Or you may remember it because it was Enix's maiden release for Nintendo's first handheld game system. It's even possible you remember its magnificently colorful cover art.
And if you don't remember Dungeon Land, or if this post is introducing you to it, that's cool, too.
Either way, uh, here's that old game's instruction manual!
You might think I'm disappointed that Dungeon Land's manual isn't as salmon-y as its outer box.
That was my initial reaction to it, I've got to admit, but now that I've had some time to reflect, I actually quite like the black-gray-yellow scheme its designers used instead.
That's hardly the only interesting or impressive aspect of this booklet, however. For example, it also features a good number of eye-catching illustrations--like the ones you see in this spread.
The second page above seemingly details the game's story, by the way. (As far as I can tell, the text at the top says something along the lines of "About Dungeon Land.")
I can't tell you what those details are, sadly, as I can't understand them.
I'm sure it creatively explains why this title is part board game and part role-playing game, though. Or at least I hope that's the case.
Because it includes RPG elements, Dungeon Land has its share of fantastic enemy characters. You can see some of them--including the flan baddie I mentioned earlier--in the right-hand page below.
Even more "monsters" are showcased across the next spread. I think these are some of the game's bosses, actually--though don't quote me on that.
Whatever they are, I love them. I'm not sure why they have three names, unfortunately. Or maybe the three words above their heads aren't names at all? Maybe they just explain their three "phases" or something like that?
As you probably can tell, I haven't played much of Dungeon Land to date. That's because role-playing board games aren't a whole lot of fun when you don't understand much of the text they throw at you.
To be honest, it probably wouldn't be much fun even if I did know what was going on at all times. Maybe it's just me, but I rarely enjoy tackling digital board games on my own.
Still, I'm glad I own a copy of Dungeon Land. Who knows, maybe someday I'll rope another human being into playing it with me. Or maybe I'll learn enough Japanese to find out it's a blast even when experienced alone.
See also: previous 'Manual Stimulation' posts about Burning Paper, Noobow, Painter Momopie, Peetan, and Snow Bros. Jr.
