Dragon Marked For Death
- April 21, 2020
- INTI CREATES CO., LTD.
- 60h median play time
An Exercise in apathy, neither solid nor liquid. Not exactly bad, but not very good either. Just a bit 'meh,' really.
Get on Steam"Dragon Marked for Death" is a 2D side-scrolling action RPG where players assume the role of revenge-seeking Dragonblood Clan survivors. Players can choose from six characters, each with unique abilities, and embark on quests to increase their status and alter the game's outcome. Quest objectives vary, including combat, protection, rescue, and exploration, providing diverse gameplay experiences.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Windows
PlayStation
Reviews
- Engaging gameplay with a variety of characters, each offering unique playstyles and abilities.
- Visually appealing with great pixel art and a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic Mega Man games.
- Fun to play with friends, enhancing the overall experience through cooperative gameplay.
- Lack of cloud save feature makes it difficult to switch between devices without losing progress.
- Repetitive mission structure and enemy variety can lead to a grindy experience.
- Online matchmaking is often empty, making it hard to find players for cooperative play.
- story277 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 85 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The story in the game is generally considered weak and uninspired, often feeling like a vehicle for the gameplay rather than a compelling narrative. Players frequently encounter repetitive missions that lack significant plot relevance, and progression is often tied to grinding for experience and completing secret objectives. While there are some interesting lore elements and character interactions, many reviewers express disappointment in the overall depth and impact of the story, suggesting that it could benefit from more engaging content and clearer mission structures.
“The story is intriguing and the world building is quite fascinating, though sometimes a bit confusing, but worry not as you can revisit levels whenever you please.”
“Each quest that you take on has a small story that gives you a reason to help out and justifies why you’re here instead of just giving you a quest with no explanation.”
“There wasn’t anything mind-blowing about the main story, but it was decent enough to keep you progressing to see what would happen.”
“The story is lackluster, with either translation or outright spelling errors.”
“The story is uninspired and shares a lot of the same story beats from other original inti games.”
“The story was very hit and miss, more miss than hit actually.”
- gameplay109 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a blend of nostalgic 2D platforming reminiscent of titles like Mega Man Zero and RPG mechanics, offering a satisfying yet grind-heavy experience. Players appreciate the diverse character classes and cooperative mechanics, although some criticize the repetitive level design and lack of depth in certain RPG elements. Overall, while the gameplay is engaging and fun, especially in multiplayer, it can become tedious due to its grind-centric nature and simplistic loot system.
“A nice mixture of 2D platforming and RPG mechanics.”
“The different characters play very differently, the artwork is fantastic and the gameplay is fun.”
“Mixes classic platforming action with RPG leveling up mechanics and monster hunter style missions and loot gathering.”
“From the surface level you'd think it is a Mega Man Zero-like game, but it's more like a 'theme park' type of ARPG where you run the same dungeons over and over looking for the ever so slightly stat increase to increase the gameplay loop.”
“The systems are poorly explained and many mechanics are hard to wrap your head around.”
“The gameplay is boring; basically, it's playing MZ and MZX without any of the things that made those games fun. All the characters lack depth in their mechanics, and you will end up spamming the same moves all the time.”
- grinding78 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is widely described as excessive and tedious, particularly in the late game where players must repeatedly farm for experience and loot, often facing a lack of variety in enemies and missions. While some players find enjoyment in the grind, especially in multiplayer settings, many express frustration with the repetitive nature of the tasks and the overall lack of engaging content, making solo play feel particularly monotonous. Overall, the game appeals to those who appreciate grind-heavy experiences, but it may deter players who prefer a more varied and dynamic gameplay experience.
“Or how you'll spend a significant amount of time exclusively grinding for experience in the later parts of the game in order to wear stronger gear, which sucks extra badly because the best experience per time missions are sadly the ones with the least fun bosses, and if you're playing solo you get significantly less experience.”
“I really adore the game but unfortunately it has an abysmal amount of enemies (only a total of 12 enemies in the entire game) and the post-game grind is incredibly tedious due to lack of variety in what you have to do to grind.”
“Getting past the initial story is fine and fun, but if you want to start doing extra content and pushing to level 100, be prepared to face a massive difficulty spike, along with unbelievable levels of tedious grinding for both experience, money, materials, and RNG-based item drops that you need to progress.”
- music42 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received generally positive feedback, with many players praising its orchestral quality and ability to enhance the gaming experience, particularly during boss fights. However, some users expressed frustration over the lack of sound options, which limits their ability to adjust the music volume or listen to their own tracks during extended gameplay. Overall, while the soundtrack is considered enjoyable and fitting for the game's atmosphere, the absence of customizable audio settings detracts from the experience for some players.
“The soundtrack throughout this game is fantastic, perfectly capturing the atmosphere of your quest and the environments that you find yourself exploring.”
“The music is Inti Creates' first full orchestra soundtrack, and it was used to great effect.”
“The combat is satisfying and addictive, the soundtrack is a joy to listen to and the visuals are fantastic.”
“No music/sound controls at all.”
“There are virtually no sound options, so you can't mute just the music or voices.”
