Dragonkin: The Banished Review Summary

Innovative skill system: The skill system is noted for its depth, originality, and extensive customization options. Players find it unique, inventive, and well-made.

Enjoyable and smooth combat: The combat system is frequently praised for being fun, fast, and satisfying. Players appreciate the smooth and responsive mechanics, which contribute to an overall enjoyable gameplay experience.

High build variety and customization: The game offers a wide range of build options and highly flexible customization, making it very addictive and appealing to players who enjoy theorycrafting.

High-quality graphics: The game features detailed, sharp, and beautiful graphics. Players consistently highlight the impressive and stunning visual quality.

Significant improvements by developers: The development team has made major improvements to the game since its initial launch, enhancing the overall experience significantly.

Poor graphics and optimization: Many players criticize the game for its mediocre, outdated, and low-resolution graphics. The visuals are often described as bland and ugly, with poor optimization and uninspired character designs.

Poor leveling and quest design: The game suffers from poor leveling design and chaotic balancing, with quests that are often boring, spammy, and poorly designed.

Buggy gameplay experience: The game is noted for being relatively buggy, with reports ranging from minor bugs to disastrous ones that significantly impact the gameplay experience.

Clunky and stiff animations: Animations in the game are frequently described as clunky and stiff, lacking fluidity and needing significant improvement to enhance the overall experience.

Limited class and gear variety: Players express dissatisfaction with the limited variety of classes and gear, as well as class balance issues, which restrict gameplay diversity and customization.

Deep skill and crafting systems: The game features a unique and extensive skill system with customization, crafting, and progression elements. Players can swap skills, combine them, and utilize a hex grid system for character development.

City building and upgrades: Players can build, improve, and navigate cities, which also tie into character progression through city upgrade mechanics.

ARPG gameplay with Diablo-like elements: The game is an ARPG with classic hack and slash mechanics, similar to Diablo, including isometric views and familiar gameplay loops.

Character progression and customization: Players can progress and customize their characters through various systems, including meta progression and skill trees.

Variety in builds and classes: The game offers a variety of builds and diverse build options, though there are some class limitations and disparities.

Graphical and optimization issues: Players report mediocre graphics and optimization problems, including shader issues and graphical improvements needed.

Smooth performance and stability: The game runs smoothly with good performance and minimal crashes, providing a stable experience.

Frame rate and FPS issues: Players experience FPS drops and frame rate issues, particularly during boss animations and with certain skills.

Technical and network problems: There are various technical issues, including connection problems, network issues, and crashes.

UE5 optimization and performance: The game uses Unreal Engine 5, with mentions of optimization and performance on different hardware.

Recommended for ARPG fans: The game is highly recommended for fans of ARPG games, particularly those who enjoy titles like Diablo 4, Last Epoch, or Path of Exile. It is suggested as a must-try for ARPG lovers and is considered worth the money for enthusiasts of the genre.

Worth the price: Many reviews indicate that the game is worth the price of admission and is considered to be worth every penny. It is seen as a valuable purchase for those who enjoy the genre.

Worth trying despite flaws: The game is recommended for those who can overlook its flaws. It is suggested to give the game a try and see if it meets your expectations.

Hope for future improvements: Reviewers express hope that the game will find its audience and gain more recognition. They also look forward to the full release and more promotion.

More content needed: Reviewers suggest that the game could benefit from more skill combinations, crafting options, and endgame content. These additions could enhance the overall gameplay experience.

Community fair range: $20.00 - $25.00.

Game completion: 40.0h.

Story completion: 20.0h.

Endgame: 85.0h.

The game starts slow and can feel overwhelming initially, but it becomes significantly more enjoyable as players progress and unlock more skills and systems. The unique skill system and progression mechanics are key drivers of fun once the initial learning curve is overcome.

Reported time to anchor: 1h.

Friction: Slow start; Overwhelming initial experience; Basic early gameplay; Repetitive single-player format.

Veteran ARPG Strategist: Strategic and experimental, focusing on unique builds and mechanics. Motivation: Seeking innovative mechanics and deep strategic gameplay. Stance: buy.

Newcomer ARPG Explorer: Exploratory and casual, focusing on enjoying the game's visuals and smooth gameplay. Motivation: Enjoying the initial experience and exploring the game world. Stance: sale.

Classic ARPG Enthusiast: Balanced between classic grind and modern conveniences, enjoying both single-player and cooperative multiplayer. Motivation: Enjoying classic ARPG elements with modern QOL features. Stance: buy.

Steam Deck: The game exhibits several significant issues on the Steam Deck, including graphical problems, controller mapping needs, launch and stability issues, and performance concerns. These issues collectively impact the user experience negatively.

Monetization: The game is widely praised for its single-purchase model without microtransactions or pay-to-win elements. Reviews highlight the value for money and the absence of predatory monetization practices. However, there is a minor concern about potential future monetization through DLCs and updates.

Skip official characters for better experience: Players suggest starting from scratch instead of using official characters to enhance gameplay experience.