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Dragonica Online Review: Dragonica Review - Edit
7.5
Average
| Pros |
 Excellent localization efforts Fast and fun Interesting game systems |
| Cons |
 Lack of immersion Lack of quest variety |
Once, in a far off land, the Gods created a world where mankind and dragons lived in peace. Man inhabited the earth and dragons the air. Man was not content though and sought to rule the dragons, drawing them into conflict. The dragons had the upper hand until man managed to harness the power of the elements and were able to defeat them. The dragons withdrew for a realm of their own, except for one who lusted after the power of the five elements for his own, and drawing upon the forces of evil, began a new war. It took the united force of five heroes who arose to claim each element and the other dragons to defeat the forces of evil and imprison this one rogue dragon. For a time.
That's the backstory to Dragonica Online, a fast-paced, side-scrolling game with 3-D elements, quests, crafting, grouping, guilds, friends, PvP, and an in-game mail system with housing yet to come. All the main hallmarks of any full featured MMO in a free to play game.
Gameplay
Dragonica has managed to create a game that is not only fast paced but has one of the lowest learning curves in MMOs that I have played. A keyboard based game which can be easily customized to game pad play, the only issues I had as an MMO player was getting used to movement using the arrow keys and skills and attacks with the left hand. Luckily, the keys were also easily re-mapped.
;)
The interface is straight forward and well laid out, and all information and actions accessible with a simple right or left click of the mouse. Mousing over any object will provide stats and information. The simple tutorial walks you through all your movements and at key moments, you will get pop-ups which show you further features.
There are three aspects to crafting in the game. Cooking is accessed via recipes that drop from the appropriate creature. Lamb chops from sheep for example. Mousing over the recipe tells you what it makes and the stat boost it provides when consumed, and clicking on the recipe opens up a window which shows you the ingredients required and whether you have them in your inventory. Enchanting and Soulcrafting are both done at an NPC, and involves drops from monsters you hunt and a bit of luck.
With a little bit of getting used to the keyboard, combat was a fast button mashing fest, using skill combos. For example, the first skill the mage receives is an AE which blasts creatures up and stuns them. They lay down for a second or two. That can be combined with an air attack or a "re-launch" and then an air attack. As a side-scroller, despite some availability of 3-D back and forth movement and jump pads that get players into the background and foreground on the maps, combat is directional. Horizontal as well as diagonally upward, but not forward and backward although you can move in those directions. This can have some interesting positional problems in multiple enemy scenarios and Boss missions when there are many other players on screen. It may seem as if it will be easy to get away from mobs as they have very short leashes in side-scrollers. However, successful mob attacks are often knock down and when you have multiples - and you usually do - your HP can be reduced to nil very quickly.
Quests are mainly kill quests and provide your basic equipment in the beginning before you begin to get drops from higher level creatures. The "Gift Box" one sees in many Asian games is not missing in Dragonica. This is the quest reward that can be opened multiple times. It provides level appropriate items when opened, then transforms into a higher level box which can only be opened at that level or higher. There is a separate "Mission" system in game and these are closer in concept to Battlegrounds where you expect to enter as a group to take out a crazy number of mobs and bosses.
Loot and drops include potions and critter meats that can be used in recipes, some that can be consumed, providing HP or MP. All items are graphically represented (and sparkly) and players have to roll over them to automatically pick them up. Copper, Silver and Gold automatically convert in your inventory and similar items stack. Equipment also drops, especially from boss mobs. They are not unusual drops, but uncommon from other mobs. Where the wolf kept those warrior pauldrons I cannot begin to guess.
PvP is accessible once your avatar reaches level 10 and this is a separate system that is accessed from within the game, but takes you to a lobby where you can participate in different PvP matches and maps. There aren't any in-game arenas or PvP areas.
The four generic fantasy class are present - the warrior, thief, mage and archer - each evolving into different forms. A fifth is expected - given the backstory, but no news is available about that as yet. After level 10, players begin to lose XP when they die. Players have two choices: resurrect in town, or if they have items, may resurrect in the field. Resurrection in town conveys full HP and MP and in the field, potions have to be used to restore HP and MP unless a premium resurrection item is used.
