Dragonkin: The Banished is probably what you would get if you take the Dragon Slayers from Fairy Tail, the gameplay elements from the Diablo series, and the story elements from the Titan Quest series. And no, I’m not talking about the power of friendship to slay the demons of hell and mythical beings from the tales of Homer. Did I pique your curiosity yet? Well, if so – let’s dive in.
Disclaimer: I played this in very early access, so keep that in mind while reading this preview.
Story
In the expansive world of Dragonkin: The Banished, players are invited to immerse themselves in a realm tainted by draconic corruption. This action RPG, developed by Eko Software and published by Nacon, offers a rich narrative intertwined with diverse characters and engaging gameplay mechanics.
As I mentioned in the introduction, the storyline of Dragonkin unfolds in a world devastated by the blood of dragons, leading to the emergence of malevolent creatures. You embark on a quest to hunt these draconic monsters, aiming to confront and eliminate the formidable Dragon Lords. Like most A-RPGs, Dragonkin: The Banished features a lot of different regions, each presenting unique cultures, monsters, and resources, from volcanic landscapes to frozen plains, ensuring a varied and immersive experience. It also shows that the tutorial throws you into what we would generally consider ‘endgame’ content. It gives the story body, though – even though it’s quite a lot to take in. The way the game introduces the characters to the story is good since you see what drives them and do a little test run with them, which brings us to gameplay elements.
Heroes
Dragonkin: The Banished introduces four distinct hero classes, each offering unique abilities and combat styles. I love the fact that they tried to stay true to the existing dragon-blood powers often found in D&D and such.
The Barbarian: A warrior infused with white dragon blood, granting him ice powers and immense strength. He excels in melee combat, wielding devastating axes and hammers. Notably, his offensive capabilities intensify as he sustains damage, embodying the true spirit of a berserker.
The Witch (Draconic Oracle): Transformed by blue dragon blood, she envisions harmony between dragons and humans. Utilizing electric draconic powers, she specializes in ranged combat, casting potent spells from a distance to decimate foes.
The Knight (Soldier of the Order): A master of the fire lance and shield, his unwavering faith renders him resistant to draconic corruption. He offers a balanced combat approach, effectively engaging in both melee and ranged attacks with his flame-emitting lance.
The Archer (Tracker Archer): Renowned for her hunting prowess, she employs arrows, daggers, traps, and toxic substances. Ideally suited for ranged combat, she can also create poisonous zones to deter close-range threats.
In the early access version, I played the first three hero classes available for picking, which locked me out of the one I felt the most comfortable with. The developer’s roadmap promises the inclusion of The Archer in the summer update, so I’ll be looking for that one. I usually go with either toxic or ice damage in ARPGs. Still, The Barbarian felt a bit too squishy for me in the tutorial endgame, and I typically don’t do too well with sorcerer-based classes, so The Witch (although her powers were cool) was a no-go for me. I loaded up the fire-blasting Lance Knight and hopped into the world of Dragonkin.
Gameplay elements
What Dragonkin does differently from the regular ARPG is the Ancestral Grid, which reminded me a lot of the way Path of Exile does its leveling up. It’s the key feature of your character progression, and the Ancestral Grid allows players to acquire and strategically place abilities and modifiers, crafting a unique fighting style. This mechanic ensures that no two players share the same grid configuration, promoting personalized gameplay experiences. It is, however, quite complicated and took me a while to figure out and find a grid that worked for my build. Especially since you unlock skills (or find ones, I’m not entirely sure yet how this works) that aren’t related to the thing you have as a player but are linked up with your pet, which makes it even more tricky to find a good combination.
Yes, pets! You can tame Wyrmlings in Dragonkin, elemental dragon companions specializing in Ice, Electricity, Fire, or Poison. I picked poison to start with, but you can switch it up if you want by swapping them out in the city. These dragon companions integrate into the Ancestral Grid, triggering abilities in synergy with the player’s skills, adding a strategic layer to combat. Still, I would like to see more in-depth explanations in this field by the time the game is released.
City development and multiplayer features
Beyond combat, players oversee the growth of a central city, humanity’s last bastion. As the city prospers, new features unlock, including merchants, craftspeople, and direct character bonuses. The city evolves visually with each upgrade, reflecting the player’s developmental choices. In this early access version, however, the town is quite limited in options, which was frustrating to gain upgrade points with nothing to upgrade. The developers, however, already said that multiplayer functionality will allow friends to develop and share their cities collaboratively in future updates.
Conclusion
So, to conclude! Dragonkin: The Banished promises a compelling blend of rich storytelling, diverse character customization, and innovative gameplay mechanics. Whether delving into the intricate Ancestral Grid or exploring a world rife with draconic lore, players are set for an epic adventure that could redefine the action RPG genre. But there is a lot of work to be done. The world feels empty, with lots of running around (lack of portals), the immediate respawning of mobs when visiting the town is not entirely fun, and the game generally needs a bit of polish and elbow grease. But if they fix these small things in further updates, it could become the next big A-RPG hit.
