Dragon’s Call: Closed Beta Review
By Kei Beneza (dividelife), OnRPG Journalist
There’s probably no other browser game that can be as visually captivating as Dragon’s Call. For those for you who don’t know, the game is currently undergoing its closed beta stage. The interface is quite solid for a browser game and is actually a combination of various elements found in other browser games. The game does use a bunch of (obviously) recycled elements from other single player games, but that’s not much of a problem really.
The artwork is flawless and looks professionally made compared to the stick figurines and crappy sprites found in old age browser games. Though the game is heavy on awesome visuals, it’s not the only thing that makes this game worth playing. The game has a lot of features that will probably get you hooked for a very long time. This is perhaps the closest comparison you could ever get from a browser game to an application based one. I’m not saying that the app ones are better, but it’s what they’re trying to do right? Don’t believe me? Then let’s move forth and see this through.
Rise up adventurer! For it begins… here
Honestly, the interface made me feel anxious about starting the game. You’ll first get to pick between 3 character archetypes (namely: warrior, mage, and assassin). Again the emblems look like recycled elements from “censored”, but the artwork looks marvelous to behold. Surprisingly, each gender has its own artwork compete with sexy females (okay… more than enough reason to play this game lol). Each character has their own unique skills that allow them to gain their own advantage in combat. This is probably one of the best features in the game. The modifiers are actually felt in the game, and it’s really easy to see how strong you’ve become after leveling up (or acquiring a better item).
More! more! Me want more!
Quests have become a mandatory feature in almost every browser game today, and this one is no different. It is rather visual though since you can see NPCs as they talk to you, with a semi interactive feature that allows you to see quests on the map. Nothing new but it definitely beats clicking names and checking if they have quests. You can also do daily quests obtained from other NPCs to quicken the pace. If you think that’s all you can do for experience, the game also lets you grind it out on the training field. The training field is sort of like a lazy person’s grind house where they are free to grind around (for less experience points and no gold of course). This is the place where you can see the effectiveness of your hard work. Is that warrior ready for massive combat? Off to the training field! Another option would be to get a job from certain NPCs. Most of them are quite similar to questing but they do provide you with a nice set of rewards and privileges such as tax discounts.
PVP
Wow! A browser game with PVP? Excellent! Yes, Dragon’s call does have a PVP feature (believe it or not) which is simply accessed by clicking on the arena. No noobs here folks, for the arena only lets players ranging from level 10 onwards participate. The arena system lets your character challenge or be challenged by players who are within your character level. It’s pretty much the same as World of Warcraft arena bracket that lets players fight people who won’t kick their arse without a fight. This is perhaps the only thing that concerns the game’s PVP base but heck, it’s something you won’t see everyday, so go and have fun.
More features?! I thought we had enough of that already! LOL
The game also (or will also) has guilds and instances coming your way. Weird enough, they are really stretching the browser based limitations and are currently seeking more options for a heftier MMO feature. It’s as close as you can get to an app game, really. For those of you who cant devote yourself to playing games all day, Dragon’s call also has a BOT system (yes, you heard right) that lets you minimize the grind load by letting the bot do everything for you. Yeah, they’re not as good as human players, but at least they don’t die on you…. (often)
Swashbuckling
Combat in the game is separated into 2 categories: Visual and text based. You can pick whether you’d like to see your character fighting or just read the traditional text based damage calculation. The visual combat mode is similar to the Mybrute game, which basically means you get to see your character run back and forth, swinging his weapon and defending accordingly.
The interface
Oh ho! The interface is the first thing anyone would notice when playing the game. Bias aside, it’s just too good for a browser game. It even looks a lot better than Civilization (old school) in my opinion. The equipment window looks a lot like your regular MMO window, with sockets from where you can place your strongest gear to gain the uppermost advantage. The map is finely rendered with “!” an “?” to show you where quests can be acquired and surrendered. You also see your character breathe heavily across the map as you scroll from one place to another; definitely something you wouldn’t see on a daily basis (browser game-wise). For newbies, there’s a nice chat window on the bottom right portion of your screen where you can exchange ideas or just simply chat with other players while you’re playing.
The verdict
This is perhaps one (if not the best) of the best Browser games I’ve played so far. It’s new and all, which means that there’s a lot of hidden potential. Since the game is currently undergoing its closed beta phase, It’s a sure bet that this game will definitely evolve further. Excellent artwork, stunning features, hefty visual interface, this game is definitely taking taking one step further away from its genre. It’s still a browser game, but definitely one that surpasses the rest… Cant wait for the finished product!
The good:
– Excellent interface
– Talent Tree
– Promised content sounds PROMISING
– Diverse gameplay
The bad:
– It’s not out yet!!!
– (I really wish I could give another con… but it’s really hard to scale such an awesome game).
