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Dragons, mages, and magic… ingredients for an epic fantasy tale that we have come to love through the years. But what if you stop watching and thrust yourself into the path of a magical hero? Behold, our Dragon Awaken review.
As far as dragon-themed games go, this is one you absolutely must try. It is simple to play, doesn't have to be downloaded since it's browser-based, and only requires little to run on your PC. This review comes after hours of playing the game and garnering perspective on how it works and what makes it such a worthy contender.
Dragon Awaken | |||
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⭐️ Rating | 3.9/5 | 💵 Genre | MMORPG |
💳 Cost | Free-to-play | 🚀 Topic | Adventure |
🕹️ First founded | January 2017 | ⚡ Developer | Global Genom Corporate |
🔒 Active players | + 50k | 📱 Devices | PC & Mobile |
Credit for Dragon Awaken goes to Game Hollywood, who designed the fantasy MMORPG to be played on browsers globally. Since it first launched in 2017, the game has attracted a large audience.
This has led to an upgrade in how it's hosted, going from Flash to mini client, and more recently, HTML5. This upgrade, coupled with support from brands like R2games, Proficient City, and OPO-games means that players will continue to enjoy Dragon Awaken download-free.
There isn't an overarching and expansive lore to the game, but it isn't without a comprehensible storyline either. The plot thrusts players into a daring raid with the goal of obtaining a dragon's treasure. This dragon would also happen to be the big bad of the game, the Red Dragon Queen, Liz.
After battling for the treasure, the hero emerges victorious, after Liz discovers that you hold the Dragon's Power, a fabled ability that puts you on the same level as some of the most powerful dragons in the realm. This also makes the hero the Dragon Knight, whose destiny is etched in stone as the one to conquer and dispel the Dark Dragon.
For her defeat, Liz gives up her treasure and a magical egg from her line of dragons to help you on your journey. With a plot like that, it's no surprise that Dragon Awaken is never outside the conversation for the best RPG browser games.
Players aren't exactly keen on games that disguise as free-to-play but run up your tab through hidden costs and microtransactions similar to a paid game. Unfortunately, that is what you get with this game.
Dragon Awaken costs nada to get and play since it's a free-to-play browser game. However, as you progress through the levels, it starts to slow down, and you may need to invest in your characters to have any chance at being competitive.
See, the gameplay favours hierarchy over tact, so players on a higher level with stronger characters will most likely get the better of weaker characters and lower-level players. No amount of experience playing the game changes this narrative.
For this Dragon Awaken guide, we'll be exploring some major features in the game that caught our eye. They are:
Players are free to choose characters from any talent pool and create the builds that interest them.
If you want to step off the beaten path, take a gander at the different mini-games within the game. Even better, you are granted unique rewards for your time
Field a team of heroes spanning different classes, powers, and abilities to give your team the best fighting chance.
Mounts are a big part of the game since they accompany you on missions. The game allows you to collect different mounts, from the dogged Griffins to the striking Lava Dragons.
Here, we take a look at the elements that make Dragon Awaken one of the best browser games out there, and how these factors culminate in the overall playing experience. Here are our finds:
🕹️ Gameplay Element | 📝 Our Notes | ⭐️ Rating |
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Game design | The storyline drives the overall game design and is quite easy to grasp. To level up, you must go on missions, complete quests, and constantly improve your team of heroes. The plot is simple enough that it isn't convoluted or riddled with potholes, and the polished graphics and recent switch to HTML5 reveal the game's adaptation to modern audiences. | 7/10 |
Game mechanics | In-game mechanics can either be automated or played like the RPG that it is. Little to no effort is required of players during combat, since it's less about skills and tactics than it is about the level of the combatants. However, that has no effect on the actions, since the game is well-animated and comes off silky smooth. | 9/10 |
Production quality | The developers favoured a shiny look in terms of graphics, which rubs off on many in-game items. This gives the game a charming glow that enhances gameplay. For scores, the game settles on a handful of soundtracks, which make for a pleasant listening experience. However, they aren't exactly noteworthy and tend to loop rather frequently. | 7/10 |
Dragons Awaken is an MMORPG browser game that is primarily designed for browsers. As such, it is easily compatible with most types of computers, whether it's running MacOS or Windows.
As a result, no downloads are necessary, and you don't have to give up a substantial amount of disk space to downloadable content. Simply visit the game website to start playing.
We sufficiently answered the question: "Is Dragon Awaken free to play?" in a previous heading. So, you understand that some sort of microtransactions are necessary for progress and maintaining your competitive edge.
However, whether you should make these in-game purchases is another question entirely. Sure, you might run into Dragon Awaken tips now and again that promise a workaround, but these methods are almost always tasking and require a significant deal of time. And if you can't complete your missions due to having weaker characters, your levelling up will stall.
But, it remains that microtransactions are key to making any real progress over time and avoiding frustrating gameplay. This especially starts to become more glaring as you cross the level 30 mark.
Dragon Awaken is an enjoyable game, make no mistake. It's something you can play idly and casually or seriously, depending on the type of gamer you are.
There are a lot of things to keep you busy in the game, whether it's growing your mounts, contributing to factions, daily quests, and story missions. This makes the game seem like a large open world title, and that isn't a bad thing by any stretch.
However, for its upsides, the game isn't without some downsides too. The in-game microtransactions have shifted it from an entertainment-centric title to the pay-to-win side of the market.
As mentioned earlier, skill expression isn't a priority in the gameplay, nor is strategy and formations. These factors have little to no effect on the outcome of a fight. To win, you simply must have the upper hand stats-wise.
Players who can't make these microtransactions must commit a significant amount of time. Even then, there's no guarantee that they will become top players.
While browser games were initially designed to be free-to-play, most modern releases tend to have in-game microtransactions. While some developers make these microtransactions optional, others lean towards the pay-to-win side. You can find out which side Dragon Awaken takes in our full review.
Browsers are also available on mobile, so the platform should, technically, be able to support browser games. However, that isn't always the case because browser games have system requirements that are more suited to PC gaming and have to be specially optimized for mobile. To learn how Dragon Awaken works on mobile, visit our website.
Developers play a key role in how games perform and are received by audiences. They also determine when to stop improving a game, and are responsible for updating games to meet current player expectations. We cover all about Dragon Awaken's developers and partners in our review.