How Boyfriend Dungeon is Like Hades (And How It’s Not)

The same week that roguelite sensation Hades came to Xbox and PlayStation, a new roguelite, Boyfriend Dungeon made a surprise release across multiple platforms. While on the surface the two games have a lot in common, they focus on different aspects of gameplay.

The 1.0 release of Hades was a bright spot in 2020. After almost a year of early access, the game released to rave reviews, both for its combat and its storyline. Hades won multiple Game of the Year awards, beating out other highly praised games such as The Last of Us: Part II and Ghost of Tsushima. While Hades has spent the last year on PC and Nintendo Switch, it recently released on Xbox and PlayStation. Its Xbox release included being added to Xbox Game Pass, making it easily accessible for subscribers of the service.

Related: Hades: How to Unlock the True Ending

At first glance, Hades and Boyfriend Dungeon are very similar games. Both involve roguelite dungeon crawling, with players progressing as far as they can in a dungeon before they die. Both games involve unlocking weapons and abilities and building relationships with NPCs. But each game places a different emphasis on mechanics. For instance, Hades has much more in-depth combat mechanics. Besides unlocking different weapons, Zagreus can collect boons from the gods over the course of a run which give him different abilities, some of which can build to interesting combos. That's on top of utilizing keepsake items that give other bonuses, as well as leveling-up buffs from the Mirror of Night. Boyfriend Dungeon, on the other hand, is much more simple. While Boyfriend Dungeon has different weapons and spells to unlock and level, it is a much more limited selection. Players primarily get better through their character gaining XP and leveling up to do more damage.

Boyfriend Dungeon instead places most of its focus on the relationship aspect of the game. Hades allows players to progress relationships with NPCs by giving them gifts of Nectar or Ambrosia. While this allows the player to romance certain Hades NPCs over time, that relationship track is just that, a straightforward track. Players give a gift, and the relationship proceeds. Boyfriend Dungeon, on the other hand, is a much more dynamic in its relationship building. There is a much wider range of gifts a player can craft or purchase for NPCs, and those NPCs have likes and dislikes that can make them respond positively or negatively towards a gift. There is also much more time spent in dialogue conversations than in the dungeon, with players able to openly flirt with characters or outright shut down a relationship they don't want to pursue. Players in Boyfriend Dungeon can also go on dates with NPCs in different locations. There is more of an RPG element in Boyfriend Dungeon than in Hades, allowing players more choice in how a relationship progresses.

Both Hades and Boyfriend Dungeon scratch an itch of roguelite combat and interacting with very attractive NPCs. Both offer plenty for a player to enjoy, but those who are looking for a system that allows them to actively romance NPCs might gravitate towards Boyfriend Dungeon, while those interested in more nuanced combat mechanics might respond better to Hades.

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Hades is available on Windows PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Boyfriend Dungeon is available on Windows PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.

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August 16, 2021 at 12:10AM