THE NEW DENPA MEN is a turn-based action game where you capture the titular characters and have them fight in dungeons. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.
THE NEW DENPA MEN Review Overview
What is THE NEW DENPA MEN?
DENPA MEN are all around you, even as you read this– even as I write this! Their homes are the invisible radio waves that surround us at all times. Take out your Switch, find them, and capture them to give them a new home in THE NEW DENPA MEN! Within the game, they will be housed within an island you can decorate to your heart’s content! That’s not all– DENPA MEN are strong, capable, and can grow into mighty warriors, and so you must lead them into grand quests through dungeons and strengthen them to defeat any kind of evil!
THE NEW DENPA MEN features:
⚫︎ Turn-based combat
⚫︎ Free Denpa collection
⚫︎ AI-controlled commands
⚫︎ Collectible items and aesthetic gear
⚫︎ Customizable island
For more gameplay details, read everything we know about THE NEW DENPA MEN's gameplay and story.
 Nintendo eShop |
Free |
THE NEW DENPA MEN Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Very Accessible Gameplay Charming Enemy Designs |
Severe Level Barriers |
THE NEW DENPA MEN Overall Score - 72/100
THE NEW DENPA MEN is a decent free-to-play title that requires little time investment from its players. Sure, the audio might be unimpressive and the game does recycle a lot of resources, but it’s enjoyable enough to justify what little is demanded from you.
THE NEW DENPA MEN Story - 6/10
The game’s story is what you would expect from a title aimed at the lower end of adolescence and younger; straightforward, accessible, and entertaining. Beyond that, it doesn’t offer more than a slight intrigue on the basic slice of life formula.
THE NEW DENPA MEN Gameplay - 8/10
THE NEW DENPA MEN uses a very standard but very reliable turn-based RPG structure as its core combat system. It also has an option for players to leave a turn to the AI, which is decently competent enough to survive a turn or two. Everything else about the game is pretty customary or outright boring, though, aside from its unique catch mechanic.
THE NEW DENPA MEN Visuals - 8/10
While THE NEW DENPA MEN’s models and animations are high-quality, it also does a lot of recycling between characters. On the other hand, the enemies are charming and the environment and stage design is quite appealing, especially for such a low-investment title.
THE NEW DENPA MEN Audio - 6/10
Almost everything about THE NEW DENPA MEN’s audio is standard affair. They’re all just there, serving to make your gaming experience anything but a silent one. But if there’s one thing to take particular note of, it’s the voice acting. That’s because THE NEW DENPA MEN’s main scenarios are largely voiced by heavily-processed vocals that, at a cursory glance, doesn’t feel much different from the gibberish that comes out of NPCs’ mouths in regular dialogue. It’s quite jarring.
THE NEW DENPA MEN Value for Money - 8/10
THE NEW DENPA MEN is a free-to-play game on the Nintendo Switch that earns its keep through in-game microtransactions. If you ask me if the microtransaction prices are fair, I would be hesitant to reply with a "no." It’s pretty cheap, actually. On the other hand, the free-to-play economy is rather terrible with very minimal rewards for clearing content.
THE NEW DENPA MEN Review: A Bare-Bones Treat
Free-to-play titles with in-game microtransactions are quite prolific nowadays. This is particularly true for mobile where the most popular games all follow the same monetization scheme. On the other hand, it’s not that common on the Nintendo Switch. Yeah, you have games such as Fortnite and Apex Legends there, but most of the time, those games are discussed while under the assumption that it’s referring to their PC, PlayStation, or Xbox versions.
THE NEW DENPA MEN, therefore, isn’t the first of its kind to grace the Nintendo Switch. However, it does have its charms… although not where you’d expect it to be.
First of all, what is THE NEW DENPA MEN?
It is a turn-based adventure game where you take your little Denpa Men and have them fight monsters like it’s a royal rumble version of Pokemon. That said, the way you collect them does slightly resemble Pokemon as well, albeit a bit more primitive. By that, I mean with a net gun.
Almost sounds like we’re collecting actual human beings, right?
Anyway, catching Denpa Men (again, with a literal net gun) accounts for roughly 10% of the game—more if you’re the type to min-max everything. That’s quite an amount, even if you’re not looking for the perfect one with the best combination of stats, skill, element, and passive. Thankfully, the minigame is pretty fun as long as it’s done in short bursts.
It just involves you aiming with either your Switch’s gyro or with the left thumbstick, then shooting a net at your unsuspecting prey (read: when he’s facing away from you). After that, congratulations! You have caught yourself a Denpa Man.
Best part is, the collection minigame is free! Mostly, that is. This is where the game’s first microtransaction-based monetization comes into play. Majority of those you catch for free are scrubs compared to the premium ones that cost real money (or time). Hence, you will inevitably have to invest your hard-earned dollar (or a couple of hours of your life) in order to get the best of the best.
