Boyfriend Dungeon Developer Issues Apology Over 'Emotional Manipulation'

There are problems aplenty, as Kitfox Games' Boyfriend Dungeon finds itself caught in something of a #MeToo movement. While the premise of a dungeon-crawler dating-sim sounds like it's made to be a money-spinning indie game, the developer has been slammed for its "inadequate" content warning and claims it promotes themes of "stalking" and "emotional manipulation". 

The basic premise of Boyfriend Dungeon sees you take the role of a customisable character who moves in with their cousin in Verona Beach. They can earn a little extra cash by clearing monsters from "dunj" through the use of sentient weapons. The twist comes from the fact you can date these weapons in their human form - then level them up through romance. 

What's the problem with Boyfriend Dungeon?

Boyfriend Dungeon's suitably batsh*t storyline has attracted a lot of attention, however, not all of it has been for the right reasons. Although there are some noble ideas - like dating and dungeon crawling in a queer paradise - Kitfox has addressed allegations that its content warning simply isn't enough.

At the moment, Boyfriend Dungeon warns you to "play with care" because it "may include references to unwanted advances, stalking, and other forms of emotional manipulation". Still, this isn't enough for many.

Responding to criticisms, Kitfox has confirmed it will update its warning to more accurately portray what's going on in-game. Since Boyfriend Dungeon's release on August 11, there have been a number of complaints that the game should include an opt-out option similar to receiving encouraging texts from "Mom" at the start of the game.

One critic wrote, "Okay, so, tried to play Boyfriend Dungeon for a bit and my C-PTSD is triggered as heck. Just a word of caution to those who are thinking twice after reading the disclaimer/warning at the inro - yeah, it's real bad!" Kitfox has still apologised for "any hurt inflicted by our mistake". 

What have players said about Boyfriend Dungeon?

One person calling for change wrote, "I'm really enjoying the gameplay of Boyfriend Dungeon overall, but @KitfoxGamesusing the word 'may' in their content warning is completely inaccurate. The 'unwanted advances, stalking, and other forms of emotional manipulation' are unavoidable."

Another added, "Disappointed to hear that boyfriend dungeon has unavoidable content where a stalker harasses you constantly. i'm okay with heavy content in media, but from the marketing, i thought boyfriend dungeon was lighthearted and fun? i'd get emotional whiplash from that sh*t."

On the side that thinks Kitfox has done enough, someone said, "I didn’t really take an interest in Boyfriend Dungeon before the ~discourse~ but now I want to buy it to support the devs having to deal with BS from people who can’t read a content warning and get mad about uncomfortable art".

Someone else concluded, "Am I understanding correctly that people are upset that Boyfriend Dungeon depicts sensitive topics, despite clearly portraying then carefully and warning the player about them? Or am I missing something I need to finish the game to understand?" 

Although many have praised Kitfox for this move, others have said it's unnecessary. Despite Kitfox's promise to update its content warning, the internet is full of those who think it's overkill. Namely, some say that further censoring would effectively remove the title's villain and completely change the story of Boyfriend Dungeon. Either way, it seems like a lesson learned by Kitfox, with a more robust content warning coming your way soon.