Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Stepping into the wings of a dragon in I of the Dragon offers a breath of fresh air to the action RPG genre. Instead of donning heavy armor or wielding a sword, you command a majestic beast soaring across vast landscapes. The core loop revolves around hunting monsters, razing enemy lairs, and safeguarding human settlements, all while satisfying your dragon’s ever-present hunger meter.

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The game’s mechanics are surprisingly deep. Your dragon can breathe fire, ice, or acid, each element offering distinct tactical advantages. Ice breath slows foes to a crawl, acid corrodes armor over time, and fire delivers raw, immediate damage. Combined with a wide repertoire of spells — from meteor showers to terrain-altering quake wave — battles never feel repetitive, and experimentation is richly rewarded.

I of the Dragon also integrates a light strategy layer. As you clear areas of monsters, human villagers begin to rebuild towns and fortifications under your protection. You must guide their expansion, ensuring they strike the right balance between resource gathering and defense. This blend of macro-level town management and micro-level dragon combat keeps you engaged on two fronts simultaneously.

The hunger mechanic adds another dimension, forcing you to hunt neutral animals or monsters regularly. This simple yet effective system prevents players from remaining in one area indefinitely, encouraging constant exploration and adding tension to even routine flights. It’s a clever way to maintain pace and ensure that every corner of the map feels fraught with potential risk and reward.

Graphics

Considering its era, I of the Dragon’s 3D visuals hold up reasonably well. The rolling hills, dense forests, and scorched battlefields each exhibit a fair level of detail, immersing you in a world that feels alive. Textures can appear a bit dated by today’s standards, but the environmental variety ensures that no two regions look completely alike.

Spell effects steal the show. Watching a wall of ice envelop a pack of charging wolves or seeing molten acid drip from scales after a breath attack is genuinely satisfying. The color palettes for fire, ice, and acid breaths are distinct and vibrant, and the particle systems lend weight to every cast. Large-scale spells that warp the terrain help underscore your dragon’s sheer power.

Creature design is another highlight. From hulking trolls to swarms of nasty arachnids, each monster type has a unique silhouette and animation set. Dragons flit smoothly through the sky, banking and diving with a sense of fluidity. While occasional clipping issues arise during tight maneuvers near cliff faces, these moments are few and don’t significantly detract from the overall spectacle.

Villager and town models are more simplistic, but they serve their purpose. Seeing the humble settlements grow from thatched huts to fortified keeps under your watch feels rewarding. The day-night cycle, albeit basic, adds to the atmosphere and gives a subtle sense of time passing in your campaign.

Story

The narrative premise of I of the Dragon is straightforward: you are the last of your kind, called forth to protect humanity from the encroaching darkness. While there are no intricate plot twists or deeply developed characters, the game leans into its high-fantasy roots in a way that feels both familiar and comforting.

Story progression is primarily mission-driven. NPCs request help clearing out monster nests, reclaiming territory, or escorting caravans. Between missions, you learn more about the world’s lore through scrolls and village elders. Though the dialogue can be somewhat trite at times, it never feels grating, and it keeps the focus squarely on dragon-led action.

There are moments where background details shine. A ruined temple half-buried in snow hints at an ancient war, and discovering murals of dragons and mortals fighting side by side adds a layer of forgotten history. These environmental storytelling touches enrich the setting and stoke curiosity about the broader mythos.

While you won’t find branching dialogue trees or moral conundrums, the game’s simple tale is effective. It provides enough context to justify your rampage across enemy territory and gives meaning to every town you defend. If you’re looking for a heavyweight epic narrative, you might come away wanting more, but for a dragon-centric romp, the story does its job well.

Overall Experience

I of the Dragon offers a unique twist on the action RPG formula by placing you in the role of a powerful dragon. The combination of flight-based combat, elemental breaths, strategic town support, and hunger management results in a gameplay experience that feels original even years after its release. It strikes a nice balance between accessibility and depth.

The game world, while not photorealistic by modern standards, brims with atmosphere and variety. Spell visuals are especially impressive, and monster designs remain memorable. If you approach it with slightly tempered expectations for graphics, you’ll find that the visual presentation enhances your sense of scale and power.

Despite a relatively straightforward story, the mission structure keeps you motivated to press onward. The strategic element of aiding human settlements adds weight to your actions, making each victory feel meaningful beyond simple monster kills. The hunger mechanic is a clever pacing tool that keeps exploration dynamic and unpredictable.

Overall, I of the Dragon stands out as a memorable title for players seeking something different from typical sword-and-sorcery RPGs. It’s not without minor flaws, but its core concept — playing as a dragon defending humanity — remains compelling. If you’ve ever dreamed of spreading your wings, unleashing elemental fury, and shaping the fate of human civilization from a dragon’s-eye view, this is one adventure you won’t want to miss.

Retro Replay Score

6.5/10