KEMCO is a publisher that tends to be known for a very specific kind of game, but every so often one will come along that catches my immediate attention. Dragon Ruins is a bit of a departure from the usual fare from the publisher, as while still an RPG, it is a dungeon crawler and a non-traditional one at that. This is a game where you journey through a dungeon and fight monsters, but all the fights happen automatically without needing more input from you.
The best way to describe Dragon Ruins is that it is a mix of classic Wizardry and the original Dragon Slayer game from Falcom, but as an autobattler. You assemble a party and go into the dungeon, but from then on the strategy is different. Every few steps or passing through a door will set up a fight with monsters. You can dodge the fight by just moving out of the way, but you will want to fight to increase experience. Once you have enough experience, return to town and pay to level up your party of four and maybe buy equipment improvements, rinse and repeat.
It sounds kind of boring, but I found myself having a lot of fun as I played. There is an automap option here and it was extremely helpful to avoid getting lost, and keeping track of how far it would be to return to town, and there is just something addictive about it. The dungeon gets progressively harder as you progress further, and eventually you will fight the titular dragon. This will be the hardest fight, and once it is done, you must repeat the cycle over.
There are two modes here, original and remix, the latter of which changes up the dungeon and raises the challenge. It is good for those wanting more out of the game, but there is something that needs to be addressed about Dragon Ruins, and that is that you will get bored of it at some point. The game’s hook will make you very excited for a bit, but after defeating the dragon a couple of times, you will want to move on and even the remix is not enough.
The thing about that is though, Dragon Ruins is perfect for a short term gameplay session. You play for a bit at a time and then come back, and once you complete the game, you put it away for a bit. Eventually you come back a few weeks later and it feels fun again, but you need to go in with that mindset. If you expect a solid fifty hours straight of gameplay, then this is not the game for you. But if you can enjoy a Wizardry style game with modern quality of life improvements and an alternative take on the gameplay loop, then Dragon Ruins is a game you can end up having quite a bit of fun with. You just need to know what you are getting yourself into.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
Reviewed on Nintendo Switch (Link to game here)
