Introduction
Basic information
- Developer Name: FHNBHJ
- Full Name: Dragon Spirits 2
- Release Date: September 16, 2024
- Released on: PC
- Cross Play: No
Initial thoughts
I received Dragon Spirits 2 through Keymailer and was under the impression that it was a lighthearted creature-collector game centered around dragons. However, after diving in, I quickly realized this was not what I expected. Instead of a typical RPG with dragon-taming mechanics, the game presents itself as an existential, philosophical narrative experience that felt closer to a visual novel. I was intrigued but also left questioning much of what was happening.
Story and setting
Plot overview
Dragon Spirits 2 delves deep into philosophical themes, exploring life, death, and the nature of existence itself. The narrative is told through a heavy amount of dialogue, with frequent text dumps that can feel overwhelming at times. The protagonist is thrust into a world where the nature of reality and self-identity are constantly challenged, often feeling like a deep dive into a surreal, dreamlike experience.
World building and immersion
The world-building is both a highlight and a challenge in Dragon Spirits 2. The game presents a universe that feels vast and interconnected, with layers upon layers of lore to unravel. However, the heavy reliance on text and dialogue makes it difficult to stay immersed. Rather than letting the world unfold naturally, the game often resorts to lengthy monologues and explanations, which can be hard to digest in large chunks.
Character development
The characters are presented as complex and multifaceted, often questioning their roles and purpose in the grand scheme of things. While this adds depth, it also means that a lot of the dialogue is devoted to philosophical musings, which may not appeal to everyone. Characters feel more like vehicles for delivering abstract ideas rather than being relatable figures you grow attached to.
Emotional impact
Emotionally, the game can be hard to connect with due to its abstract nature. While there are moments of introspection and deep questions that might resonate with some, the constant philosophical undertones make it challenging to get emotionally invested in the characters themselves.
Rating for story and setting
I have visited multiple aspects of the story and after some thought and objective thinking, I rated the story and setting with an 7.5
If you think of this as a pure visual novel, it does what it wants well.
Gameplay and mechanics
Core gameplay mechanics
Despite the heavy narrative focus, Dragon Spirits 2 does feature some RPG mechanics. There’s a basic system for capturing and bonding with different dragon spirits, which grants new abilities in battle. However, these mechanics feel secondary to the main focus of the game: its narrative and philosophical discourse. The creature-collecting aspect takes a backseat to the story, which might disappoint those expecting a more traditional RPG experience.
Difficulty and balance
The game is fairly easy, as battles are few and far between and aren’t the main focus. When battles do occur, they feel more like an extension of the narrative than a genuine challenge. This can make the gameplay feel unbalanced, especially for those who were hoping for deeper combat mechanics.
Pacing of the game
Pacing is a major issue in Dragon Spirits 2. With the sheer volume of text and dialogue, progress often feels slow. Long periods without any action or meaningful gameplay can make the experience feel sluggish, especially when combined with the abstract, often confusing narrative.
Innovation and uniqueness
The game’s unique approach to storytelling, blending elements of visual novels with RPG mechanics, is commendable. However, the philosophical narrative and unconventional structure make it a niche experience that won’t appeal to everyone.
Controls and user interface
The controls are simple and intuitive, which is a plus given the game’s focus on dialogue and exploration. The user interface is straightforward, but there are times when navigating through menus or dialogue options feels clunky.
Microtransactions
There are no microtransactions in the game, which is a relief given its narrative-heavy structure.
Rating
After combing through many of the mechanics, the pacing and other factors of this game, I rated the gameplay and mechanics with a 6.5.
While this game advertises itself as a creature collector game, it is actually a visual novel.
Graphics and art style
Quality of graphics and art direction
The game features beautiful, hand-drawn art that captures the dreamlike, surreal atmosphere of the narrative. The visuals often complement the philosophical themes, creating a world that feels otherworldly and abstract. While the graphics aren’t cutting-edge, the art style fits the tone of the game well.
Technical performances
The game runs smoothly, with no noticeable frame drops or glitches during my playthrough. However, the frequent text dumps and dialogue-heavy scenes can feel like they disrupt the flow of the visuals, making the transitions between narrative and gameplay less cohesive.
Environment and design uniqueness
The environments are visually distinct, often blending reality with surreal elements. While this makes for interesting scenery, the lack of interactivity within these environments can make them feel static at times.
Rating
It took me some time to give the graphics and art style an objective rating. There are many things to consider, but ultimately, I rated this section with a 8.0.
Sound and music
Music score and how it contributed to the game
The soundtrack is haunting and atmospheric, fitting the philosophical tone of the game. It’s not particularly memorable, but it sets the mood well and complements the narrative-heavy scenes.
Sound effects quality
The sound effects are minimal but effective. There isn’t much emphasis on flashy or intense sound effects, which fits the game’s slower, more contemplative pacing.
Voice Acting
Voice acting is sparse but well-done when it’s present. The actors do a good job of conveying the existential weight of the dialogue, but there are times when the lack of voice acting during long text sections can make the game feel flat.
Rating
After a lot of consideration, I rated the sound and music section with a 7.
The music fits well for a visual novel game.
Replayability
Game Length and content volume
The game is quite long, especially given its narrative focus. The sheer volume of dialogue means that it takes time to get through the main story, making it feel more like a visual novel than a traditional RPG.
Extra Content
There isn’t much in the way of extra content beyond the main story. There are a few optional encounters and side narratives, but they don’t add much to the overall experience.
