, and after doing so, you get your newly powered-up item, with new status effect abilities too.

The monster ranch is one of the best additions to the game. Practically every enemy can be captured and brought back to the ranch, where they can be used as a pet (to come on your journey and fight alongside you), and by making romantic meals for them, you can have creatures from the same family breed to create ever stronger monsters with many abilities. The amount of customisation is endless.

The main story is fairly straightforward, as you pursue bandits throughout the world going ever deeper into Tangledeep, and exploring the multitude of hidden areas and shops along the way. 

The world is built incredibly well, with lore spread throughout the land in the form of letters and recipes scattered in dungeons, and charming characters that add a sense of life to the world. 

The gameplay is, of course the heart of the game, and it is done very well. You have a choice from a multitude of character classes, each with their own JP pool and set of abilities, and are free to change between them at any time, for a price. The AI is solid, providing a challenge without feeling cheap, and the satisfaction of taking out a big group of enemies when you're cornered is unmatched.

This is truly a game not to be missed. I can't recommend it highly enough to anyone who enjoys dungeon crawlers, RPGs or just plain fun.