Interview: Pure Nintendo explores Super Dungeon Tactics with Underbite Games

There’s no shortage of turn-based RPGs available for consoles, but few of them have been able to capture the element of luck that factored so heavily into tabletop role-playing. Plan all you want, level up all you can, but you are always at the mercy of the dice.

With Super Dungeon Tactics, Underbite Games has brought that random element back to adventuring with ability dice that “…enhance character stats and provide access to special abilities making every round a new challenge.” But the game offers plenty more, including loot-based leveling, an aggro management system, and multi-part quests that require you to split your team of 15 heroes into separate groups with unique objectives.

Windows PC and Mac gamers have been enjoying the unique battle system of Super Dungeon Tactics since December of 2016, and starting September 13, Nintendo Switch owners will be able to explore, too. To prepare for the release, we fired off some questions to the developers at Underbite to learn what we can expect from the Switch version.

Kirk Hiner: Super Dungeon Tactics looks to offer the type of combat that’s conducive to mobile gaming, but it’s actually much deeper than that. How do you envision players best enjoying the game on the Switch: on the go or when docked to a TV?

Underbite: We personally like it both docked and undocked. Because some of the quests can be pretty involved, it is nice to be able to undock if someone else wants to use the TV, for instance.

Kirk Hiner: Speaking of portable play, has anything been done to take the UI and game grids that were developed for computer screens and make them work on the smaller Switch screen?

Underbite: Most of the game transferred pretty well to the Switch since we kept lower resolution monitors in mind when developing originally. However, we did increase text size in a few places, and also the Switch has a unique navigation method when in the guild hall.

Kirk Hiner: “Luck” and “chance” are given focus in the game’s combat description. How did you seek to balance these elements with normal tactical strategies?

Underbite: Great Question. So in Super Dungeon Tactics, you will always know how much damage you will do so there is no “Roll to Hit.” However, the dice buff/debuff existing abilities or provide access to new actions. This causes variation in a majority of the characters every round, but you are still able to plan your strategy since it is known ahead of time—though this might alter your overall strategy some. Every round of the game is unique.

Kirk Hiner: Compared to developing for personal computers, what stood out—good or bad—when moving the game to the Switch?

Underbite: Everything went pretty smooth on Switch so nothing really stood out. Because of the way the game was developed, it made changing the platforms pretty easy, relatively speaking.

Kirk Hiner: How about from a business standpoint? As an indie developer, how has it been working with Nintendo?

Underbite: We can’t really talk too much about working with Nintendo. I will say the working with the system has been great, though.

Kirk Hiner: There’ll be no shortage of competition in the Nintendo eShop when the game releases next month. What about Super Dungeon Tactics helps it stand above other titles?

Underbite: I think the biggest one is the dice mechanic. We have not seen anything like it, and when you catch on to how it works it makes you have to think every round. Beyond that, our game has more of a dungeon crawl feel then just a skirmish, so that really creates a unique gameplay experience. Lastly, the game offers about 45 hours of content so it’s a great value for the money.

Kirk Hiner: Finally, do you have any gameplay tips you’d like to suggest to our readers as they try the game out?

Underbite: Sure, a couple things:

1. The dice do really matter, so really think about how you assign them.
2. Watch (and control) your aggro amount—this helps control the enemy.
3. Don’t forget you can activate any hero who has not already been active by selecting them with the shoulder buttons.
4. Lastly, most of the time, figuring out how to remove as many enemies as possible who have not already been activated is a strong strategy.

We at Pure Nintendo would like to thank the Underbite team for taking the time to answer our questions, and more importantly for taking the time to bring Super Dungeon Tactics to the Nintendo Switch. The game will be available in the eShop starting September 13, 2018, and you can learn more in the meantime by visiting www.superdungeontactics.com.