Dawncaster: Deckbuilding RPG
- March 11, 2021
- Wanderlost Interactive
- 12h median play time
Get on Play Store
Get on Apple Store"Dawncaster: Deckbuilding RPG" is a single-player Role Playing Game with a good story and stunning gameplay. It boasts good visuals, high replayability, and unique mechanics that combine class mechanics into deck building, weapons, enchantments, and an energy system. Though it can be very grinding, card game veterans will find exciting additions to the genre.
iPad
iPhone
Phone
Android
Mobile Platform
Tablet
Reviews
- Stunning artwork and clean interfaces enhance the gameplay experience.
- Offers a huge variety of cards and complex synergies, making each run unique and engaging.
- No microtransactions, just a one-time purchase for the base game and optional expansions, providing great value.
- Game can feel unbalanced at times, especially with random level-up rewards and certain classes being significantly stronger than others.
- Progression can be slow, leading to repetitive gameplay as players grind to unlock new abilities and cards.
- Some mechanics, like certain enemy abilities, can feel frustratingly punishing, making it difficult to enjoy specific builds.
- gameplay72 mentions
- 49 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay is widely praised for its depth, strategic variety, and innovative mechanics, making it a standout in the deck-building genre. Players appreciate the balance between challenge and creativity, with numerous character classes and card synergies that encourage experimentation. However, some mechanics are criticized for being unbalanced or broken, which can detract from the overall experience, while the absence of meaningful progression after initial playthroughs leaves some players wanting more.
“Gameplay is fantastic, and the ranking system is great as well.”
“The UI is clear and responsive, the graphics are charming and set the tone well, the gameplay is strategic and satisfying, and the sound design is polished and immersive.”
“Highly addictive gameplay and lots of replayability; will keep you occupied for hours and hours.”
“The story gets repetitive and dull quickly, however, the mechanics of the game are not particularly balanced - it takes little work to build a deck that defeats all opponents on the first turn of combat.”
“One big criticism - players are way too underpowered... I'd like to play more than one or two cards per round, which makes you feel like you're actually accomplishing something instead of hacking away at a 55 health enemy (not even a boss) one or two hits at a time.”
“In the latest update with the introduction of the fatigue mechanic, they broke half of the deck builds in the game.”
- story53 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally well-received, featuring a rich world and engaging dialogue, though some players find it repetitive and lacking in impactful choices. While the narrative can be skipped, many appreciate its integration with gameplay, although there are calls for more variety and branching paths to enhance replayability. Overall, the story adds depth to the experience, but its execution may benefit from further development to avoid monotony.
“There is a story with a robust world behind it.”
“It sucks you in with a good story, interesting dialogue, and simple gameplay but keeps you coming back for the sheer variety of character classes, cards, innovative mechanics, multiple difficulty levels, and great artwork/style.”
“The story is fantastic personally.”
“The game feels repetitive with the same story beats, fighting the same enemy over and over again each run and no interesting cards to build your deck.”
“If a game is meant to be replayed over and over, it needs to evolve the story somehow, otherwise it's just clicking through dialogue over and over.”
“The storyline is tedious.”
- replayability46 mentions
- 65 % positive mentions
- 28 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game boasts exceptional replayability, driven by a diverse array of classes, card synergies, and strategic depth that encourages players to explore various playstyles. Frequent updates and a lack of pay-to-win mechanics further enhance its longevity, making it highly addictive and enjoyable for extended play. However, some players feel that the repetitive nature of certain enemies may diminish the experience over time.
“There are 3 starting colors of cards (and one extra), which leads to 6 classes that all play differently, making it very replayable.”
“The many classes available combined with the amount of synergies you can do with all their cards make it extremely replayable and addictive.”
“Infinite replayability and the addition of new cards, abilities, and areas only amplifies that.”
“The synergies between cards are satisfying and varied; however, the depth and replayability feels artificially extended by the sheer number of classes available.”
“It seems like there are a lot of classes to explore, but if I'm facing the same 3 monsters in each world and the same bosses, it's going to lose replayability fast.”
“For a game that requires replayability, this was a terrible choice because it really limits your options.”
- monetization28 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The monetization model of the game is highly praised, featuring no ads or intrusive microtransactions, with players only needing to pay a fair upfront price for the base game and optional expansions. Users appreciate the lack of pay-to-win mechanics and the abundance of content provided without ongoing costs, making for a refreshing gaming experience. Overall, the game is seen as a great value, offering substantial replayability without the typical monetization pitfalls found in many mobile games.
