Dragon Chronicles: Black Tears

About

In "Dragon Chronicles: Black Tears," a turn-based RPG, players build their own decks of heroes and artifacts to complete missions and save the world from the Black Tears. With fast-paced, strategic combat and countless possible deck combinations, players must recruit, train heroes, and discover powerful artifacts to devise the ultimate strategy and overcome the unique challenges of each region. The game features an active turn-based combat system and a wide variety of heroes, artifacts, and imprint items to mix and match.

Genres & Tags

Role Playing

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Dragon Chronicles: Black Tears screenshot

89%

Audience ScoreBased on 37 reviews

graphics9 positive mentions

grinding5 negative mentions

Stunning graphics and excellent music enhance the overall experience.
Engaging combat system that requires strategic planning and offers a variety of characters.
The game provides a unique blend of RPG elements with a refreshing take on card-based mechanics.

The game is often criticized for being too linear and derivative of other titles like Darkest Dungeon.
There are issues with balance and difficulty spikes that can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences.
The story and character development are lacking, making the narrative feel shallow and unconvincing.

story
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
57%
21%
The game's story is criticized for being disjointed and lacking depth, with heroes portrayed as one-dimensional and the narration failing to engage players. While some find the sparse narrative interesting, many agree that it feels secondary to gameplay, with repetitive quest lines and minimal character development. Overall, the storytelling aspect is seen as the weakest point, needing significant improvement to enhance the overall experience.
- “What story is there is a bit sparse, but I thought what was present was interesting.”
- “Game / story was decent all the way through.”
- “The story and cards are in proper English; I haven't found any bad translations so far.”
- “The main story is all over the place, heroes have no character or personalities, the narration is unconvincing, and the quest lines can be repetitive.”
- “You can tell it was put through a translator, but the story is kind of dumb and doesn't matter anyway.”
- “I think this is probably the area that could be improved the most since none of the heroes have much story.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
17%
8%
The graphics in the game are consistently praised as stunning and gorgeous, with many reviewers giving them a perfect score of 10/10. The art style and animations are highlighted as impressive, contributing significantly to the overall visual experience, although some critics note that the visuals alone may not be enough to recommend the game.
- “The visuals in Dragon Chronicles: Black Tears are stunning, with every frame painted with a palette of emotions.”
- “The encounters are fun and engaging, the combat is very fun, the graphics are outstanding.”
- “Graphics and animations are very impressive!”
- “Outside of combat and pretty graphics, there is really nothing else that recommends this game.”
gameplay
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The gameplay is characterized by an addictive loop that is smooth and easy to grasp, avoiding excessive grind while offering a forgiving death mechanic that encourages experimentation with strategies. However, some heroes lack unique synergies, which can lead to a feeling of imbalance, and comparisons to titles like "Slay the Spire" and "Darkest Dungeon" suggest that the gameplay may become repetitive over time. Overall, it blends elements of turn-based RPGs with deck-building mechanics, though some players find the rewards and equipment options somewhat uninspired.
- “The gameplay loop is addictive.”
- “However, the gameplay is smooth and mostly easy to understand, and it largely avoids the grindiness of dungeon delving.”
- “Thankfully, the death mechanic is pretty forgiving, even after a party wipe, so you can easily redo the same fight and try a different strategy.”
- “Heroes without massive synergy or unique powers (I think Vena suffers the most here since her gameplay is being a pseudo dodge tank that spreads the mark debuff) are left behind a bit.”
- “The gameplay is different compared to titles like Slay the Spire or Darkest Dungeon in that you need to think about what kind of composition you want your deck (or party) to be from the start and feels more like a turn-based RPG.”
- “Gameplay is just a Slay the Spire tower; rewards are just materials to upgrade units - artifacts are just another name for armor/weapon equipment - you can only equip one type of artifact (like a weapon) but the game will give you three different weapon artifacts that pretty much all do the same thing - 10% damage after you attack.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
83%
The reviews indicate that the game has a noticeable grind, which may deter some players, though it is generally considered enjoyable. While some users feel that the grinding could be reduced for a better experience, others suggest that a more aggressive playstyle could minimize the time spent grinding. Overall, the grindiness is a significant aspect of the gameplay that may not appeal to everyone.
- “Grinding in this game feels rewarding and keeps me engaged for hours.”
- “The grind is challenging but satisfying, making every achievement feel earned.”
- “I love how the grinding mechanics are balanced; it never feels like a chore.”
- “This game has been converted from a mobile format to a standalone format and, while grindy, is still good.”
- “I could probably easily tighten that down to about 15 hours if I played more aggressively and did less grinding.”
- “It's pretty grindy and I know it will not be for everyone; reducing some of the grind early on and then ramping it up will probably make people play it longer instead of abandoning it within 2 hours.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The music in the game is highly praised, with one reviewer giving it a perfect score of 20/10. It is described as haunting and melancholic, effectively enhancing the somber atmosphere and overall experience.
- “The music, haunting and melancholic, sets the perfect tone for the somber atmosphere of the game.”
- “Music: 20/10”
- “With great art and good music.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Players express significant concerns about the game's replayability, citing poor balance, limited content, and a lack of meaningful changes between difficulty modes. The current structure requires completing easier modes to unlock content in harder modes, which many find tedious, though there is hope for future updates to introduce more playable characters and enhance replay value.
- “It would be cool to unlock more playable characters to add to your squad as the game develops.”
- “Horrible balance, lack of content, and lack of replayability. The developers have locked multiple heroes and content in hard mode, but you need to finish a playthrough on easy/normal first, which is already a slog. Nothing changes in hard mode other than the locked content.”
- “The main question at this early stage is the amount of replayability.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the game is well-optimized, running smoothly and visually appealing, especially considering its price point. While some players find it oversimplified, the general consensus is that it provides a pleasant experience.
- “For the asking price, especially on sale, it's an okay strategic game. It looks nice, runs smoothly, and while it might be oversimplified, it generally feels nice.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development in the game is generally considered shallow and mediocre, with players feeling that it lacks depth despite the solid combat mechanics. While the game may appeal to fans of the genre, those seeking rich storytelling and character growth may be disappointed.
- “Otherwise, it's worth a try if you are into these kinds of games and can be satisfied with solid combat mixed with mediocre storytelling and shallow character development.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players report a stable experience in the early access version, highlighting the absence of bugs and glitches, which allows for a smooth gameplay experience that encourages strategic planning.
- “It's challenging and requires strategic planning, but I've been playing the early access for the past few days, and my game is bug-free, with no glitches or issues whatsoever.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a haunting and melancholic musical score that effectively enhances its somber tone, immersing players in a deeply emotional experience.
- “The music, haunting and melancholic, sets the perfect tone for the somber atmosphere of the game.”
- “The visuals are stunning, creating an immersive world that draws you in and makes you feel every emotion.”
- “The ambient sounds and subtle details contribute to a rich atmosphere that keeps you on edge throughout the experience.”