Kairosoft have had a knack not only for creating the most addictive sim games in the app store, but for pumping them out with such frequency, that it's a bit dizzying. Unfortunately this means that a lot of their offerings have become rather stale, taking their established formula and plonking it down in a new scenario, with only minimal tweaks to how the game works. Last month Epic Astro Story revitalized their formula, and now Dungeon Village starts the process of refining their new approach to the sim game, making you care more about the individuals who visit your town rather than just profit or a bunch of nice loot to sell them.

Dungeon Village takes place in a town built for adventurers looking to explore the surrounding landscape in search of treasure, fame, and glory. The town starts off modest as they all do in these games, with just an inn, a weapon shop, and an armor shop. Adventurers will make use of these facilities before heading out into the fields to slay monsters for the cash and experience (and that cash they receive? It goes to you, as well as all the money they spend in your town. What a bargain!). Soon you'll be able to send groups of adventurers out on quests to explore new regions (which play out at the bottom of the screen as their progress increases), and all the while dealing with some of the staples of the Kairosoft sim game.

You earn adventurer points that can be spent on events that either make your town more popular, or will help improve the stats of all the adventurers. The star rating system returns, having a check list of pre-requisites you have to meet before leveling up your town, which acts as the game's ultimate goal which all the other play drives towards. Shops can have items used on them to increase their prices, appeal, and quality (and they level up as well), while new shops and landscape can be bought with adventurer points or are given to you for gaining a new star rating. If you've played a Kairosoft game before, you are familiar with these systems.

The real change comes in the individualization of the adventurers. After a few quests, you start to recognize names, and you start to get attached to those that are leveling up and spending all their money in your town. After enough time is passed, they decide to settle down and ask you to build a house for them, doing all they can to help the growth of the city (as you help them with the growth of their character, changing jobs once they've maxed out a profession). At the end of each year you can award them medals based on their performance, and the whole package allows you to know the population of your growing community greater than most other Kairosoft titles.

If you love sim games, Dungeon Village is a no brainer. If you got tired of the same formula in every new Kairosoft release, we recommend you give this a go, as you'll find that addictive spark has returned with enough difference to create both a familiar and a fresh gaming experience.