Review: DOKAPON KINGDOM: CONNECT is a Solid Port of an Unfair Game
Earlier this month, Idea Factory released Dokapon Kingdom: Connect. This is an RPG board game for the Nintendo Switch and is a port from the fan favorite Wii game. The game lets up to four players play a board game in various game modes with RPG elements like character classes and combat. Idea Factory was kind enough to supply me with a copy of the game for review purposes, but the thoughts are my own. You can grab your own copy of Dokapon Kingdom: Connect via the eShop or your favorite retailers like GameStop (affiliate link).
Everyone in Dokapon Kingdom loves money. One day in this peaceful land, monsters suddenly appeared and began attacking nearby towns. The economy collapsed, and people were at their lowest. Taxes were no longer being paid, of course. So that's when the King took action! He decided to gather the bravest warriors to rescue these towns so he can get paid! In exchange, the one who collects the most shall be rewarded with the Princess' hand in marriage and the throne. And thus, an adventure for money begins, where absolutely anything goes!
When I heard Dokapon Kingdom was getting a Switch port via Dokapon Kingdom: Connect, I was excited. I had played it once over 5 years ago at a friend’s house, but it cost too much on the used market and/or was never a high enough priority for me. With a Switch port, it’s a lot more accessible and I got to actually revisit this game. Unfortunately, this also meant that I saw a lot more of the problems with the game.
Before I explore my gripes about Dokapon Kingdom: Connect, I do want to highlight the positives. First, the game seems to be a very faithful port for anyone looking for the original experience on modern hardware. Second, the visuals are very bright and fun. The characters are cute with fun animations. The music is also fun to listen to. The game is exactly what it advertises. Also, there are five different game modes to help change things up. The story mode has a fun little narrative where you have to help the king by defeating monsters and freeing towns, etc.
Now we’re going to talk about the problem areas. The biggest problem is the imbalance between the classes. When you start the game, you can choose from Warrior, Magician, and Thief. The Thief is so overpowered that it is not funny. They have the ability where if they pass another player, they just steal an item from that player. This provides such a huge advantage in the early game since you can steal anything and if you don’t need it, you can sell it for potentially thousands of gold. There were a few games I played where I didn’t play a Thief but had one controlled by a CPU and I gave up because the Thief got so far ahead that it was impossible to keep up. This means that you either have to ban Thief, everyone has to play Thief, or you have to be okay with friendships ending.
Another irritant is the fact that this is a board game and therefore there’s a fair amount of chance involved. If you aren’t able to spin the right number, you aren’t able to do anything you’re hoping to. This is an inherent risk with this kind of game and so it’s not as frustrating to me and honestly, if it weren’t for the Thief’s completely unfair ability it wouldn’t be as big of a deal.
At the end of the day, Dokapon Kingdom: Connect is a solid port. The problems I have are not with the port, but rather with the game in general. If you’re wanting an RPG board game experience to play with friends, you could grab yourself a copy, but you should consider having everyone be a thief or ban the class. Do you have any tips for Dokapon Kingdom: Connect players? What’s your favorite part of the game?