“My biggest gripe with this game is the lack of a BGM/SFX slider; the inability to turn the game's music down and listen to your own while grinding the same stage for the sixtieth time is pretty insufferable.”
- graphics40 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received praise for their beautiful pixel art and consistent quality, reminiscent of classic titles like Mega Man Zero and Cadash. Many reviewers highlight the artwork and character designs as standout features, contributing to an engaging aesthetic experience. However, some users noted that while the visuals are appealing, they could have been improved further, and there are concerns about resource reuse in enemy and stage designs.
“As expected of the Mega Man Zero developer, the game looks great with its pixel art style.”
“The artwork and animation are some of the best I've seen Inti Creates come up with.”
“Inti Creates' beautiful artwork and sprite work never fails to impress.”
“No graphics/detail controls at all.”
“I felt the game could have been made much better by improving graphics.”
“Graphic quality is awful.”
- replayability10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the variety offered by different classes and playstyles, as well as the ability to increase quest difficulty for better rewards, others feel that the content becomes repetitive without significant updates or new abilities. The potential for replay value exists, particularly through grinding and challenging boss fights, but many users express a desire for more diverse content to enhance the experience.
“This game has a good amount of replay value.”
“Each class has multiple playstyles based on elemental affinities (which change classes drastically) and equipment loadouts, so there's a good bit of replay value.”
“There is quite a lot of replayability with it, even with the higher difficulty versions of the quests way past the game's final level bracket.”
“The game desperately needs a major update that adds 1 or 2 more abilities for the entire playable cast to give players more options, while keeping the game just as challenging as before. Additionally, having 5 enemies sprinkled throughout the game could reduce repetitiveness, and changes to make post-game activities less repetitive content-wise are necessary.”
“Replayability is done through increasing the quest level to grind for better gear and levels; enemies and bosses get statistically stronger, but everything else stays the same.”
“Replayability is non-existent.”
- character development7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is noted for its appealing art and charming character designs, with fluid animations that reflect the studio's consistent quality over the years. However, many reviewers feel that the focus on aesthetics has overshadowed the narrative depth and customization options, leaving the character development aspect feeling underwhelming. Overall, while the character designs are praised, the lack of meaningful story and development detracts from the overall experience.
“The individual character designs are still great, with the animation being incredibly fluid, despite running at effectively the same resolution as the old Zero games.”
“I absolutely love the character design; though I'm not finished with the game yet, I'm enjoying what I've played so far. I started with the Empress, and man, she feels great to play as a DPS character.”
“So I'm a long-term Inti fan from the first MegaMan Zero. I love the studio's character designs, sprite work, and how they've stayed consistent over the years.”
“They put so much effort into the style, they forgot the story, items, character development, and customization.”
“So I'm a long-term Inti fan from the first MegaMan Zero; I love the studio's character designs and sprite work, but I feel the character development is lacking.”
“While I absolutely love the character design, I feel that the character development is not as engaging as it could be.”
- stability4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's stability is marred by various bugs, particularly in co-op mode and with certain character abilities, leading to crashes and an unstable framerate. While it performs well on Linux, the online experience is notably poor, detracting from overall enjoyment.
“There is co-op, but it was a little buggy with the blue guy's movement powers.”
“Bandit is buggy and can crash your game, but does good damage and has good evasion.”
“A beautifully looking and sounding sidescroller RPG with excellent controls and easy to understand mechanics married to an unstable framerate, incredibly irritating elemental attacks, and buggy online co-op that severely hampers the long-standing enjoyment.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its touching narrative, particularly in the context of a heartfelt revenge story involving a satanic dragon. However, some players feel that the design choice of having enemies cause instant death upon contact detracts from the overall experience, especially in the late game.
“Grab a copy for yourself and a friend (or three) and bust some holy knights down a peg with the power of a satanic dragon in a heartfelt revenge story!”
- optimization3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is generally stable, particularly for multiplayer sessions across regions. However, there are notable issues with the scaling of support class skills, particularly for the witch and oracle classes, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite these shortcomings, players can mitigate some frustrations through performance-based time rewards for completing missions.
“+4 player co-op with stable performance from America to Europe.”
“You earn back time from completing missions (based on your performance), so it's not a hard hour.”
“The scaling for the support class skills is badly optimized; this is especially true for the witch's stat buff and most of the oracle's buffs.”
“However, you earn back time from completing missions (based on your performance), so it's not a hard hour.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by its ability to create laugh-out-loud moments, particularly during repeated playthroughs, where players encounter amusing situations that evoke both laughter and emotional responses.
“My second playthrough with Oracle yielded many hilarious situations that made us either laugh or smile with tears.”
“Funny shinobi dragon kick go brrrr”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is heavily influenced by the Megaman Zero/Zx series, featuring a captivating art style and engaging gameplay. The fantastic soundtrack enhances the overall experience, effectively complementing the quest and the diverse environments players explore.
“The game reminds me of the Mega Man Zero/Zx series immediately: the art style, the gameplay, the atmosphere.”
“The soundtrack throughout this game is fantastic, perfectly capturing the atmosphere of your quest and the environments that you find yourself exploring.”