;)
Graphics and Sound
Dragonica is all about cute, funny and fun. The player avatars are chibi-style with big heads, large eyes and egg shaped bodies. The graphics are soft but pleasing and combat animations are diverse. Emoticons are exactly that, animated graphics that appear above your avatar's head, but each class actually has different running and dashing and jumping animations with the warrior doing mid-air summersaults and the mage summons cannons. Player customization includes space suits and chicken hats to be bought. NPCs are also over the top in cuteness with Raccoon plumbers (yes, there is a quest to collect their plungers), shark boy pirates with bandanas and earrings and biker teddy bears.
Sound is nothing to write home about but this is not unexpected in free to play games. There's some combat sound, town music and appropriate grunts from avatars and NPCs alike. Enough to know that it is there.
Cash Shop
Unlike many of the forerunners, many free to play MMOs these days only sell fluff and convenience items. No uber game shifting weapons and equipment may be found in the cash shop but fluff items like chicken hats, watermelon helmets, space suits and handbags and toilet paper bows. Consumables include town portal scrolls, teleport scrolls to take you to a map you've been to before, health and mana potions and resurrection feathers that restore full XP, HP and MP. Enchantment insurance can also be bought to prevent a weapon or piece of gear of being wrecked instead of enhanced. The game provides you with your first taste of these convenience items such as the Phoenix feather for field resurrection and Safety Foam that makes you invulnerable to attack for a time, allowing you to run through a dangerous area unscathed.
In-game shops and mail system
Players have to be online and in a town to open a shop. The free system gives you five slots but licenses can be purchased from the Cash Shop for offline time and increased selling slots. The mail system allows you to send messages, cash and items to other avatars, including your own Alts.
Social and Community
Surprisingly, the game requires you to group rather early. Despite the over the top combat and the ability to kill many, many creatures quickly, I didn't find myself racing through the lower levels, until I started grouping with a different character. The first mission is given to you at a low level and you will require help to finish it. Grouping also led to friendships and friendships give you additional friendship points for each mob you kill while grouped, that Hermit Alvin will gladly convert into XP for you. Another nice thing about having friends is the ability to group up and warp to them.
;)
The game also provides a matchmaking system for players who wish to group and actually "matchmaking" isn't far from the truth as it also has a Couple system which provides additional benefits to couples. To participate, you have to have avatars of opposite genders. If you decide to "de-couple" there are penalties as well. To assist this process, players can participate in short couple trials before deciding to take the big step. Like friendships, when couples are logged in at the same time, they both experience benefits and even more if they are grouped.
I've found that the grouping requirement has produced sociable players looking to group and make friends. "Let me help you," a random stranger told me, and before the hour was up, we had added each other as friends and were gaining friendship points as well. "You're okay," he told me and we moaned about school starting soon and cutting into our play time or at least, he did and I commiserated without letting on that I was reviewing the game and on my third class... and I found out that level 12s could group with level 1s. I never made five levels quite that fast.
Yet to Come
Player Housing and the Pet system. The Real Estate Agent is in game as is a shiny banner over a house, but inaccessible. The pet system has been announced, and we know eggs are tradable but pets are not.
Reviewer's Opinion
It's cute, it's cuddly, it has sharp teeth. Dragonica is surprisingly fun if you enjoy fast paced side-scrollers and if you enjoy humor in your games. It's hard to identify with your avatar when your avatar has a body like an egg and you won't find immersion in Dragonica when you are blasting mobs with cannons and stinger missiles. The combat is fast paced with little down time. Mob respawn is fast and players can be easily overwhelmed if they are not careful, so there is challenge involved, especially with positioning since attacks are directional. It is very easy to learn and pick up and with it's appealing graphics, I can easily see kids taking to the game.
One bit of praise I must toss out. Bravo THQ:Ice for the excellent localization effort. The grammar is good, the language flows, the many spelling errors that we've come to expect in Asian games localized for the American market are not evident and there definitely isn't any "Engrish as she is spoke" to be found in Dragonica Online.
Yea been giving this one a try this last week. Love the combo system and the unqiue and cute graphic style and unquie animations. Im more of a solo player though and the heavy dependency on groups was slightly annoying. On the plus side this does seem to foster more friendly players. Was stucking trying to solo missions when a Lvl 15 showed up and helped me. Had all levels of difficulty done in no time with high scores on each and some really nice loot as well.
