The thing about niche games is that I can usually pinpoint the niche. This is not the case with AdventureQuest 8-Bit: Dungeons & Doomknights. NES-era RPG fans seemed like the likely candidate, but after playing AdventureQuest 8-Bit, I think it’s just a joke for AdventureQuest fans.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t jokes for the rest of us. The game is full of references to everything from Nintendo to the Evil Dead. I laughed when an early enemy told me “It’s safe to go alone” and stole my axe. I got a kick out of the level that suddenly turned the game into Pac-Man. Such pleasant surprises occur throughout AdventureQuest 8-Bit, but mostly it felt like it lacked punch.

It doesn’t help that the game just isn’t that great. Having never owned an NES, my knowledge of 8-bit action RPGs is admittedly limited. My sessions were limited to the games my friends had and the ones I’ve tinkered with through Nintendo Switch Online. Well, I have to ask you…

Has combat always been this boring? Despite a growing arsenal of weapons and skills (including a pomeranian that can be unleashed for widespread damage), our hero, Artix, never feels in control of what he’s doing. He can swing his ax and miss an enemy right in front of him, but hit one clearly far below him. Proximity detection is weird throughout and I’m not sure if that’s part of the gag or just weird programming.

Was the move such a chore? Navigating the game’s mazes is difficult as Artix hangs on walls that don’t seem to block him. There’s even a point where he keeps falling down a well for no apparent reason, other than maybe throwing that Atari 2600 ET game (which I’ve played). The game becomes frustrating when you start dying because seemingly invisible obstacles prevent you from achieving the position you need.

Were the controls inconsistent? There didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to when the jump button worked and when it didn’t. Sometimes the Y button released that aforementioned dog, sometimes he swung a gun. I couldn’t tell if the game was changing functionality based on my direct threats, if I had missed a tutorial somewhere, or if the system just wasn’t working.

Was there a point? There really isn’t much to AdventureQuest 8-Bit: Dungeons & Doomknights. Artix returns from a previous adventure to find his village in ruins, so he sets out to rescue any survivors. I’m fine with a narrative that does little more than set up the action, but I think the comedic bent of this game would be better served by a more intense plot parody. Instead, it relies almost entirely on reference jokes and its habit of turning RPG tropes on their head.

So, is that enough? Are you the audience for this? If not, the game’s saving grace could be map exploration. Working through the multiple levels is a lot of fun, and these levels do a good job of teasing you with places to go without telling you how to get there. Killing the same enemies every time you go back to a previous room is definitely tiresome, but I know that’s part and parcel of the genre and era. And it’s rewarding to discover that a particularly difficult room is much easier when you can approach it from a different angle. The game is also quite friendly with save points, so repeated deaths are never frustrating.

The boss battles provide a nice dose of adrenaline, helping to keep things fresh. Graphics are good with it too. The constant palette change creates a fun mood and the color choices are often quite striking.

The game also includes many, fun options for changing the screen to suit your preferences.

AdventureQuest 8-Bit: Dungeons & Doomknights costs $20, which I think is a bit high for what it offers. If you’re up for the gag and see the dead end of the game as part of the joke, there’s some fun to be had here. Otherwise, you’re better off playing any of the myriad games parodied here when you’re looking for your nostalgia fox.