Dokapon Kingdom

Dokapon Kingdom
Developer(s)	Sting
Publisher(s)	Sting Atlus
Series	Dokapon
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2, Wii
Release date(s)	JP November 22, 2007 NA October 14, 2008
Genre(s)	RPG
Rating(s)	ESRB: E10+

Dokapon Kingdom (ドカポンキングダム^?) is a 2007 console role-playing game developed and published by Sting in Japan for the Sony PlayStation 2 on November 22, 2007. It was later published by Atlus in North America on October 14, 2008. It is a remake of the 1994 Super Family Computer title, Dokapon 3・2・1 - Arashi o Yobu Yuujou.

The PlayStation 2 version was later re-released in Japan on November 20, 2008, with a "Sting The Best" stamp on it. It was later ported to the Wii by Sting Entertainment on July 31, 2008 titled as Dokapon Kingdom for Wii (ドカポンキングダム for Wii^?). The Wii version was later published in North America by Atlus on October 14, 2008, and in Europe by BigBen Interactive on March 26, 2010, both without "for Wii" in the names.

Gameplay

The game is a hybrid board game and console role-playing game with modes varying from story mode to battle royale in which four players are assigned a mission.

Players spin a spinner and then move to any spot on the board that is reachable by moving that number of spaces. Players will have the freedom to choose the direction they want to go. Landing on an "empty" yellow space or another player will typically cause a battle, but sometimes, the player will encounter a strange traveler that may allow them to play them at a minigame, or hire their services to steal or harm the other players. The battle system plays out in rock-paper-scissors style, with the Attack option beating Counter, the Counter option beating Strike, and the Defend option resisting the Attack option. Multiple magics and stat changes play out both in battle and on the game board, while class-specific skills increase with player level.

Three starting classes are available to the new adventurer (warrior, thief, and magician), and following a pattern of leveling, eleven character classes are possible.

The game will always include at least two characters and the game allows one to four human players to participate. Human players may leave and be replaced by CPU opponents at any stage of the game, and vice-versa.

A key element of the game is hindering the progress of other players. Players can obstruct each other by hiring assassins, or bandits to cause harm to the player. They also have the option of stealing tax revenue and player-controlled cities. Due to the tension these events are likely to cause (known as Dokapon Rage), Atlus has dubbed the game "friendship destroying" in their marketing materials.

The game is won by the player with the most money at the end. The player who wins the story mode gets to marry the King's daughter (the king makes an offer if the player is female, but he is apparently rejected.)

Plot

The game takes place in a fictional land called "Dokapon Kingdom" which is being attacked by several monsters. Seeing this, the king offers his Penny, his daughter, to be married as a reward to the person who saves the kingdom. 2-4 heros hear this, and attempt to save the kingdom. The game ends when each of the main bosses are defeated, although the player can select other game options to make the game end faster. The player with the most gold in the end marries Penny, and takes control of the kingdom (even if they are a girl.)

Reception

The Wii version was nominated for Best RPG for the Wii by IGN in its 2008 video game awards.^[1]

References

1. ^ "IGN Wii: Best RPG 2008". IGN.com. 2008-12-18. http://bestof.ign.com/2008/wii/7.html. Retrieved 2008-12-19.