The I of the Dragon

About

The I of the Dragon is a single player role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Primal and was released on March 6, 2015. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

The world of Nimoa is as beautiful as the morning dew, but only at first glance. Under the surface of hills and fertile valleys lurks an old and eternal evil. Living as a mould, stretching threads through an infected area like deadly toadstools. The center of this "being?" deep in the under world is the giant daemon, Skarborr.GAMEPLAY You, the player, take the role of the young, inexperienced drag…

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Play Modes

Single-Player

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66%

Audience ScoreBased on 378 reviews

gameplay24 positive mentions

graphics18 negative mentions

Unique concept of playing as a dragon, which is rare in video games.
Satisfying gameplay loop with leveling up and using various spells.
Nostalgic value for those who played it in their childhood, with a charming soundtrack.

Clunky and unresponsive controls that can be frustrating to manage.
Numerous bugs and crashes, especially on modern systems, making it difficult to play.
Lack of proper tutorials and guidance, leaving players confused about objectives.

story
128 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
72%
14%
The game's story is generally considered weak and linear, serving primarily as a framework to guide players through repetitive missions. While some players appreciate the concept of playing as a dragon and find the backstory interesting, many criticize the execution, noting outdated graphics, clunky gameplay, and poorly designed human missions that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the narrative lacks depth and fails to engage players meaningfully, leading to a mixed reception.
- “This game has become one of my favorite old-school story-based games within the first hours of playing.”
- “It’s a game where you, as a dragon, have got a mission to save the world from the evil 'skarborr' who wants to destroy the world.”
- “This game was amazing - I really liked the storyline, the fighting, all of it.”
- “The game has an unappealing story; the quests are boring and repetitive (go to an area, kill all the monsters, then go to another location and do the exact same thing over and over again).”
- “The story is purely there to lead you from point A to point B.”
- “I guess that it wasn't well thought out when they made the story, but the story is weak anyway...”
gameplay
94 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
61%
13%
The gameplay is characterized by a repetitive loop focused on monster extermination, which some players find satisfying despite its clunky controls and dated mechanics. While the core mechanics of flying and casting spells are enjoyable, many reviewers note significant issues such as difficulty spikes, poor camera angles, and a lack of tutorial guidance that can detract from the experience. Overall, the game offers a unique concept that may appeal to fans of older titles, but its age and technical shortcomings are evident.
- “The basic gameplay loop still works; most old games I pick up these days lost all their charm, while this game doesn't give a damn about a good story or anything to quality voice-over. The base design just works so well, and I found myself spending an entire weekend replaying the game as a monster-summoning dragon mage that spams armies on his enemies.”
- “I really enjoy the spells terraforming the ground after they get cast; it creates some cool emergent gameplay when you can prevent enemies from moving or you can protect your units from being hit.”
- “This game is the opposite of terrible; it's an absolutely amazing game. Everything but the graphics is awesome. The gameplay is really good, the story is great, the audio is pretty good, and some of the sounds are funny and strange. There is a large range of enemies, the animation is really well done, and not to mention the camera settings, as there is one where you are actually seeing through the eyes of the dragon, which is awesome.”
- “Its age is showing with outdated graphics, clunky gameplay, a story so straightforward as to almost be bland, and a camera which is constantly trying to get you killed.”
- “The gameplay is very repetitive and the controls are poor.”
- “Conceptually and mechanically this game stands out as something amazing, but bugs and control issues just ruin the experience.”
music
74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
72%
4%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising the soundtrack as amazing and fitting, while others criticize the changes made in the Steam version, finding the original music more suitable. Players have reported issues with in-game music not playing, but patches have been developed to resolve these problems. Overall, while the soundtrack is generally well-received, the inconsistency across different versions has led to some dissatisfaction among fans.
- “Yup, the soundtrack is amazing.”
- “Especially the sound ranging from the music to the voices to the creature and spell sounds surprised me positively.”
- “Great soundtrack also and has a good challenge to it.”
- “As for negatives: the music is generic, the story is really weird.”
- “Also, they changed the music (to worse) and the English voice-over.”
- “This game was very nostalgic and amazing, but I don't know why it doesn't have any music or ambient when I play it.”
graphics
74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
54%
24%
The graphics of the game are widely regarded as outdated, reflecting its early 2000s origins, with many reviewers noting that they may not appeal to those unfamiliar with that era. While some appreciate the nostalgic charm and the effort made within the technological limitations of the time, others criticize the visuals as clunky and poorly optimized. Overall, the consensus suggests that while the graphics may not be impressive by modern standards, they do not detract significantly from the overall gameplay experience.
