Maunder

Draconia is an ambitious project, and appealing in a way that no game has ever been before - I know I’m not alone when I say a dragon MORPG with character customization, combat and flight mechanics is somewhat of a dream game. Unfortunately, Draconia’s main problem is a large and unavoidable one: there’s simply nothing to do.

This would be an unremarkable and expected thing for an Early Access title if the game hadn’t been in Early Access for over a year. Empty servers, mindless questing, and flim-flam filler updates do not foster a positive outlook.

The character creator is forgivably limited at this stage, but also unwieldy. Missing the small sweet spot for clicking an option arrow launches the camera off in a random direction, and it is constantly needing to be reset. Zooming in on a specific part of your dragon is a struggle. Even so, it’s fun to create a character, and the intricate colour-picking tools make each one feel truly handcrafted.

Questing amounts to tapping E on various rock formations after speaking with a different, more shiny rock formation. It’s underwhelming to say the least, and with the vastness of the map, playing as flightless creatures is more of a novelty than a genuine choice, as navigating from landmark to landmark takes far too long on the ground.

Combat is a depressing affair. I combed the beaches of Draconia for 20 minutes in search of sand crabs, one of the two enemy types in the game, only to be rewarded with an opponent that merely turned to look at me in offence as I attacked it. It made no effort to escape or fight back, and flopped over comically when I clicked it enough. Exciting.

On land, dragons feel great, with gorgeous animations and responsive sound effects that match the animal’s weight and pace. Stomping through the foliage is immersive and believable, and very, very fun.

Flight is enjoyable, if a little odd in places. Dragons do not glide in this game, but will tuck their wings in and dive when descending sharply, resulting in a strange, half-complete momentum system where you can build speed by dropping from the sky, but slow down when pressing forward, resulting in a strange, uncontrollable air-braking feeling when attempting to swoop over treetops or skim your toes in water.

Griffins, another playable creature in the game, are insanely stiff to control, with poor quality, jerky animations that make navigating feel like a chore - but they’re far from the worst of the lot. Golems have practically no animations, no abilities, and are excruciatingly slow.

Undeniably pretty, Draconia boasts meticulously crafted, imaginative and appealing character models that are simply exciting to acknowledge as playable. Environments, though needlessly vast and empty of interactable elements, are beautifully made with detailed foliage and dense grasses that are delightful to look at every which way, making the game’s photo mode one of its most appealing features.

Sounds are also pleasant. Feet stomp, jaws click, wings flap, tides crash - all that’s needed is some background music and ambiance, but this is not a priority.

The interface is appealing and straightforward to navigate, but a little out-of-the-way when playing. I found my dragon starving to death on more than one occasion simply because the hunger bar is so small and skinny and there's no sound or visual cue when you're in danger.

Draconia has potential, but having followed the project for almost three years and seen little change outside of tweaked dragon models and the ability to collect rocks, I'm sad to say I've lost my hope for the project. The game may be in Early Access, but the first thing a developer should seek to create is a solid gameplay loop and set of mechanics. Remodelling dragons, introducing new species of dragon, and minorly retooling water effects can wait for later in the development cycle.

I wish this review could be more positive. The game is gorgeous, and its concept is one I can see myself sinking hundreds of hours into if executed correctly.

As it stands, Draconia is an idly enjoyable photo booth, chat room and role-play platform.

Draconia (Early Access) is available on Steam.