RuneScape: Dragonwilds Review – Finding Magic in the Machine

RuneScape: Dragonwilds Review

RuneScape is an RPG with a rich history. Players have been leveling skills and slaying dragons for decades now. It’s always been a very open-ended, self-directed kind of experience. So a co-op survival RPG makes a lot of sense. This is a world well suited for grinding skill levels, hoarding resources, and building your own massive outpost amidst the monstrous hordes. On the other hand, a lot of this experience is also very familiar. I’ve lost count of how many logs, stones, and leather hides I’ve stockpiled over the years. So anytime RuneScape: Dragonwilds deviates from the usual formula, the relief is palpable.

Bountiful Magic Harvest

The story is pretty threadbare stuff. You’re here to slay dragons and also conquer this murderous land, or at least keep it from killing you. In a lot of ways, the gameplay loop is very familiar. You’re piling up rocks, weeds, logs, and animal skins as fast as possible. It’s all in service of a gigantic set of tech trees that immediately fall within genre standards. It’s exhausting stuff until you get to the magic system. This is what elevated the Dragonwilds experience for me.

As soon as I unlocked (or rather, understood) this game’s magic system, I felt like a new man. You learn magic through patience and practice, yes. But you’re also harvesting it like any other resource. There’s something so reassuring about having over a thousand charges of wind magic equipped, staff in hand, as you set out on a quest. Plus, it’s not a resource you lose when you die. So even if you get rinsed by some squad of goblins, all you have to do is craft a new staff (or wand!), and you’re ready to try again.

Zen Garden of Runes

Better still, as someone who easily gets lost in the grind, learning new spells is seamless and smooth. Every time I come out of a haze of magical murder, I have a handful of cool new spells to try out. I love any system that rewards patient labor while catering to my hyperfocus tendencies. Also, one of the first spells you learn is an air-powered super jump. It’s perfect for exploring and/or dying in fabulous new locales.

But make no mistake, there is some serious survival grinding in store. In particular, the leap from power level two to three involves an enormous amount of labor. You need a stack of new materials, new machines, and new strategies to harvest the materials needed. I had to run a rigorous and deadly chain of expeditions into hazardous enemy territory just to upgrade my armor. This was followed by a second set of perilous trials to juice up my staff. If you’re not enamored by the whole process this starts feeling quite grindy very fast.

Upgrade Woes

Thankfully, Dragonwilds is a lovely world to explore and also die in. Specifically, the lighting in this game is shockingly good. The character models are aggressively fine, and the objects/environments are well-crafted, if a little simple. But seeing the woods awash in twilight is consistently gorgeous. Maybe I’m just an absolute sucker for good lighting, but it really changes your whole experience when it’s done well. Sunset, sunrise, and even the inclement weather are all a huge part of the overall vibes. I could spend a lot of time here, just harvesting materials amidst the dappled sunlight and murderous monsters.

Since this is a survival RPG, you have to make everything yourself. Which is fine. But in this case, ‘everything’ includes fast travel points. So if you want to create a fast travel network, you have to do so manually. Using materials that drop once per dungeon. Which you also need to make any advanced crafting stations. In other words, your progress through world is going to be slow and steady. Either you’re making a lot of long walks to retrieve your corpse’s gear, or your carefully exploring every inch of space in every region before you move on. It’s either a patient, pleasant process or an absolute nightmare, depending on your proclivities. For me, it’s a lot of work at every step.

Not So Fast Travel

I’ve played a lot of survival RPGs. On the one hand, Dragonwilds involves a ton of slow and steady work. Every inch of progress is bought in sweat and blood, and you’re faced with violent setbacks at every turn. But, the magic system is a simple, soothing balm for my weary soul. Exploring this world is often quite beautiful, and even the tech trees are refreshingly straightforward. Like in the original RuneScape, there’s deep satisfaction in the completion of these simple tasks. With a little patience, you can make a nice life for yourself in this harsh country. Maybe you’ll even slay a dragon or two while you’re at it. If you’re looking for a survival RPG that captures the magic in the mindless work, RuneScape: Dragonwilds is perfect. But be warned, you’ve got your work cut out for you.

***A PS5 code was provided by the publisher***