BUT overall great fun, fast paced game. I fell in love the first time I figured out how to uppercut with my thief character, sending several opponents into the air, then jumping up towards them while they were in the air and doing a kind of bsaic spinning attack over and over, racking up huge combos and not stopping till the bodies hit the floor. :-D
One feature I noticed I really liked is how the starting areas for each class is very different. The thiefs start in a darkend back alley area. The mages start in this high brow/univeristy like area with grand statues everwhere, etc.
I looked at the screenshots and I must say I am shocked. At this year of age a gfx this bad cannot possibly get 7.5. Unless the game is targetted towards 7 year olds that is...
Probably most of the hardcore members of this forum would agree.
However, I've been looking for a game that I can play on my whimpy laptop with modest graphics card. And with only one or two hours of playtime one or two days a week to my name, this one looks like a winner! Thanks for the review. I'll definitely be checking it out!
The graphics are actually pretty polished and well done, especially for a FTP...the STYLE is definitely not for everyone though, but that's more of a personal preference rather than a hit on their quality. From a technical standpoint, it's pretty well done and that's probably why the reviewer didn't ding it for that.
I'm not sure, but I guess I could be wrong, but last I knew, games were scored on more than just graphics. Usually included originality, ease of controls, learning curve, questing, features, and a bunch of other things. I can't see how a game can have a high score just because the graphics are cutting edge if the game itself was horrible. Same goes the other way. A game shouldn't have a low score just because it's done in cutesy graphics that have been around for the past 5 or so years. If it's a well put together game that's fun to play and over all well done, then I can see it getting a good score.
This review is a lie is so many ways.
The reviewer didnt play the game to lv 35-40 to actually review it propertly.
The quests in the game mean nothing, your only obligated to do red quest thats it, regualr quests dont give any EXP that you would notice.
You grind MM's 24/7 to gain a levels.
You will get kicked out of partys in lv 40's+ if your not a Battlemage, Trickster, or Shaman(Healer), every other class in the game is not needed to progress or slow the party leveling to snail pace.
Also you forgot to say all you do in the game is run Mission Maps (MM's), sometimes over 1,000+ runs on same MAP to gain 1 level, and thats in lv 45+
Most people stay in Rocker MM4 from lv 38 until lv 45-47....
Yeah the game is so fun from lv 30+ you get to kill yourself doing it.
Well I first came across a review for this game on mmohut. I was shocked that such a kiddy game(or so I though) would get such a high score. I've been completely bored waiting for Aion and so I tried it. Plain and simply it made me fall in love. Throwing me back to the days of Legend of mana and other games such as final fight. The twitch part of the game is fun. If you ever really liked those side scrolling fighters there's a lot to be had here. People who've grown up on such graphics also won't have the hugest problem getting into it. Kind of a nostolgia. It's fast, you can finish many of the dungions within 5-10 minutes, fun most everything you see here is available in expanded ways elsewhere but here you can do it in minutes rather than hours.
It's good enough to play alongside the giants though I wouldn't expect to make it THE game for myself. It is original, not trying to compete with the big boys really, just provide a good different sort of mmo. I've heard little about the end game but I doubt it'll be all that. For once I don't really care. For now I'm loving it. You might find it better than you think. The screens won't tell you if you'll like it you'll just have to give it a try.
I played the IAH version for a month, since it was released first. The overall population of the game was extremely rude. People often quit during mission quests (making the end boss have more hit points), and after one person left another would do the same, forcing the group almost always to quit. People often kick you out of the group if you are the lowest level character. At level 20 you gain the quest to advance class wise, and you do so again at level 40 (if I remember correctly). These are some of the worse times, as very few people want to quest with a level 20,21, or 22 that hasn't advanced all the way. You won't be accepted into most groups, and you will get kicked out once they see what your character is. If you play this game, do so with friends, otherwise you may not be treated so kindly. I tried the THQ one for a couple days in beta, not much of a difference.
The graphics are not bad in the game either. They are polished and work great for the style of the game.
The Gladiator can also summon Bruce Lee "Bro" to unleash some pain. However, I heard they changed this awesomeness to some lame white guy in a suit...
I had no desire to try this game because I thought it's demographics were completely child oriented. However, out of sheer boredom, I may just check it out. I'm trying to find some way to fill time until Mortal comes out.
Why do these sub par F2P games get articles on this site, as posters here are saying the game is lame?