Unfortunately for us, the in-game economy is rather poor. Each stage gives only a single or so jewel, which is the game’s premium currency, and it takes three in order to catch a rare Denpa. There’s also a free jewel every week, but that’s nothing much in the grand scheme of things.
You are therefore forced to play through the game’s stages. This involves running around doing people favors, collecting loot, and fighting monsters in a roughly 5-5-90 distribution. And since fighting is such a major part of the game, you better always have the best team you can form.
Doing so can get quite annoying, however. THE NEW DENPA MEN isn’t a stranger to every gacha-slash-lootbox game out there. The Denpa Men that appear in the catching minigame are bound by RNG, which will screw with you a lot. In a way, this is the game’s telling you to spend premium currency instead of relying on freebies.
Going back to the gameplay, it’s as cookie-cutter as you can imagine a turn-based game can be. You specify commands for your characters to follow, and they will execute them in order of their speed. Each Denpa Men have only one skill, so there’s not much strategizing needed for combat to work.
But you do need to take note of levels. The stat gain per level in this game is absolutely bonkers. That means every level matters a lot, and can spell the difference between getting destroyed in one hit or taking the attack like a champ.
That also means that you’ll have to take the time to rerun stages in order to raise new Denpa Men. Babysitting is almost impossible here when enemies can potentially one-shot characters that are a mere two or three levels below them.
Fortunately, you won’t have to go through the story each time you access the same stage beyond your first run. Ergo, you don’t need to suffer through the game’s awkward dialogue riddled with minor but annoying grammar and spelling mistakes more times than is necessary.
The game has numerous other problems, too, such as its almost machine-like voice acting, some hidden paths being a requirement to progress, enemies being able to chase you until the end of the world (or at least until the stairs to the next floor), and its lack of an action timeline to make comments more efficiently. Then again, it’s not that severe for a game that only needs a few hours of your time each week in order to enjoy.
Pros of THE NEW DENPA MEN
| Things THE NEW DENPA MEN Got Right |
|---|
|
Very Accessible Gameplay Charming Enemy Designs |
Very Accessible Gameplay
THE NEW DENPA MEN uses a minimalist turn-based RPG formula that barely needs any introductions. However, just in case, its combat involves giving commands to individual Denpa Men before each side would act in order of their speed. The game also allows you to gear your Denpa Men up with different kinds of equipment to provide them with stat buffs and additional properties.
Giving Denpa Men individual commands can be completely forgotten, though. The game allows you to skip the entire process and have the AI command them instead. This can be interpreted as something between hands-on and full-auto gameplay. Thankfully, the AI is pretty competent, so you can mostly leave it to the game to play itself.
Charming Enemy Designs
While the Denpa Men are pretty cute, they quickly overstay their welcome due to their sheer number and repetitiveness in design. Perhaps to compensate, the monsters (which you’re supposed to defeat, by the way) have pretty charming designs. In fact, these mobs probably have more work done on them than the Denpa Men themselves, as they sport multiple animations and variations unique to their type.
Cons of THE NEW DENPA MEN
| Things That THE NEW DENPA MEN Can Improve |
|---|
|
Severe Level Barriers |
Severe Level Barriers
I’m not one to speak against level grinding. If anything, I consider slouching on my chair while repeatedly running the same stage dozens, if not hundreds of times as therapeutic. However, the moment I saw the numbers that went into a Denpa’s stats every time they leveled up, I immediately knew there was going to be an issue.
There's just too much stats being provided on every level-up. It creates an extremely steep curve that requires meeting level recommendations to properly fight in certain stages. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself suffering crazy strong hits from enemies that are barely a level or two above you.
Is THE NEW DENPA MEN Worth It?
Worth An Occasional Glance
There are a lot of better free-to-play games on the market right now. Though their microtransactions may be more expensive, they are at least higher in quality. But what sets THE NEW DENPA MEN apart from other free to play titles is its lack of time investment it demands from players. You can play it at your own pace without any urgency. And that, especially nowadays, is something special.
| Platform | Price |
|---|---|
| Nintendo eShop |
Free |
THE NEW DENPA MEN FAQ
Is THE NEW DENPA MEN free?
Yes, THE NEW DENPA MEN is free. It does, however, have in-game microtransactions that are completely optional.
Does THE NEW DENPA MEN support multiple languages?
The only choices for the US release of THE NEW DENPA MEN is either Japanese or English support.
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THE NEW DENPA MEN Product Information
 | |
| Title | THE NEW DENPA MEN |
|---|---|
| Release Date | July 22, 2024 |
| Developer | Genius Sonority |
| Publisher | Genius Sonority |
| Supported Platforms | Nintendo Switch |
| Genre | RPG |
| Number of Players | Local 1-4 |
| Rating | ESRB E |
| Official Website | THE NEW DENPA MEN Official Website |