Replay value
Replay value is low. The philosophical narrative doesn’t lend itself well to multiple playthroughs, as the choices you make don’t significantly change the story. Once you’ve experienced the narrative, there’s little incentive to go back.
Rating
After thoughtful consideration, I decided to rate the replayability and game length of Dragon Spirits 2 with a 6.
If you want to go into deep thinking mode, this is the place to be, but only once, or it gets repetitive.
Suggestions and comparisons
Suggestions and feedback
- Streamline the dialogue to make the story more digestible and the pacing smoother.
- Add more interactive elements within the environments to break up the narrative-heavy sections.
- Provide more gameplay mechanics to balance out the heavy focus on dialogue.
Comparisons
Compared to other philosophical RPGs like Disco Elysium, Dragon Spirits 2 lacks the same level of interactivity and player agency. The game feels more like a visual novel with occasional RPG elements, making it harder to stay engaged if you’re looking for something more gameplay-focused.
Personal experiences and anecdotes
My mind is mostly filled with utter confusion about this game and the surreal nature of its narrative. There were moments when I felt completely lost, both in terms of understanding the story and figuring out what the game wanted me to feel. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s certainly not what I expected when I received the game.
Rating
Taking in all the personal experiences with Dragon Spirits 2, I give it a personal rating of 5,5
Is the apple truly here?
Last words
Pros
- Beautiful, hand-drawn art that fits the surreal narrative
- Deep, thought-provoking philosophical themes
- Rich lore and world-building for those who enjoy deep narratives
- Provides a unique and memorable, albeit confusing, experience
- Atmospheric soundtrack that complements the narrative
Cons
- Extremely heavy text dumps can disrupt the flow of the game
- Pacing feels slow due to long dialogue sections
Dragon Spirits 2 is a unique, philosophical experience that blends elements of visual novels with light RPG mechanics. While it’s not for everyone, those who enjoy deep, existential narratives and don’t mind heavy text will find something to appreciate here. However, the slow pacing and lack of interactivity may turn off players looking for a more traditional RPG experience.
FINAL RATING
7.5
Please let me know what you think of Dragon Spirits 2 in the comments!
I hope you enjoyed reading this review, I hope to see you in the next review!
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A dragon game heck yeah neato!
Sort of dragons!
Spreading the flames! Good review!
Glad you liked the review!
The dragons and characters seem to be cool but I’m not sure if I want to read that much in such a game.
So much reading!
It was certainly very different from the game I had imagined.
I don’t think it is a bad game, but I was not sure if I wanted to play it.🐑
I have to agree!
Ah yes, the not-a-dragon-tamer-game-actually-existential-crisis-VN we talked about on Discord… Well, in the end you still gave it quite a nice note!
I find it funny how you say that the controls and UI are straightforward and right after there’s a screenshot of tons of Windows error messages on the screen, lol.
Yeah, not my thing, but the game is actually solid! Lol, this whole game has a slew of images like that.
There seems to be too much text for me, feels more like a visual novel
Yep, it does!
Well, at least from what I saw in the video, I certainly can’t say the experience is boring! XD
Thanks for introducing us to this one! 🙂
You are welcome!
Okay, why does this game sound so cool. Like a dragon game, delving into such deep topics? this is new man.
I think I might need to play this.
I hope you will enjoy the game!
This sounds really interesing. I love dragons, I like creature collectors, and when I am in the right mood I like deep storytelling. I might give this one a shot 🙂
I hope you will enjoy the game!
Thanks for the review. Not quite my go to style but I like when devs combine different genres.
Not my thing either.
This is great review, you answered most if not all question i could ask in it. It is cool it has deep story, i think art is very interesting too, looks original and at same time quite in front of you. But for me games are games and visual novels are more like minimally interactive books, i much prefer deep story and wall of texts in let say non-linear crpgs then playing visual novel, ofc as i like to watch movies/tv series, reading books also might like specific visual novel but it different kinds of entertainment, more passive. Nice that you compared it to Disco Elysium, game to which i had very high expectations before and despite this it succedded 100% for me, liked it really much, the only think i didn’t liked it was that i would prefer it to be longer (of course much harder to make non linear more complicated games like Fallouts 1-2, Baldurs Gate, Dominion, Crusader Kings, then visual novels, so i have really huge respect for developers of my favorite high quality games, they often make so much work sometimes without much of help are often are working in market niche too) Ok now i myself wrote a wall of text. Generally i doubt i would like this title, most of those Japanese visual novel stories I tryed wasn’t for me but i didn’t tryed so many 😉 ps – To create superb game Disco Elysium devs was working incredible number of years and game was still too short.
This was a very difficult review to type for me, yes, I disliked it, but the mechanics were good…
Common problem in VN games, too much reading. Sometimes it can be so boring and opposite.
Yeah, a lot of reading!
Text dumps are one of my worst enemies! I am a slow reader, and when I get surrounded by text, I waste lots of time struggling through the text. :/
Definitely not my type of game.
I am not a slow reader, but even I dislike text dumps this big.
An interesting game 🙂
Very interesting!
I like this unique and atmospheric game. This review is amazing!
Glad you like the reviews!
this game is good actually
It can be good, if you are into visual novels!
The artwork is beautiful and I love the idea of a dragon-themed creature collector with a deep meaningful story, but it sounds like it could do with some more personality and lighthearted moments sprinkled in! It seems very complex and missing my favourite thing about creature-collectors… exploring the world and getting to know the quirky characters and creatures 🙁
Yeah, exploration is needed for such a game!
7.5/10 hmm worth to try it
If you like visual novels!