DanMachi BATTLE CHRONICLE

Picking up girls in a dungeon? Still questionable. Picking fights with dragons, demi-humans, and your ping? Surprisingly enjoyable.

DanMachi BATTLE CHRONICLE is the kind of action RPG that sprints into your life like a Level 1 adventurer with delusions of grandeur and then somehow sticks the landing. Built from the bones of Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, yes, that’s the full title, and yes, we’re still saying it, it translates anime spectacle into mobile mayhem with shockingly decent results.

At a glance, it’s your typical gacha grinder: flashy skills, limited banners, and a stamina system that runs out faster than Bell Cranel’s courage in front of Ais. But underneath the standard-issue mobile scaffolding is a zippy, no-nonsense combat system that feels just slick enough to keep you mashing your way through hordes of monsters and material grinds.

Combat is direct and surprisingly tactile: dodge-rolls, skill chaining, and ultimates all click into place whether you’re on a phone, emulator, or sacrificial touchscreen. Each character brings their own elemental flavor, fire, wind, lightning, etc., and Assist characters and gear (called Scene Cards here) stack bonuses like you’re playing turn-based dress-up with stat sheets. It’s chaotic, crunchy, and often way too fun for something you’ll probably play in short bursts on the train.

Then there’s Magic Stone Contest, the game’s take on an 8-player free-for-all where everyone’s out for your orbs and your life. It’s gloriously unbalanced and a little brainless, which somehow makes it the most fun mode in the game. You’ll either get vaporized by a whale with maxed-out URs or rack up a satisfying kill streak while anime screams echo in your ears.

Is it perfect? Not even close. The difficulty spikes like it’s auditioning for Dark Souls: Waifu Edition, and yes, the pay-to-win PVP ladder is basically a spreadsheet of whose wallet cries loudest. But if you’re here for the girls, the gacha, or just to fire off Lil Rafaga one more time, you could do worse than this slick, sugar-rushed dungeon dive.

DanMachi Battle Chronicle feels like anime comfort food. Fast, loud, pretty, and just deep enough to keep you coming back, at least until the stamina runs out.