Games worth discovering
This flashy gacha RPG may not be as deep as Baldur’s Gate, but it’s pleasantly D&D-inspired
6K View2023-09-21
SHOULD I PLAY DRAGONHEIR: SILENT GODS?
There are two main determining factors on whether you should check this one out: if you love old-school fantasy and tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons, and if you don’t get immediately turned off by gacha and microtransactions. If you answered yes to both of those, then Dragonheir: Silent Gods is definitely worth playing. This cross-platform gacha RPG provides a much deeper and more unique experience than most gacha games, and it does so while paying tribute to the epic, imaginative fantasy of D&D and dice-rolling.
TIME PLAYED
I’ve played around six or seven hours of the final release PC version of Dragonheir, on top of the four or five hours I spent with a beta build of the Android version back in May. In that time, I’ve built up a dependable party and have leveled them to the initial cap of level 30, though I haven’t made much progress towards raising that cap and powering them up even more yet. I’ve also explored a good chunk of the game’s first major area beyond the tutorial.
WHAT’S AWESOME ABOUT DRAGONHEIR: SILENT GODS?
• An intriguing setup. As the game name and the Dungeons & Dragons inspiration might suggest, Dragonheir takes place in a classic fantasy world, but one with its own compelling twists. Specifically, this is a world where dragons are gods, but their power has been challenged by the reappearance of a force of destruction known as the Child of Chaos. The focus on a world full of dragons made me think of the Dragonlance series, arguably the secret best D&D spin-off.
The tutorial takes place in a strange afterlife and quickly builds up a strong connection between the player character and the Child of Chaos. Things slowed down a little once I entered the wider world, but I’m still excited to see where the plot goes, which is more than I can say for most gacha RPGs.
• Strong character writing. The generic fantasy look isn’t for everyone—when I first saw the game, I was reminded of Raid: Shadow Legends, which is not great praise from a visual standpoint. But if the visuals are standard, the writing is definitely a cut above. It’s not just that the overall concept is good, as mentioned in the bullet point above, but the dialogue is really punchy and full of personality, even for seemingly minor characters. And despite developer SGRA Studio being based in China, I didn’t encounter any clunky translation or lines that felt like they didn’t make sense.
• Fast-paced but tactical combat. Battles in Dragonheir play out on a small grid where I chose five heroes from my collection and placed them to optimize their roles. Once I started a battle, the heroes handled sword swings and smaller spells on their own, but I had to aim special abilities and choose the ideal time to activate them. New wrinkles were added in regularly, such as environmental traps, enemy ambushes, or big boss creatures with special moves that I had to attempt to avoid. It’s a fun system, and I found I couldn’t just turn my brain off and still survive; I had to actively engage and think about each fight.
• Questing and exploring. Dragonheir takes place in a big semi-open world that I was guided through by the story. However, I regularly got pulled off into surprising sidequests or exploring corners of the map full of unexpected encounters. I particularly loved how the game works in dice rolls that were then boosted based on my characters stats. My protagonist was an ex-actor, so he had a bonus to charisma that I used to talk my way out of trouble or persuade bar patrons to give me more info whenever I could. These bespoke events really make the game feel special and fought against the normal live-service vibe that I was just repeating the same content over and over.
• The season system...maybe. Dragonheir will be using a season system similar to Diablo IV and Path of Exile. This means that every three months or so, when a new season begins, the game will receive new limited-time heroes and artifacts to earn, as well as changes to the rule set and other fresh content. The regular infusion of new stuff seems exciting. What I’m less certain about is how seasonal resets will work. From what I can tell, it sounds like new seasons will let players keep all the heroes they’ve earned through gacha, but their levels and gear will be reset. That’s pretty standard for this type of system, but I’m a little worried about burnout. We’ll have to see!
WHAT SUCKS ABOUT DRAGONHEIR: SILENT GODS?