Just started checking out this game yesterday with 2 other friends. Gotta say, I was skeptical when looking at trailers of the game, but after trying it, I can say I'm hooked. This game is awesome for the twitch gaming need. The number of enemies is never lacking, the combo system feels tight and fun, and mission maps are great incentive to get rewards based on performance, and I also believe each Mission has a high score board as well, for those of you that like the challenge yourselves. I can imagine the game not being as fun solo, but if you get a few peeps to play with you then it is a total blast. On the fence? Give it a try for yourself and pass judgment then. Only thing you have to lose is time.
When I saw this Double Dragon clone as an MMO, I was pretty excited. Got on the IAH closed beta to check it.
Not bad to start out, was enjoying the graphics and game system. Then when it came to the community, I felt like I was in Maple Story all over again. The game started getting tedious and annoying. I even hated when ppl would constantly KS.
This game was not for me. I'm back in Atlantica and greatful for it.
I'll give Dungeon Fighters or one of the other side scrollers that will be coming out in the near future a try.
This one just blows.
You have to remember that this review is based off of THQ*ICE's release not IAH. They only recently got into open beta on Aug 18th and due to examples from IAH and EU, they decided to do their own nerfs and buffs on classes. Obviously some classes got chopped up but their in the process of balancing the classes at the moment.
Only Hardcore gamers are the one's who are whining all the time, they get to lvl 40+ and complain and whine like a little baby when content isn't even out for that lvl range and what? you guys make up about 5-10% of the population?
They are releasing a big content in the next patching for lvl 40+ and etc
Unfortantly, more and more I find myself hating the hard core players. They get a new game, max out thier chracters in days, and then spam the forums complaining about no end content, nothing to do at high level, etc.
The end game is not the true objective of an online game. The true objective of an online game is the journey. If the game just came out a few days ago and you already beat everything there is to do, go find another flavor of the moment to play or maybe even get a life. Same is true of any new content just days after its release. Whats sad those is this small minority or very vocal, loud, obnoxious, and rude. They quickly turn others off what could be a good game from thier skewed observations. The developers reading the forum see the majority of the posting is about stuff the hard cores are complaining of and make changes that end up killing a game before it has time to develop. The reason you don't hear as much from the rest of the group is that we are busy enjoying the game and the journey in the time we can play and enjoying the real world as well.
** Steps off soapbox. (for now)
So from what Iaiko said this is a PRE view not a review? I find that with F2P games on this site it is very hard to determine if the game has actually been launched. If you check their game list, the F2P games which are talked about as if launched do not even have a launch date. Most are in some sort of beta phase.
So why are they using the word ‘review’ in this article? That is misleading to the point of being criminal as people may sign up for this game thinking it has been launched. It does not matter that it is F2P, time is money and you are spending time on a beta.
I'm going to agree with the earlier poster who pointed out the grindfest the game became.
Honestly? I noticed the grind fest around level 12. When a game tells you to go out and kill more than 20 of a mob - for one normal quest - it really raises the red "Grinding Imminent" flag.
I find it funny how you assume it is a Grindfest at lvl 12, all the quests that they require you to do is mostly for money and not exp. I can probably lvl to lvl 20 in a few hours. The review is valid in some point as this game has already been released in many different regions, there is about 2-4 versions of this game out already.
The reason why this game is highlighted on this site is because imo, it is innovative and fresh. You won't find this type of gameplay anywhere else, and if I can play this game with a controller thats all the more reason for me to continue playing it. I highly recommend this game, I am going to point out that this is not a grinding game, at most its a casual game. People who find this game to be a grindfest, is obviously lvling pass content.
It's about time mmorpg.com opened itself up to more f2p games.
It gets boring reading about the same 5-10 P2p games for years.
Thanks for the review.
I downloaded this to play alongside with my 4 year old. Although he doesn't get what the quest are, once I showed him how to attack, move, and jump he was off killing things. So that shows you just how easy the interface is anyways. The gameplay is pretty fun but there is nothing that draws me back into the game really. I will probably just level a character slowly over time playing it once or twice a week when I want some fast paced fighting. It is very polished though and can get quite challenging. Trying to find the combos and mastering how to do them is alot of fun. Or you can just mash x alot like my son does and watch everything die!
they need to do a new review of this game thq ice version its way better