DragonNest2: Evolution

About

"DragonNest2: Evolution is a massively multiplayer role-playing game with a good story, but it's hindered by numerous bugs, grinding, and annoying ads. The new Dark Shrine Challenge offers an exciting update, but optimization issues may affect gameplay."

Genres & Tags

Role Playing

Play Modes

38%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,820 reviews

graphics30 positive mentions

monetization19 negative mentions

The game brings back nostalgic memories for long-time fans of Dragon Nest.
Graphics and gameplay are visually appealing and engaging.
The combat system offers a unique experience compared to other mobile MMORPGs.

The game is plagued with bugs, including character loss and connection issues.
High ping and lag make the game unplayable for many users outside of SEA.
The monetization strategy is heavily pay-to-win, making it difficult for free-to-play players to compete.

graphics
98 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
51%
18%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising their beauty and nostalgia, while others criticize them as outdated and poorly optimized, leading to lag and performance issues even on low settings. Many users note graphical bugs, such as color saturation problems and missing visual effects, which detract from the overall experience. Overall, while the graphics have potential, significant improvements are needed to meet modern standards and enhance gameplay.
- “This game has really amazing graphics; it’s missing the old class.”
- “Also, the stunning graphics of this game and gameplay are excellent and improved from CBT.”
- “It's a beautiful game, and I love the graphics.”
- “Very buggy, poor performance despite subpar graphics, unnecessarily difficult to progress without spending money, or alternatively grinding for an hour each day (which would be bearable if it was fun).”
- “The graphics are equal to that of the very first PlayStation.”
- “The game sucks everything in this game sucks the graphics the gameplay it will never beat the 1st gen Dragon Nest don't waste your time and money in here take this as advice it's already 2023 the graphics of this game is still in 2001 bruh.”
gameplay
94 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
50%
19%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players expressing disappointment over its slow pace, lack of variety, and numerous bugs. While some appreciate the nostalgic elements and graphics, others criticize the pay-to-win mechanics and the overall execution compared to the original Dragon Nest. Issues such as lag, unresponsive controls, and tedious mission structures have led to a generally negative perception of the gameplay experience.
- “The gameplay is great, nostalgic and stuff.”
- “Awesome graphics and gameplay, I love this game.”
- “I love this game to play with friends, a good gameplay and event.”
- “It's actually quite fun to play in the beginning, but as the level goes up, the gameplay becomes quite boring because of the lack of variety in the missions.”
- “Very laggy even if you play on a high-end phone; stuck on walls, and the gameplay will lag during important boss kill skills.”
- “The game sucks; everything in this game sucks: the graphics, the gameplay. It will never beat the first-gen Dragon Nest. Don't waste your time and money here.”
story
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
71%
9%
The story aspect of the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the engaging narrative and nostalgia from previous titles, while others criticize it for being generic and lacking depth. Many users express frustration over bugs and lag that hinder quest progression, as well as a perceived lack of variety in missions as they advance in levels. Overall, while the storyline has its fans, it is often overshadowed by gameplay issues and a sense of disappointment compared to earlier installments in the series.
- “I had so much fun playing with it before with all the story and nesting.”
- “Its a great game, I don't know why people are mad about this game. Maybe they have low-end phones, but yeah, great graphics and good cut scenes. The storyline is kind of okay, keep it up, you're making a wonderful game.”
- “Brings back the good old days. I just hope they could bring back the same old experience in letting the players level on their own accord, just like how anyone could just go to any dungeon or missions.”
- “It's actually quite fun to play in the beginning, but as the level goes up, the gameplay becomes quite boring because of the lack of variety in the missions.”
- “I don't speak Chinese or whatever language the voices are speaking, so I won't understand the story because I don't play video games to read a story.”
- “Cool way to turn a beloved IP into a generic hack and slash mobile game with controls stiffer than your grandma, and a story so generic I might as well watch a Disney movie.”
monetization
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
19%
73%
The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players labeling it as a "cash grab" that favors those willing to spend more money, leading to a pay-to-win environment. While some appreciate the game's fun elements and effort from developers, the overall sentiment leans towards dissatisfaction due to in-game purchase issues, lag, and a lack of fair competition. Players express frustration over the monetization strategy, suggesting it detracts from the overall experience.
- “Add better in-game purchase features that are worth purchasing.”
- “In-app purchases keep failing.”
- “The monetization was a bit pay-to-win.”
- “Now it's just a cash grab where the players with the most amount of burnable income can just fly straight to the leaderboards.”
