RuneScape: Dragonwilds

This game is like crack. If you liked to add survival mods to Skyrim, this is basically it. Combat is not that comprehensive, it is mostly the survival crafting aspect that makes this game good. Still needs more love from the developers but it is good in this state.

.

Played the game a few times throughout the beta and enjoyed it with a grain of salt. There were bugs, some missing content, performance issues etc. But I knew that there were some really special systems and designs, and that with enough time, the game would be great. At last the game released in full and I was so excited to finally get to the end with hopes that things had improved from the last time I played it through. Sure, there is some new content and what skills are in the game are technically fully implemented, but that doesn't mean that it's all good. Firstly, I had consistent performance issues throughout my playthrough. Lag spikes on world save, FPS slowly diminishing over long play sessions, audio bugging out to the point where I had to turn it off completely. Maybe it's my PC? Maybe not. Either way, I experienced it and it made me frustrated. What about the gameplay itself? As I mentioned, there are some really great ideas here. The spellbook system feels so fresh and new for a survival game, and some spells are really great! Some are so integral to the game that you just know when and where to use them, such as Windstep. But then, there are some that are so beyond useless. It really feels bad when you have to wait for level 50, 60 or even 70 to unlock something that sounds like it will completely change your skilling loop, only to find out when you use it for the first time, that it's only a minor improvement... And you have to wait 2-5 minutes to use it again?! (Looking at you, Mucksplosion) I mean, that just feels like a slap in the face. It was a really fantastic idea, but I felt like they were too cautious to make it "overpowered" that they just completely neutered it. On that same vein, some equipment "upgrades" are actually a downgrade. Whoever designed the Rune Watering can needs to actually play their game, because if you use it once you will understand just how bad it is. Watering crops still takes 2 uses of the can, same as the previous tier, but it consumes more water, meaning that you actually pay MORE resource for the same time sink. What are you talking about? The armor/weapons upgrades do actually feel impactful, but the gameplay loop to obtain them is almost exactly the same everytime you reach a new zone. Chop some logs, make a new axe, which allows you to make a new pick, which allows you to get everything else you need for the rest of your upgrades. Rinse and repeat. The ONLY exception to this is in Dowdun Reach, where instead of farming materials from nodes for your gear, you need to farm an exorbiant amount of enemies for RNG drops for materials. That was by far my least favorite upgrade system. So much so in fact, that I didn't even make a set of armor in that zone. It was easier to just suffer through the next zone at a lower tier than to grind the same enemies ad nausem. Finally, the enemy variance is pretty lack luster. Same/similar enemy types are recycled throughout the game and mechanics never really change. Spam left click until the enemy dies. This even includes field bosses found around the map. That said, story bosses feel fresh and have unique mechanics, I did enjoy those... Aside from the final one. It's 75% add control and vehicle combat (never before used in the game), then safespot the final phase and laugh at the abrupt ending of the game. No real cutscene, no satisfying quest reward or even an acknowledgement from the guy who sent you to this continent in the first place! Listen, I spent a lot of time in this game, and while I did enjoy some of it, I would not in good faith recommend it to friends or fans of the survival genre. There are just so many better games that do the same thing in a better way. I'd recommend Valheim, V Rising, Minecraft, hell even Grounded before this game. And if you've played those, you'll just be disappointed by this one.

↑ 1 found helpful

Awesome game

The game is good, i like the combat from mele range and magic. It is very grindy once you get going but that is kind of a plus because you can finish it it a 1-2 week.