There seems to be a glut of fighting games lately, and the Nintendo Switch hasn’t been left out of the fun. Arc System Works has completed their port of DNF Duel, almost a year after its initial release on other consoles. Time to find out if the wait was worth it in our DNF Duel Switch version review.
Full-On fighting
For the un-initiated, Dungeon & Fighter (DNF for short) is a series of side-scrolling beat-’em-ups that originally released on PC in 2005. While the series has seen several spin-offs and mobile games, DNF Duel represents the first full-fledged fighting game, and it was previously released on the PC, PS4, and PS5. While the Switch may be underpowered compared to other consoles, it remains extremely popular and thus Arc System Works felt it was worth their time to port the game on over to Nintendo’s system.
The Unreal Engine 4 runs under the hood, and it does an admirable job of keeping the action fairly smooth. However, the Switch is definitely showing its age, because character models often suffer from some blurriness, and of course everything in general is lower-resolution than other current (and last generation) console ports. This is perhaps the worst-looking version of DNF Duel, however it has one major thing working for it: it allows you to play on the go!
Manage Your MP
DNF Duel uses an MP-based attack system, which is pretty unique. At the start of each round, both players start with 100 MP. Attacks cost MP, with bigger attacks consuming more of the MP. As MP goes down, consecutive attacks do less and less damage, until finally the player runs out of MP and their player becomes exhausted. At this point, no MP skills can be used until this state is exhausted, which usually only takes a few moments. As a player’s HP gets lowered, the maximum MP they can accumulate increases, to a maximum of 200. If a player’s HP drops below 30%, then they enter an Awakened state, and a simple press of ZL will unleash an ultimate move, which can cause a lot of damage in one move, with a full cinematic animation accompanying a successful hit. This can help to keep matches from being too lopsided.
Outside of the MP system, DNF Duel features standard fare for the genre. There are regular attacks that can be performed at any time, and many combos can be unleashed with mastery of the controls. From a difficulty standpoint, DNF Duel is among the easiest to pick up and learn, and the tutorial system explains the basics pretty clearly. While in theory the MP system can create closer matches, in reality plenty of players have already figured out how to “cheese” certain characters.
Barebones Feature Set
There’s not a whole lot to DNF Duel, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. There are three modes to choose from: online, local, and training. There is a story mode, with around ten chapters per playable character, and each campaign is fully-voiced. Most cutscenes are presented in a visual novel style, though occasionally some in-engine animated content can be seen. Clearing any character’s campaign unlocks an additional playable character. Each story usually features just a handful of fights, so completing all campaigns in a handful of hours is easily doable.
Online is also fairly limited, with ranked matches or player matches being the only options. While waiting to be matched to an opponent, the player can choose to practice. There is no rollback netcode, so if you’re playing on Wi-Fi, then you will no doubt be at a disadvantage compared to someone playing over a cable. There is no crossplay available, so expect to play that practice mode for quite a while as you wait for another challenger.
Verdict
DNF Duel is a great fighter to play on the go, even if it can be rough around the edges from time to time. Still, nothing beats the freedom of being able to play whenever and wherever you want. With 16 characters to start with, each with quite different play styles, hardcore fighting fans have plenty to master in the palms of their hands.
Score: 7.5/10
Pros:
- A varied roster to start
- Great art style
- Fully-voiced campaigns – one per character
Cons:
- Some very overpowered options
- Graphics have taken a huge hit
- Already low online player population with no crossplay
DNF Duel review code was provided by the publisher. You can read MP1st’s review and scoring policy right here.