The Dragoness: Command of the Flame
- August 10, 2023
- Crazy Goat Games
- 40h median play time
The Dragoness: Command of the Flame is an enjoyable adventure, but it does feel a little underwhelming compared to other turn-based strategy titles.
Get on Steam
Get on Xbox Games Store"The Dragoness: Command of the Flame" is a strategy role-playing game where you play as a dragon queen, rebuilding your ancestral lair and commanding dragons to defeat enemies. You'll engage in strategic battles, manage resources, and make choices that impact your dragon's abilities and the story's outcome. The game offers a unique blend of dragon taming and base-building, with vibrant graphics and immersive gameplay.
Reviews
- The game captures the spirit of classic HoMM gameplay, providing enjoyable turn-based strategy with a roguelike twist.
- Map design and variety are praised, with interesting objectives that promote different playstyles and keep the gameplay engaging.
- The game is easy to learn and offers a good balance, making it accessible for both new players and fans of the genre.
- The game suffers from a lack of variety in units and enemies, leading to repetitive gameplay and a feeling of monotony.
- Graphics and animations are considered mediocre, and the overall production values are low, which detracts from the experience.
- The combat AI is simplistic, and the need to restart from level 1 for each mission can be frustrating for players seeking a sense of progression.
- story26 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as lacking depth and engagement, with a basic narrative that fails to deliver a memorable experience. While the voice acting is praised for its quality, the overall plot is criticized for being simplistic and not offering the rich character progression or intricate world-building found in similar titles. Players express frustration with the mission structure, which resets progress and diminishes the sense of purpose, ultimately detracting from the enjoyment of the story.
“It looks good, has a good storyline, and the combat is fun.”
“If you like a hero-styled game that follows storyline scenarios, then you should enjoy this game.”
“Voice acting is very well done, thundering with masterful power and grin-inducing humor as a mystical and marvelous story unfolds before your awe-filled gaming eyes.”
“Resetting levels and progress with every mission removes some of the sense of purpose that makes games like Heroes of Might and Magic and old King's Bounty enjoyable.”
“I’ve written down a lot of notes about various things that frustrated me while playing, like how I killed the dragon in the prologue mission, but the game still treats it as if it killed me, which is a significant story point.”
“There is only really one main capital city to build, and those bonuses carry over from mission to mission, which feels limiting in terms of story progression.”
- gameplay9 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The gameplay has been criticized for being shallow and lacking depth, with many reviewers feeling it fails to capture the essence of classic Heroes of Might and Magic (HoMM) gameplay. While the core mechanics, such as base building and hero customization, show potential, they are marred by imbalances and a food consumption system that detracts from strategic play. Overall, players seeking a rich turn-based strategy experience may find this game disappointing.
“The gameplay is currently in an awkward imbalanced phase, but the base gameplay mechanics are really interesting and have the potential to be really fun.”
“I'm so starved for KB/HOMM style gameplay that this will have to do.”
“This game was a pathetic attempt to recreate classic HOMM gameplay, but it failed miserably.”
“The food-consumed-per-turn mechanic that is supposed to add some strategic value is in fact completely obsolete – you will quickly understand which upgrades and artifacts to use to boost the amount of hero movement points to 16+ and clear everything on the map without any problems.”
“The core gameplay loop (after the prologue mission) is the following – you have a base of operations with a modest selection of buildable facilities, where you can choose from up to 3 slightly randomized versions of starting heroes (per mission), up to 3 starting units in the hero’s army, and up to 3 artifacts your hero can equip.”
- graphics5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the beautiful visuals reminiscent of the Heroes of Might and Magic series, while others criticize the mediocre quality and general jank typical of indie titles. Additionally, long loading screens detract from the experience, despite the relatively simple graphical demands of the game. Overall, the visual presentation is seen as a highlight for some, but a letdown for others.
“Stunning heroes of Might and Magic style game with beautiful graphics adorning a world of sinister underpinnings and glittering heroism, as magnificent audio harmonizes in its soothing melodies and brutal intensity of combat resonates across the lands.”
“The general jank of an indie title is evident - the animations and graphics are mediocre, and the quality of voice acting wildly varies.”
“The loading screens are sleep-inducing long despite the graphics being mediocre.”
“I don't see why this should be the case, as it is nothing complex for the game's AI to do, and the load on the GPU shouldn't be high considering the graphics.”
- stability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its stability, being well-balanced and free of bugs, which contributes to an engaging experience that encourages players to keep playing for "one more turn."
“It's well balanced, bug-free, and has that 'one more turn' vibe.”
“The game runs smoothly without any crashes, making for a seamless experience.”
“I appreciate how stable the gameplay is; I can focus on strategy without worrying about technical issues.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is criticized for being poor, leading to an unbalanced experience where combat becomes repetitive and tedious due to a limited variety of enemies.
“It's terribly optimized, completely unbalanced. Combat gets boring after two maps because it's the same five enemies over again.”
“The game suffers from severe optimization issues, leading to frequent frame drops and long loading times.”
“Despite its potential, the optimization is lacking, making it frustrating to play due to constant lag and crashes.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players note that grinding is necessary to achieve all monster upgrades in the game, but it is generally seen as manageable with some dedicated farming.
“Monster upgrades in your city can be obtained, but it requires a significant amount of farming.”
“The grinding aspect of the game feels tedious and repetitive.”
“It takes an excessive amount of time to progress due to the grinding mechanics.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by excellent voice acting that adds a powerful and entertaining dimension to the storytelling, creating a mystical and engaging experience that elicits grins from players.
“The voice acting is incredibly well done, filled with masterful power and grin-inducing humor as a mystical and marvelous story unfolds before your awe-filled gaming eyes.”
“The game's humor is cleverly woven into the dialogue, making even the most serious moments light-hearted and enjoyable.”
“I found myself laughing out loud at the witty one-liners and hilarious character interactions throughout the game.”
