Delicious in Dungeon

Episode 6

Episode 6 of Delicious in Dungeon is another solid entry and illustrates that the series is in a comfortable groove.

As discussed last week, we are well and truly in the steady rhythm of the show at this point. The party goes to a new part of the dungeon, meets some new critters, cooks them up, and eats them. Your mileage will greatly depend on how novel you find the monster being served up each week. I enjoyed this episode thematically and loved it visually.

The actual core content is solid enough. There are two halves to the episode: Laios getting into the painting world and Chilchuck being locked in with the mimic. The first half I found to be just creative enough to spark joy. Sure, Laios playing a bit of Mario 64 and leaping into picture worlds isn't an entirely new concept, but the implementation is very specific to Delicious in Dungeon. The idea of jumping into these painted mini-worlds simply to try and get food and either bring it back or eat it there is brilliant and very much a thing player characters would do in a tabletop campaign. I liked Laios going so far as to express concern that it might taste like paint. The additional bit about all of the paintings being connected is a great bit of environmental storytelling, as it gives the dining room a more realistic feeling and sense of being an actual place that was once inhabited by people rather than another empty stone room full of treasure. Laios then being chased by someone within the paintings who recognized him across time was interesting too and added to the surreal magic of the place.

Chilchuck being isolated was also a lot of fun. I loved getting a window into his long-running rivalry with mimics as well as insight into his thought processes as he went about solving the puzzle and escaping the room. This is just a good dungeon design, from the pressure plates/stones to the puzzle itself and even the traps being deadly for both Chilchuck and the monster. The notion that the mimic is a sort of crustacean-like creature beneath the chest is a fun idea too, and of course, makes for a tasty monster meal at the end.

The real joy in this episode for me was the animation. It's not as though the series hasn't had a terrific look and direction thus far or anything. But something about the sequence with Chilchuck alone in the room was captivating. The way Chilchuck's movement is so haphazard and all-out, yet at the same time the room continues to be small and isolating. It strikes a great balance between him running around at full tilt though still clearly trapped.

Rating:

Grant is the cohost on the Blade Licking Thieves podcast and Super Senpai Podcast.

Delicious in Dungeon is currently streaming on Netflix.