“Great base game content with a flat price and 2 optional expansions providing lots of extra content - no tiny microtransactions that bleed you dry.”
“You pay a fair price and get a load of excellent content with no ads, no nagging, and stacks of replayability.”
“Good story, good gameplay flow (card combos, etc.) and also very importantly, it has an incredibly fair monetization model (buy to play, with an optional expansion.) No pay-to-win.”
“Cash grab, why waste money on new content just to play a repetitive game? An endless mode would be quite nice.”
“What I don't understand is why I have to see the ads constantly in the game, since I bought the original game.”
“Amazing fair game, no monetization garbage, well worth the $5.”
- graphics25 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 28 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their stunning artwork, polished animations, and charming visuals that effectively set the tone. While some reviewers note that the themes may feel clichéd, the overall aesthetic is considered appealing and well-executed, with a unique art style reminiscent of popular titles. However, a few criticisms arise regarding graphical bugs and performance issues, particularly in specific UI elements.
“The UI is clear and responsive, the graphics are charming and set the tone well, the gameplay is strategic and satisfying, and the sound design is polished and immersive.”
“The artwork is crisp and polished, and I love that this game is in portrait mode.”
“Superb game, mechanics and art style are top-notch.”
“Graphics are in one word... potatoes, unwashed, uncooked, partially rotten potatoes.”
“Only issues are: the game is a battery hog, despite minimal graphics and the screen where you scroll through cards is very laggy.”
“The artwork and theme are standard to the point of cliche, but that's not necessarily bad, just not terribly original.”
- optimization10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
Overall, the optimization of the game is praised, particularly for mobile devices, with high performance ratings and minimal issues reported. However, some users noted that specific features, like the background blurring effect and the new talent shredder, can negatively impact performance and battery life. While the game is generally well-optimized, there are concerns about certain mechanics disrupting performance builds.
“Dawncaster is an extremely optimized game for lovers of roguelikes.”
“Performance - 9.5/10, no issues on my S20 FE and Xiaomi Pad 5.”
“Just so happens that it's perfectly optimized for mobile.”
“Note: the new talent shredder breaks any performance build, giving many 1 stacks of performance instead of adding to existing performances.”
“This game is very polished, and the first 5 playthroughs were enjoyable enough, as I figured out how to maximize the performance of my runs.”
“Good amount of enemy mechanics, and well-connected player buffs (i.e., performance + charm).”
- grinding9 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while the variety of classes and builds offers enjoyable gameplay, the repetitive nature of replaying synergies and the slow class XP gain can make the experience feel tedious over time. Many reviewers note that the initial fun can quickly turn into a grind, especially with the necessity of replaying story dialogue and the effort required to unlock later levels. Despite these concerns, some still appreciate the game's replayability and the fun of experimenting with different strategies.
“With the daily boost and the grindiness, it feels like they're trying to sell XP boosters, even though they don't.”
“It's fun for the first few runs, but quickly becomes repetitive and tedious.”
“One gripe I have is the amount of grinding it can take to unlock the later levels for each class, but each run is fun and varied enough that it's still worth playing to get everything.”
- music4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its beauty and quality, but many reviewers feel it lacks dynamic variation, particularly during key moments like battles and boss fights. While the overall sound design complements the visuals well, some players believe it does not justify the game's high price point.
“Good art, character and sound design, and music.”
“The music and visuals are nice, but not enough to make up for the high price point.”
“Different music for battles, boss fights, etc. would really add something to the experience.”
- stability3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is generally positive, with smooth performance on devices like the Nokia X100. However, some users have reported occasional glitches, such as background cards hanging and menu freezes when selecting options.
“It's deep, it looks good, and it runs great on my Nokia X100.”
“Overall it's good, but there are a few glitches with cards that hang in the background.”
“When I say 'no', the menu just freezes.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players praise the atmosphere of Dawncaster as exceptionally immersive and engaging, often highlighting it as one of the most underrated card games available. The game's ambiance contributes significantly to the overall experience, earning it high marks from fans.
“I've played every deckbuilder/roguelike, and Dawncaster is the most underrated card game on the Play Store. It's marvelously atmospheric, 10/10! Don't listen to the haters!”
