I’m a big fan of ARPG titles like Path of Exile and Diablo. The top-down camera angle and ability-based combat system create flashy, powerful-feeling mechanics. When combined with big hordes of enemies, deadly boss fights, and satisfying looting, they make for a great game. That being said, I’m often picky when it comes to this genre. No Rest For The Wicked really grabbed my attention, though it leaned more toward a soulslike. Despite what my fellow TryHard said, I wasn’t a big fan of Diablo IV. A good ARPG needs a specific combination of factors to stand out to me, someone who became a fan of the genre later in life and still struggles to find the “perfect” title.
Dragonkin: The Banished caught my attention quickly. While it isn’t my new favorite ARPG, it comes close.
Dragonkin: The Banished takes place in a world corrupted by the blood of dragons. Playing as one of four classes (three available in early access), you set out with a simple goal: defeat the chaotic dragon lords and restore peace to mankind.
Visually, it took some time for Dragonkin: The Banished to grow on me. The initial few areas of the map didn’t stand out to me, a problem that began to fade as I got further into the game’s first chapter and saw the more vibrant and unique environments. Many character designs didn’t appeal to me at first, though I liked the armor and weapon sets. As the game opened up, I became a fan of many monster designs. The world didn’t make an incredible first impression, but it improved over time.
The storytelling and dialogue were solid. Some exposition-heavy sections had me skipping ahead, but overall, the characters felt believable and interesting after some time. The voice acting was great, but it took me a while to connect with the characters. I didn’t fully enjoy the story or writing until I got past my first impression.
What immediately grabbed me was the gameplay. As I mentioned in my introduction, an ARPG like this needs to do certain things well for me to stay invested. One key element is abilities—they need to be fun, mechanically and visually well-designed, and feel impactful, especially in fights against giant bosses or hordes of enemies. Dragonkin: The Banished delivers on all these points.
All of the abilities feel fun, impactful, and look great, especially with my chosen class, the knight. I can’t explain how satisfying it is to be able to point my lance at a horde of enemies and simply engulf them in flame. The game also does not put fun-killing restrictions on the power or effects of these abilities. To once again use my favorite skill as an example, as early as level one, you can spout forth great, long-lasting bursts of flame, slowly burning your mana down, only for it to be recovered shortly after. It’s a mechanic that feels designed for fun instead of artificially, needless balance, and I greatly appreciate that all of the abilities in the game seem to be designed the same way.
I tried capturing how cool the combat looks, but the fast pace made it hard to take good screenshots. If my images don’t do it justice, I recommend checking out videos of the game.
What is also incredibly impressive is how Dragonkin: The Banished handles equipping and upgrading these abilities. Spells are placed on a hexagonal grid, similar to fitting gemstones into sockets. The grid also allows for upgrade or bonus effect slottables, which directly buff or mutate abilities by proxy. It’s a very fun way to handle skills, and one that gives you a lot of room for customization and upgradeability.
Seeing that the game is in early access, it’s understandable that you might run into some bugs here or there. Frame drops during some boss fights can be expected, and some NPCs or quests will occasionally bug out in a way that requires you to restart quests completely. It’s an unfortunately frustrating bug to face in an RPG, but one that the developers are sure to address quickly during the game’s early access run.
If I had any real criticism about the game, subjective though it may be, it would simply be that I wish everything was a bit more stylized. Where there are interesting settings and cool-looking monsters, generally everything seems to fall under the umbrella of generic dark fantasy, aka Diablo or Path of Exile. There’s a lot the game could have done to further stand out visually, and while the gameplay is arguably the most important aspect of a game, I think a better focus on style and worldbuilding could have made this title stand out from the rest.
Pros:
- Fantastic feeling combat that feels designed to be fun above all else
- Unique upgrade and progression systems
- Interesting bosses and world design
Cons:
- Some bugs that are likely to be addressed soon in the game’s early access lifespan
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