- “The graphics are simple but timeless enough to not make the game bad today. There is a pretty cool terrain deformation system; some spells let you raise mountains or volcanoes from the ground, and I mean a 100-meter tall wall of earth. You're giant compared to the tiny humans; one badly placed spell might tear down half of the city you just helped build.”
- “Visuals are awesome.”
- “The graphics rocked (in 2002), the feeling of flight on your own set of wings, and the ability to dive down and catch your rival to have a bloody snack up in the air were amusing.”
- “The graphics are horribly outdated, but the developers clearly did, in my opinion, the best they could with the limited technology available at the time (which, for the record, is over 20 years ago).”
- “That being said, the game is nearly 2 decades old, and as such comes with a load of issues, namely abysmally dated visuals, wonky and frustrating controls and fairly repetitive gameplay loop.”
- “Combine that with clumsy controls, bugs, bad graphics, some absolutely cruel missions (exterminate every single monster in every friendly territory *while* monsters continue to flood in from neighboring hostile territories? come on) and you get a game where you're constantly fighting against it to have any degree of fun.”
stability
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is notably poor, with numerous bugs, control issues, and freezing problems reported across various operating systems, particularly in the Steam port. While players acknowledge its charm and fun factor, many find it borderline unplayable due to these persistent technical issues. Despite the frustrations, some users still manage to enjoy the game, albeit with significant workaround efforts.
- “But as these things seem to go, the Steam port is buggy, feels cobbled together, and is borderline unplayable.”
- “The control scheme is pretty annoying and could definitely be done better; the difficulty can change dramatically once you enter a new region, and the game freezes for a few seconds when you want to enter any menu.”
- “There were no background music, crashes on a map change, and control freezes.”
grinding
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players note that grinding is a significant aspect of the game, with many missions feeling tedious yet manageable once players learn the mechanics. While some find the slow-paced gameplay and tank-like enemies frustrating, others appreciate the lack of a level cap, allowing for continuous farming and character progression. Overall, the grinding can be enjoyable and adds to the RPG experience, particularly for fans of dragon-themed content.
- “The game is rather slow-paced by default and turning all enemies into tanks that just take way too long to kill is not fun, only tedious.”
- “Story is simple, acting is 50/50, gameplay has a lot of grinding.”
- “The fireball is tedious with flying enemies because some of them never stay still.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
Reviews indicate that the game struggles with emotional engagement, featuring a clunky and stagnant story that fails to resonate with players. While it may have had potential during its release, the lack of complex characters and high-quality storytelling has led to a perception of it being outdated and unworthy of investment.
- “The tradition of implementing high quality, touching stories with complex characters had not yet been settled in the industry.”
- “Save yourself the money; maybe it was good for its time, but it doesn't play well now. The story is clunky and boring, and the gameplay feels stagnant.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted through its quirky sound effects and playful nods to classic titles like "Magic Carpet," which adds a lighthearted touch to the overall experience. Players appreciate the blend of action and exploration, complemented by amusing animations and a variety of strange enemy designs that contribute to the game's charm. Overall, the humor enhances the gameplay, making it an enjoyable and memorable adventure.
- “This game is the opposite of terrible; it's an absolutely amazing game. Everything but the graphics is awesome. The graphics themselves aren't too bad, though, considering the age of this game. The gameplay is really good, the story is great, the audio is pretty good, and some of the sounds are funny and strange. There is a large range of enemies, the animation is really well done, and not to mention the camera settings. One of them, which most players would like, is an eyes camera, where you are actually seeing through the eyes of the dragon, which is awesome.”
- “In other words, there'll be exploration, there'll be action, there'll be some RTS-like elements, but all in all, even though this game takes a lot from Magic Carpet (there's even a funny little nod to Bullfrog's masterpiece), it's hard to fully compare it with anything.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from poor optimization and subpar coding, which detracts from the overall experience, despite its engaging gameplay and decent graphics.
- “Crappy code, horrendous optimization, okay-ish graphics, great game”
- “Crappy code, horrendous optimization, okay-ish graphics, great game”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Players find the game highly replayable due to the diverse gameplay experiences offered by the 20 unique skills that each character can unlock, allowing for varied strategies and playstyles in subsequent playthroughs.
- “The characters play very differently due to the 20 or so skills each of them unlocks, making the game highly replayable.”
- “The diverse skill sets of each character contribute to a unique experience every time, enhancing the game's replayability.”
- “With around 20 skills to unlock for each character, the game offers a fresh experience on every playthrough, ensuring great replayability.”