Dragon is Dead preview: Just one more run…

Let’s get this out of the way right now: whether you’re wandering through the corrupted, skeleton-infested remains of a once-sacred forest or just walking through a camp of tired, exhausted, hopeless soldiers, Dragon is Dead features absolutely stunning pixel art. You can practically hear those brittle branches swaying in the wind and smell the desperation of the small groups of soldiers trying to keep the monsters at bay. Combine that with excellent and atmospheric music, and Dragon is Dead conveys an aesthetic – and a mood – from the very beginning.

But mood, tone, and aesthetics are only part of the package. Dragon is Dead plays well, too. It’s a sideways hack-and-slash with an obvious nod to Castlevania – Spellblade’s dodge animation is a very clear nod to Alucard’s dodge animation in Symphony of the Night – but it marries this with a Diablo-esque interface and a loot system that lets you reroll individual stats on weapons and armor. The leveling system is similar to that of Diablo IV – spells and abilities are divided into tiers like “basic skills” and “core skills” with multiple options and upgrades, and spending enough skill points unlocks the next tier and corresponding skills. It opens up some nice build opportunities, encouraging you to specialize in skills that complement each other and build your loadout around those skills.

In the build I played, there were two classes: the aforementioned Spellblade, which specializes in elemental magic attacks, and the Berserker, who builds up insanity by using his base skills and then dealing big damage with his core skills. They play very differently: the Berserker is slower, sturdier, and hits harder, but the Spellblade is faster, can dodge more generously, and can build combos by stacking skills that use the same type of magic. Both feel fantastic, though, and it’s fun to build a cool combination of skills and spells to fight through the demons that infest the world of Dragon is Dead.

But what I like most so far is the way Dragon is Dead handles death and progression. This is a roguelite, meaning that when you die, everything about your character resets: your level, items, power-ups like artifacts and soul gems, everything that makes your build your build, with only two exceptions: your gear and spellstones, a special currency you can use to buy gear and reroll your stats. After a few playthroughs, you’ll have a good sense of the skills you like and the stats you want your gear to have to support them. Building your gear after a playthrough is important, but like the best roguelites, it’s what happens during the playthrough that separates a close victory from a brutal defeat.

During your run, you’ll come across magic stones and keys that let you open special chests that are always useful, and gold that you can spend in shops for temporary power-ups or new abilities; artifacts that let you carry more than one potion, upgrade your health and resources, increase your damage, or gain special benefits like enemies being more likely to drop potions or more artifacts dropping once you’ve opened a certain number of chests; and soul stones that provide blanket upgrades to your core stats.

When clearing areas, you’ll have a choice of two chests containing one of these things, but you can also buy them from shops and find them in specific areas. There are also special chests scattered throughout the environment that you can open with unique keys you can find or buy from the shop. Artifacts also have synergies, meaning that finding two or more of the same type adds bonuses, so you can really do some damage if you’re smart about building during a run. If you’re looking for depth, Dragon is Dead seems to offer it, but you’ll also need to get a bit of luck.

This means that if, for example, you’re a Spellblade playing with a Blitz build and you get an artifact that increases fire damage, you’ll probably have to change your build on the fly. Fortunately, this is easy to do… assuming you have the wherewithal. Of course, the environments also change each time you run through them, so no two runs are the same, which is good because you’re probably going to die. A lot. At least at first.

At the start of each run, you can only carry one potion, and whether you can find another or carry more than one at a time is largely down to luck. Sometimes a run just doesn’t go in your favor and you die. Because your gear – and your ability to buy more gear, reroll a value for each piece of gear you have, and the keys to those special chests – carries over between runs, you’re always making progress, even if it might not feel like it. But when you return to the opening town after a particularly close run and replace your magic items with rare items and see how quickly things die as a result? You really feel it.

And once you get into the rhythm of Dragon is Dead’s combat, it feels incredible. Like any roguelite, dealing with a specific enemy is a lot of pure practice. At first, you may not know what an enemy does or how to deal with them. The first time I fought Longmore, a three-headed tree that serves as the game’s first boss and the guy who kept me up until 5 a.m., I had no idea how to deal with the insane number of flaming, demonic skulls he unleashed on me, and by the time I got to him, I barely had any health left to learn. Needless to say, I died very quickly.

Last time? I mowed down the enemies that stood between me and him like they were barely there, and when I got to the fight, the skulls barely hit me. I was wearing items with more evasion, so I could auto-dodge some of them, but I also got better at manually dodging them. I barely got hit. During my time with Dragon is Dead, progression rewarded me for creating a build over time and using my gear wisely, but it also rewarded me for getting better as a player. It’s a difficult line to walk, but Dragon is Dead seems to be on the right track.

I have a few minor concerns. First, while Dragon is Dead’s story is cool, the writing is a little bland. Characters announce who they are, what they do, how they feel, and then tell their story without much flavor or personality. It’s a minor gripe, but when everything else looks and feels so good, it stands out. Also, the interface, especially in shops, doesn’t always give you a good idea of ​​how many resources of each type you have. But it’s early days and Team Suneat has plenty of time to iron these things out.

By the time I’m done previewing a game, I’ve usually done everything I wanted to do. With Dragon is Dead, I had to stop because I needed to sleep. In a world where I didn’t have to type this out, dear readers, I’d still be playing Dragon is Dead. So far, it’s beautiful, feels wonderful, has interesting and unique progression systems that reward long-term planning and player skill, and each playthrough feels unique. If Team Suneat can keep this up, well… then the sky’s the limit. Right now, all I can think about is the next playthrough. In another world, I’m beyond Longmore, beyond that cave, slashing demons and hurling spells like daylight will never come. Unfortunately, previews don’t write themselves. But tonight? I’m diving right back in. I’ve got a dragon to slay.