![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNlkVEktZNII76-AUn01osbDR5LCtQuw9Veaqqa6DXndUjB509LMNypLlMP0oRuT6Ls1KYx00SO51pPlfvVfbHRS24ICl5GIZXoeIr35BCSpv19gw6-5WXEnYYm6mQh0YcdmBrew/s400/fullsizeoutput_c59.jpeg)
Given my love of RPGs, that probably seems a bit odd. So what's the deal? I'm not sure, to tell you the truth. I've never really thought about why I tend to avoid (even today) first-person dungeon-crawlers. The only reason I can come up with at the moment is I like seeing my party members.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8aN_UE_6j5Hof2E2SnQ8ZDtuy-dU31qOXKenf4JdUXziqYrgVbnxZPhVxIWLUk7Mvm8489F1xTgElDesTWo2ABxgANyo8B_xPzlov-8C83MwIMNOo4LSpcbHrrCS1Ui0XkiqTIA/s400/fullsizeoutput_c5b.jpeg)
Did all of that change after I played and loved Etrian Odyssey? Not exactly--which is to say I still vastly prefer more traditional (Japanese) RPGs to these labyrinth-obsessed offshoots.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1zhCGHh_8PuTMF9NF3xpEO7hErUv4hZHmAieWQodBFvFknsYWdx9CCnojNpuJBofdzykgydUmfJrWsephLOi_F3RNQ5-JpPQE3wWy7X70vnfSCBJa3fwlJAK92jhtGeIWzxtxw/s400/fullsizeoutput_c54.jpeg)
What prompted me to pick up Double Dungeons, a 1989 release that's about as "labyrinth obsessed" as you can get?
The main reason is I was on a real PC Engine kick when I picked up the copy that gave me access to the manual you see here. Also, it was dirt cheap, which always helps.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8iKBxV5UZ3RLIUe6Ym-Vku4g8SZGfFMKmt57u4pw7GkatqTXX4ZcPhbSEitZ_P3YP6Of_gImfGTVfhgvA9qn5cu9EOnDZ-AJ2JcDHHu68FCb9J-njSiPtSISTJkA2xspayxtGMQ/s400/fullsizeoutput_c5d.jpeg)
It's a good thing this HuCard can be picked up on the cheap, too, as it's not exactly the most stunning dungeon-crawler around.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8EZOCHEof1xE_jq3qCiFpi4hVrr8HWb24g-j61BzoHtMPtaMZwVap-XdLJ8W-fA_0Ez_S0VHR3i_LZgZYB8b9pTUBASCRZyq8Qqrekx8wodNNo2OJYGAhl3VyBUtdxpwIUD15yw/s400/fullsizeoutput_c5f.jpeg)
Sure, Double Dungeons offers up an intriguing gimmick--two people can explore a level simultaneously (although not side by side, sadly)--but most who try it won't find it thrilling enough to overcome the title's otherwise-dull gameplay and graphics.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8il83NejE_Ej0rKs5nlnsD9VVewgYrhR-N-L_dPQViLoAhKY4_RXsZzxCs6alCs_nkH3lG_xX93HCZtigV_cH6n-aRheng14ua8cOUrqcfDTK0LU_AkZJfoYoBkqO07CuOi5RA/s400/fullsizeoutput_c61.jpeg)
Still, you've got to give developer Masaya credit for attempting something unique with this typically staid genre.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ISWbnO2EF5I5eapc6anWiaSlyxmOGKTU29jgaqyOBfGxJaAzFKro8TMbT5kdf9r2DrJemjbKT8WgD585vnzEXaeaQ2pFbIY2oeCSuC0gaUL_ySXYJaCP5rX5Lf9WNYqD2ubSCg/s400/fullsizeoutput_c6f.jpeg)
You've also got to give credit to the artists and designers who worked on Double Dungeons' instruction manual.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSPsuGB8RoHHIx4QJvca1GOboBwjvM6l8gWvv3gF_bcRf2L9KL91OrRbhA4fF9C9EmhNsDBZrfE9Bt8PeSNZl9EheF2ENmv_fAj78akonTcV6i6KQqTmIfu7Ay0OYskMwGyRMgTQ/s400/fullsizeoutput_c70.jpeg)
It makes buying a complete copy of this game well worth the price of admission, as you're likely now aware.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgviJu8_lUs7AXtyBKSMtW0XSCo5m0fDKAdHmTFuhwO31rBeFrStlgCp2RXmj7yji2silNN6l3PsHcpZ_suOz_y494NXHbyJLxiVwFziv9meo1u12-oMReEzmnohOubk1Zn4c9xnA/s400/fullsizeoutput_c67.jpeg)
I'm especially fond of the backdrop that frames Double Dungeons' story on the manual's second page. I also like the strangely sweet illustrations that sit in the corners of pages four and seven.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLRfJpz5mi8dlWgqDdb9ZqZvFhYKMOkp52VzspAa86_gkUW7eooo5dbC0yHhROFCt1V5rvLgDfP7hOGAeZv_BQ2US0kblZRQwc7lJCW6rWV1KGmUzRATwOChuBtmZhgCoEZ3CP0g/s400/fullsizeoutput_c6a.jpeg)
Line drawings of the title's enemies would've made the package even more appealing than it already is, in my opinion, but that ship sailed long ago.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4uTVtI6ECvIzON8P50Uu1_eUwWUedVt4JeSNI3LJuCFecD2H9W5V10QdzoJNZVwCf8AEOwrv_dAMIke8OhxgNIm37DmoCnf2xdhDgOqdoEm7PJ3sh1JDeGwyfXFqNRRlNonWapw/s400/fullsizeoutput_c6c.jpeg)
Plus, the folks who pieced together the Double Dungeons how-to booklet included the requisite--for me, at least--depictions of the game's items and accessories (see pages 14 and 15, above), so you won't hear me complaining too loudly about it being a stinker.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLdpTflEkAHVqv5jCq86yTyPJ6EopN1NEyk9olosBo-3vWeG6i80o9OuTwgwnxPaIA71_N8vKcEXhSAa8IfpHZeOIsP_Jszv1EI1zaM2NMZnD1gztwU0wmn97GzP0KTrddjxl5ow/s400/fullsizeoutput_c6e.jpeg)
What do you think of this edition of "Manual Stimulation"? Is it the most delicious thing you've ever seen, or is it a total dud?
See also: 'the best PC Engine game manuals (I've seen)'