Tale of Fallen Dragons

About

Tale of Fallen Dragons is a single player and multiplayer action adventure game. It was developed by BigTapir Games and was released on February 6, 2017. It received positive reviews from players.

This is a dungeon crawler game with roguelike elements based on Ancient Chinese story. Under the Fallen Dragons Temple, you`ll fight with various dragons which all have different shapes. The art style is based on real artifacts from China, we hope you could experience a different style of our culture.

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86%

Audience ScoreBased on 21 reviews

gameplay4 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Unique incorporation of Chinese mythology and folklore giving the game a distinct cultural identity and atmosphere.
Challenging and satisfying roguelike gameplay with fast-paced combat, extensive item system, and meaningful enemy/boss patterns that reward skill and adaptation.
High replayability supported by procedurally generated dungeons, diverse items with powerful synergies, and a progression system that encourages mastery.

Poor and inconsistent English translation hampers understanding of lore, item effects, and game mechanics, reducing accessibility for non-Chinese speakers.
The game feels unfinished and abandoned by developers with slowed updates, leading to limited enemy variety, flat progression systems, and some pacing issues in later stages.
Gameplay loop can become monotonous due to limited weapon variety, lack of significant item impact on playstyle, simple procedural generation, and occasional unfair enemy spawning or environmental hazards.

gameplay
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
61%
17%
The gameplay offers a challenging, replay-focused roguelike experience centered on procedurally generated dungeon runs and item synergies, rewarding player adaptability and mechanical skill. However, it suffers from a limited weapon system and many passive items that mainly provide minor stat boosts, leading to a repetitive and sometimes unengaging loop with low variance between runs. Despite this, the game features distinctive mechanics and level-up systems that create a unique and memorable challenge once players master enemy patterns.
- “Released in 2017 and maintained over a long early access period, the game positions itself as a challenging, replay-focused experience where adaptability, mechanical skill, and knowledge of item synergies determine success.”
- “Each failure becomes a learning opportunity, gradually improving familiarity with enemy behaviors, boss mechanics, and effective item combinations.”
- “This system fosters emergent gameplay, where understanding item interactions becomes just as important as mechanical execution.”
- “The gameplay is standard for the genre but what drags it down is its unengaging and boring gameplay loop: your character can only wield one weapon at a time and there's no way to modify them (other than improving your damage, critical, range, attack speed, and projectile speed stats to make them stronger).”
- “Additionally, the passive items that you get mostly provide statistical improvements and very few change how you approach the game or alter the gameplay in any noticeable way.”
- “Even worse, those which do change the gameplay often do so in a negative manner and are flat-out detrimental to you, or their benefits are equally outweighed by their penalties.”
graphics
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
44%
The game's graphics are praised for their distinct mythological and artifact-inspired aesthetic, with charming, well-animated sprites that convey a strong oriental flair. While some users find the character sprites reminiscent of mobile game styles, the overall artwork is recognized as unique, high-quality, and thoughtfully designed, contributing to a smooth and visually appealing experience.
- “Rather than following the increasingly common western fantasy or sci-fi roguelike templates, it establishes a distinct identity through its mythological themes and artifact-inspired aesthetic.”
- “There are so many of them, I've already got used to some common looks - and this game immediately surprised me as it's totally different: I enjoyed the design and quality of graphics all the characters are made with - it definitely required lots and lots of work.”
- “Very good graphics and the game runs very well.”
story
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
28%
43%
The story in the game is presented through optional, light-touch dialogue that emphasizes atmosphere and discovery over detailed narrative, creating a myth-laden experience shaped by player exploration. However, the simplicity of the storyline and issues with poor translation can hinder full engagement with the plot.
- “Players descend into its depths as unnamed challengers, motivated less by explicit story beats and more by the implied weight of legend and danger.”
- “This light-touch narrative approach allows the game to foreground atmosphere and discovery rather than scripted storytelling.”
- “The story is given to you via optional conversations with other characters that you can engage in at the start of a floor.”
- “It seems to be very simple but the poor translation of the dialogue doesn't help in conveying the full scope of the story.”
- “From here, you will be introduced to the story and then descend straight into your first dungeon.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
33%
50%
The music is generally described as generic and atmospheric dungeon-style background music that suits the game's mood but isn't particularly memorable. While some players found it enjoyable enough to listen to for extended periods, others found it somewhat rigid and less engaging compared to the artwork and overall theme, which received positive remarks.
- “The artwork is very charming, and the music and theme is nice and feels very oriental to me.”
- “The music is your generic atmospheric dungeon-delving background music which serves well as background noise but isn't anything special to listen to.”
- “However, the hand feeling is biased; the proportion of luck in the game is obviously too large (compared with other roguelike games); the music is somewhat rigid; the playing methods are stiff.”
- “I somehow listened to this music for 13 hours without getting tired of it but switched to my own music anyways to make the experience more enjoyable.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game's atmosphere is praised for its distinct, myth-laden underworld setting that emphasizes discovery over scripted storytelling, creating a memorable experience. However, the music is regarded as generic and serves mainly as ambient background noise without standing out.
- “This light-touch narrative approach allows the game to foreground atmosphere and discovery rather than scripted storytelling.”
- “While it may not reach the polish or scope of genre-defining roguelikes, its distinct atmosphere and mechanical depth make it a memorable journey into a myth-laden underworld where every descent tells a different story.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Replayability is a standout feature, boosted by cooperative play that encourages teamwork and social interaction. The game's unique theme, engaging combat, and rich content contribute to its lasting appeal and frequent replay.
- “Replayability is one of the title’s strongest assets.”
- “Cooperative play further enhances replay value, allowing players to tackle the temple together and coordinate strategies in real time, adding a social dimension to what is otherwise a solitary descent into danger.”
- “Players consistently praise the game’s thematic originality, satisfying combat loop, and depth of replayable content.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game lacks ongoing optimization and updates, with no plans to fix existing issues.
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is commendable for an early access title, running smoothly and free of glitches, making it a reliable and enjoyable purchase even during testing phases.