Dragonkin: The Banished Review – Dragons and Depth

Dragonkin: The Banished Review

Just about a year ago, I took a look at Dragonkin: The Banished. At that time, the hack-and-slash fantasy RPG was just pulling into early access. Now the game has fully released, and we can revisit Montescail and see how our dragon-beset land is faring. Turns out, pretty well, thanks to us.

Limited Choices, Then a Wide-Open Path

When it comes to player characters, action RPGs tend to fall into one of two camps. One approach is deep customization, from the hair and helmet down to the feet and boots. It’s kind of the Dungeons and Dragons approach. At the other end of the scale are games where you play a pre-rolled hero. Eko Software’s Dragonkin: The Banished sits in the middle. Players can choose from one of four pre-made classes/characters: the Barbarian, a melee-focused fighter; the Oracle, a powerful elemental mage; the Knight, a tanky spear-wielder; and the ranged weapon user Tracker. They cover all the classic fantasy ARPG bases. Where Dragonkin: The Banished might fall a little short for some players is the lack of customization beyond the basic cosmetics of new armor as it’s picked up. There is no such thing as a hybrid class.

However, Dragonkin: The Banished makes up for some of the more superficial character customization through an admirably deep skill and ability tree called the Ancestral Grid. There are the usual kinds of skills, like adding elemental effects to weapons or even bringing a pet dragon wyrmling into battle with you. Additionally, a mechanic called Symbiosis takes the system even deeper, where abilities that are adjacent on the Grid amplify each other in unique ways. It’s a lot to take in, but it results in a wide range of possibilities.

Finally, there is a simple base-building element to the game. Points earned during exploration can be applied to growing Montescail by adding merchants and trainers. The town is beautifully rendered, and it’s a lot of fun to watch it evolve.

Impressive and Familiar Combat

In a game like Dragonkin: The Banished, everything is ultimately in service of combat. While the flow of combat feels generally familiar to that of other ARPGs, the flash and fury of spells, various weapons, and hordes of enemies is still immensely engaging. Each of the four classes feels different enough that players can definitely pick a favorite. My go-to was the Oracle, and her powerful elemental spells, perfect for dispatching crowds. Weapons feel punchy, and spells land with a satisfying thump or crackle.

The environments are moody and drenched with a gothic fantasy vibe. There’s some repetition to low-level enemies but the Ancestral Dragon bosses are all challenging and interesting to battle. As in similar titles, large-scale encounters can devolve into chaotic masses of effects and movement, making it hard to distinguish the player character in the middle.

Ultimately, combat and exploration in Dragonkin: The Banished don’t feel remarkably different than other popular games in the genre, but hat’s not a bad thing unless you’re craving a radically different experience.

Clear as Mud

We haven’t talked much about the game’s narrative, because it’s probably the Dragonkin: The Banished’s weakest element. Not because it’s superficial, but because it’s just the opposite. The central conceit is simple. Dragon blood is corrupting the land and your task is to kill the Ancestral Dragon Lords and end the plague. A corrupted land in need of cleansing isn’t an entirely original premise, but at least we definitely know the source of the problem.

Unfortunately, the timelessly simple premise is diluted by too much jargon-filled and ultimately kind of ignorable dialogue and exposition. The audio mixing and voice acting don’t help to sell it, either. I am surprised that the past year hasn’t seen a little more improvement in this aspect of the game.

That said, there are plenty of excellent action games with less than stellar narratives or overwrought storytelling, so it’s not a deal breaker. Overall, the game’s pacing is excellent and the introduction of new mechanics is never overwhelming. And Dragonkin: The Banished still has one of the most clever tutorial sequences I’ve seen, where you play each fast-paced segment as a different, fully-kitted-out character class. It really whets the appetite for what’s to come.

A Good Choice for Genre Fans

I didn’t have a chance to try the game’s multiplayer co-op mechanics, but I can imagine tearing through enemies with friends would be a lot of furious fantasy fun. A lot of the game’s minor technical stumbles have been improved over the past year, though there was still a bit of pop-in and stutter in the more high-population battles.

Gamers who have already invested hundreds of hours in another hack-and-slash RPG might not be tempted to make a lateral move to Dragonkin: The Banished. Then again, its depth of systems and generally excellent combat might be a satisfying alternative.

***PC code provided by the publisher for review***