- “Don't waste your time on this cash grab meme of a game.”
optimization
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
42%
42%
The game's optimization has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with players citing severe performance issues, bugs, and lag, even on low graphic settings. Many feel that the game was rushed to launch, leading to a lack of necessary updates and fixes, which has resulted in a disappointing experience for fans. Overall, significant improvements in optimization and server performance are urgently needed to enhance gameplay.
- “The game is good, but the graphics are not well optimized. For example, the dodge slash keeps having bugs, and some skills have special effects that turn 'magenta' for some reason.”
- “Still needs a lot of improvement, especially on server lag and optimization.”
- “Game optimization was good.”
- “This could be great if it was launched at a later time... it kinda felt rushed that after launching it the dev got overwhelmed to the point they don't know what to do next... nothing is happening in game anymore and I am not just talking about new updates, new events, and optimization; the dev never cared about fixing bugs also... what a shame since I'm a big fan of DN (way back Cherry Credits time) but this turned out to be a huge disappointment...”
- “Nostalgia is a little bit there but it's not enough, poor optimizations even in the lowest graphic setting, delayed damage output, missing VFX and audio from the game, too much reliance on gacha, add more stuff that can be purchased with gold, add a quick change button for a secondary set of skills for more combo chains, expand server limits, also it's too much pay-to-win that it kind of hurts the grinding free-to-play players.”
- “The game is very unstable, a lot of stuttering and crash issues.”
stability
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is severely criticized, with users reporting frequent freezes, lag, and numerous bugs that disrupt gameplay, particularly during combat. Many players experience delays in actions and unresponsive controls, leading to frustration and a lack of enjoyment. Overall, the game's performance is deemed poor, with significant issues that detract from the experience, prompting concerns about its long-term viability.
- “Game freezes for no reason and it happens a lot when you're in combat.”
- “Very buggy, poor performance despite subpar graphics, unnecessarily difficult to progress without spending money, or alternatively grinding for an hour each day (which would be bearable if it was fun).”
- “Game has lots of lag, auto freezes and bugs.”
grinding
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessive and unenjoyable, often feeling that it is heavily skewed towards pay-to-win mechanics. Many express frustration over poor performance, bugs, and the loss of progress, which diminishes the satisfaction of grinding. While some appreciate the nostalgic elements and the ability to take their time, the overall sentiment leans towards grinding being tedious and overly reliant on spending money to progress effectively.
- “Nostalgia is a little bit there but it's not enough, poor optimizations even in the lowest graphic setting, delay damage output, missing VFX and audio from the game, too much reliance on gacha, add more stuff that can be purchased with gold, add a quick change button for a secondary set of skills for more combo chains, expand server limits, also it's too much pay-to-win that it kind of hurts the grinding free-to-play players.”
- “Very buggy, poor performance despite subpar graphics, unnecessarily difficult to progress without spending money, or alternatively grinding for an hour each day (which would be bearable if it was fun).”
- “Too much grinding and not enjoyable for single player.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
20%
40%
The music in the game is noted for enhancing the immersive experience, particularly during battles, with some players appreciating its nostalgic quality. However, there are significant criticisms regarding the lack of original compositions, particularly for key areas like Calderock, leading to dissatisfaction among some users. Overall, while the sound effects and background music contribute positively to gameplay, the absence of original tracks has resulted in mixed reviews.
- “As the game progresses, units can be evolved into more powerful forms, adding a layer of depth to the strategy. The sound effects and background music add to the immersive experience, making battles feel more engaging.”
- “Very nice, old music, old gameplay.”
- “I load up the game straight to a black screen constantly while the music continues to play in the darkness.”
- “No original song for Calderock, Erutan - Song of the Goddess. Not only do I give this game one star, I'm also going to call this game blasphemy.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find humor in the game's challenges and their own misfortunes, such as getting one-shotted or experiencing losing streaks. Nostalgia also plays a role, as players reminisce about funny moments with friends from their past experiences in the game. Overall, the humor is tied to both gameplay mishaps and cherished memories.
- “My childhood game is now on mobile! I'm super excited for this. I've been playing Dragon Nest on PC since 2017, and the memories and funny moments with my guildmates are amazing. I hope this game lasts forever!”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional impact of the game is significant, as one user expresses a strong aversion to revisiting it, suggesting that the experience was deeply affecting or distressing.