Away: Shuffle Dungeon

 DS
Away: Shuffle Dungeon Image
Metascore
65

Mixed or average reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 7 Ratings

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  • Summary: For over 100 years the people of Webb village have been mysteriously disappearing one by one. Two years ago, a young man named Sword came to the village looking to settle down. Noticing the lack of people and occasional disappearances, he grew curious about their cause. He also befriendedFor over 100 years the people of Webb village have been mysteriously disappearing one by one. Two years ago, a young man named Sword came to the village looking to settle down. Noticing the lack of people and occasional disappearances, he grew curious about their cause. He also befriended Anella, a kind girl who loves hearing stories of Sword’s past. Suddenly, the mysterious “unknown” came and took all of the remaining villagers except for Sword because the brave Anella sacrificed herself to save him. As Sword, you must right this wrong and save as many missing villagers as you can. With an unknown evil “spiriting away” all of the village’s people, Sword must bring them home safely and unravel the mystery of AWAY. Use various items to reveal entrances to unknown dungeons where the villagers are being held. Rescue them and repopulate the town by using your new friends to assist you in your quest. [Majesco]… Expand
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 17
  3. Negative: 1 out of 17
  1. Vandal
    82
    Undoubtedly the most remarkable thing of the title is its gameplay system, based in dungeons with interchangeable parts, which will make us think fast to avoid being swallowed by the ever-changing levels. This is a very accountable title in the already large Nintendo DS portfolio.
  2. Cheat Code Central
    74
    A title with an identity crisis. It doesn't know whether it wants to be a dungeon crawler or action adventure title, and sadly, it doesn't do either particularly well.
  3. 3DJuegos
    70
    AWAY: Shuffle Dungeon mixes the classical with the modern and it has got some features of the action-RPG genre with an extra original point in the dungeon style. Its playability is simple, not so deeply and a little repetitive but it bets for build a new way. A funny and charismatic adventure suitable for players looking originality in a game.
  4. Nintendo Power
    70
    RPG veterans who want a real challenge for their reflexes should check it out. [Dec 2008, p.102]
    All this publication's reviews
  5. 1UP
    67
    Shuffle Dungeon's strength lies in its level designs, which are cleverly crafted so as to force tough choices at the spur of the moment. The limited structure grows a bit long in the tooth once you've been playing for a while...but even so, it never stops pushing you to make those snap decisions.
  6. GamePro
    60
    An innovative and quirky experiment, Away: Shuffle Dungeon never quite rises above simple hack-and-slash mediocrity.
  7. Metro GameCentral
    40
    It's all a shame because the central idea of a constantly transforming dungeon is a good one. The actual game that's been constructed around it though is nowhere near good enough.

See all 17 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. Larxi
    Feb 8, 2023
    8
    La Nintendo DS tiene uno de los mejores y más variados catálogos de la historia de los videojuegos, muchos pasaron bajo el radar incluso esteLa Nintendo DS tiene uno de los mejores y más variados catálogos de la historia de los videojuegos, muchos pasaron bajo el radar incluso este que tenemos entre manos en el que estaban implicados los mismísimos Sakaguchi y Uematsu.
    Away es una experiencia demasiado especial, única en su especie, no hay nada igual. Su historia empieza con la desaparición de los habitantes de tu pueblo y desemboca en un plot-twist soberbio que no vemos venir en ningún momento, para salvar a los aldeanos tenemos que ir a unas mazmorras en las que tendremos que llegar a su nivel más bajo. Por el camino nos encontramos enemigos y fupongs que son unos seres que podemos evolucionar y que podemos usar para atacar, defendernos o curarnos vida. Lo único de este planteamiento es que los diferentes niveles de la mazmorra están divididos en la pantalla superior e inferior de la DS y van rotando con el tiempo, permitiéndonos avanzar más. Debemos evitar que la pantalla rote con nosotros en ella o perderemos una vida, debemos evitar que los fupong que nos siguen estén en la pantalla que rota o les perderemos. La mezcla de gestión del pueblo con las mazmorras rotatorias, con una vista cenital, y una historia interesante funciona y te anima a seguir descubriendo más y más sobre el juego. La BSO es muy buena y en el plano jugable es muy divertido. Sin embargo, se ve lastrado por unos picos de dificultad sin sentido, unas mazmorras finales que es para hacérselo mirar y una dependencia de que el azar sea bueno contigo para que te de los objetos necesarios para mejorar el pueblo y conseguir mejor equipo. Es una pena porque podría haber sido memorable, pero al final acabas tan cansado y gastas tanta paciencia esperando a que el aspecto aleatorio te recompense que las ganas de acabar empiezan cuando la historia más despunta.    … Expand
  2. MyronA
    May 27, 2009
    8
    This is a great game. I just bought it yesterday. All of the complaints in the reviews about this game are bogus, so don't listen to This is a great game. I just bought it yesterday. All of the complaints in the reviews about this game are bogus, so don't listen to them. The dungeon areas feel a lot like a collection of Legend of Zelda minigames (it's fun and challenging) and the 3-D portions feels a bit like Animal Crossing (a great combination). Both have a stylish look to them. I got it at GameStop for $9.99. Go and get it!… Expand
  4. ninjaguy454
    Aug 29, 2020
    7
    Away Shuffle Dungeon is a bit of a sleeper on the DS. The gameplay overall is fairly solid and it has a basic enough storyline to suit whatAway Shuffle Dungeon is a bit of a sleeper on the DS. The gameplay overall is fairly solid and it has a basic enough storyline to suit what it's trying to do. I think at first, the gameplay feels a bit exciting and original, but does eventually wear a bit thin

    Essentially you've moved to a town and everyone has slowly been disappearing until one day everyone does. Now you have to find items that were left behind by your neighbors, these open portals to shuffle dungeons for you to navigate.

    Each dungeon has multiple levels for you to access through. These are small and fit on the size of the top and bottom screen on your DS, but encompass many floors. The gimmick of the game is that after several seconds, the top or bottom half of the screen with a shuffle to a new part of the dungeon. So you have to time when to pick up items otherwise you're left waiting for it to reshuffle.

    After you finish navigating the dungeon you face a final boss and then you can re-navigate through the dungeon not return the villager. So the second half of each journey turns into a bit of an escort quest.

    Now, you can pick up key villagers like Shoppe Keeps, and then you can use items you find in the dungeons so the shoppe keeps can upgrade their shops and provide better goods for you. Also you level up as you defeat enemies within the dungeons, but there isn't a clear leveling progression system that I was able to find. I guess you just get a bit more HP and do a bit more damage over time.

    You basically have 2 attacks. You do a front-AOE with your sword, or you can collect these little blob monsters that you can raise to become stronger. These essentially shoot a ranged attack to do damage and you are limited to shooting up to 6 at a time. So be resourceful.

    I think the game has the ability to be a timesink, but the gameplay is far too repetitive and shallow and hold it back from doing so. It has a bit of charm. I think it's worth checking out, but I can't really recommend it.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

92
#92 Best DS Game of 2008
67
#67 Most Discussed DS Game of 2008
74
#74 Most Shared DS Game of 2008