• Straddling the line between computer RPGs and mobile games. Dragonheir is launching on both PC and mobile platforms, which I’m personally excited for and hope to continue seeing lots more of. But as a game on both platforms, it seems like it is simultaneously courting both the audience that loves party management-focused gacha games like Tower of God: New World and the aforementioned Raid: Shadow Legends, and the audience that loves more in-depth computer RPGs like Baldur’s Gate 3. That’s ideal for me as someone who likes both of those, but I wonder if by attempting to appeal to both crowds, it will end up leaving both cold.
• You gacha know I was gonna talk about it. Building out your party in Dragonheir relies heavily on gacha pulls. The game provides you a solid enough starter party, but the deeper you get and the more difficult encounters get, the more you’re going to need powerful characters with greater flexibility. With a massive roster of over a hundred characters to pull—and more being added every season—it just feels like this system leaves a lot up to luck by necessity.
In about thirty gacha pulls, I’ve received four epic rarity heroes, almost twenty rare-ranked heroes, and zero legendary heroes. At least one legendary is guaranteed every thirty-five pulls, so I’m not far at least. As far as I’ve progressed, legendary heroes certainly aren’t necessary, and the developer has promised that rare and epic heroes can be just as powerful under the right circumstances...but I still think this system can feel bad, especially for the broader PC RPG-playing audience.
💬 Will you be rolling the dice (and the gacha) in Dragonheir: Silent Gods, or would you rather get your tabletop RPG fix around an actual table? Let me know what you’re thinking in the comments!
Mentioned games
Comments
This mix of Dungeons & Dragons and gacha is like a much better Raid: Shadow Legends
I've probably played and reviewed at least two or three dozen different gacha games at this point, but every once in a while I still manage to be really surprised and impressed by one. Dragonheir: Silent Gods is one of the most immediately intriguing and captivating gacha games I've played in ages, and one that I'm definitely planning to stick with.
The first thing to know about Dragonheir is that every part of it is openly inspired by tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons. In fact, the PC version of the game has even done an official collaboration with D&D! In gameplay that terms, that means characters inspired by classic western fantasy, challenging tactical battles, and
Kef8K2023-05-27
Is this game the Baldur's Gate on Mobile? Well, your choice matters!
About this game
DragonHeir: Silent Gods is a mobile and PC game that blends gacha excitement with high fantasy inspired by the likes of D&D (Dungeons & Dragons). This immersive RPG offers an array of characters, challenging tactical battles, and a generous sprinkling of dice-rolling. With top-tier localization and voice acting, it transcends typical mobile gacha game standards. DragonHeir: Silent Gods is now official launch on Sep. 19t across Android/iOS/Steam platform.
TapTap Editor7K2023-09-19
High-fantasy RPG, dice rolls, and dragons | First Impressions - Dragonheir: Silent Gods
Dragonheir: Silent Gods is an immersive high-fantasy RPG available on both PC and mobile platforms, offering players a captivating narrative, engaging role-playing elements, and strategic tactical combat. Set in a universe where chaos and order clash and gods and mortals are intertwined, the game invites players to embark on an epic journey with choices that influence the fate of this fantastical realm. The plot unfolds in a manner reminiscent of a finely crafted fantasy novel or Dungeons and Dragons campaign, with layers of complexity and revelations that keep you guessing. With its ability to surprise and subvert expectations, creating an engrossing narrative that continually evolves. It's a story that grows in depth and complexity as you progress, with twists and turns that will leave you pondering the true nature of chaos and destiny.
lyndonguitar3K2023-09-19
View desktop siteTapTap looks better
on the app 
WTF i never take legend and i level 90 the characters and you 7 in 52...
2023-10-03
I'm not sure what you mean!
2023-10-05
The season system is going to be the death of it. Even though it could bring some replayability to combat-focused gachas, it won't work here. The reason - this tacked on story and side quests. Nobody would pretend that the story and writing here is on the same level as classical DnD games, so having to play through it more than one time will make people quit. I bet most players skip the dialogue anyway, so repeating this chore would be too much to ask. Each season the player count will drop.
2023-09-22
Author likedI definitely would agree that at the very least they're going to need a good chunk of new content to make seasons worth it.
2023-09-22