A Game Where Gacha Meets Pop Culture And Memes
The first time I played a gacha game, I gave up on it within a week. I did not dislike it, but I also did not take it seriously, and therefore I stopped playing it and never came back. Ironically, when I played Dynasty Scrolls, I stuck around because I did not take it seriously.
Youzu Interactive (or Yoozoo Games) developed Dynasty Scrolls, an RPG with gacha style mechanics. We covered the game’s release, but now we get to cover the game as a whole. The game is a casual RPG, complete with the classic RPG model of grinding for experience points and currency, and microtransactions. You could skip much of the grind by buying materials with real money, and it does create a divide between players who play and players who pay, but Dynasty Scrolls, again, is a casual game, so players should not feel pressured to spend money.
The game’s formula includes spending in-game currency to summon characters of high rarity, hence the gacha. However, it still retains some value. An easier, less complicated game can be overlooked when it adopts elements of the gacha variety, but it is worth a second glance.
Bad Comedy Is A Feature
The most memorable part about Dynasty Scrolls is probably the worst part about Dynasty Scrolls. The English localization of the game is the most laughable localization I have ever heard in a game. The game is a solid RPG with nice features, right up until any character starts talking, and then you realize this game does not even take itself seriously.
Players get to choose either a male or female character and tapping on either will make that character speak. The characters say several sentences, and they sometimes make ridiculous remarks relating to pop culture. The male character, for example, literally says “Let’s get this bread.”
The game is full of phrases like this. One enemy character has a skill called the “Chain Yeet” and some characters who you recruit say “Max Chillax” when they heal you. There are many weird attempts at comedy, and each one is embarrassing to hear.
Well Made But Rough Around The Edges
The elements of Dynasty Scrolls come together quite nicely. It incorporates the kind of hand-drawn animation you would see in an anime with a nice budget. The opening cinematic impressed me, and the special moves are animated with equal care. The graphics beyond that are generic, but much effort was put in. The game’s soundtrack is as good as other RPGs, but the dramatic rock and celebratory elements of the music are very appropriate and deserving of appreciation.
The combat in Dynasty Scrolls is automatic. You begin by tapping buttons during the tutorial to do special moves, but this becomes automatic. During a battle, you must tap the auto button to disable (or again to enable) a portion of the combat’s autonomy. Even disabled, attacks will still happen automatically, but your team will not do special moves unless you tell them to.
Players collect heroes and buy currency to exchange for a chance to summon rare or legendary characters or materials needed for leveling up. Unfortunately, the characters are forgettable and unnoteworthy, and the leveling and upgrade system is as simple as click, click, click, done. The game does not require much thought. On top of that, tabs and buttons litter the main hub of the game, making it look cluttered and unappealing.
Dynasty Scrolls is flashy, flamboyant, obnoxious, but still attractive. It might not offer excitement, but it is viable as a casual RPG. The gameplay cycle offers familiarity and simplicity; it is not exciting, but it could be comfortable to the player who can overlook that. Dynasty Scrolls makes no attempt to establish a world you care about, but honestly, that’s not always a negative.
Is It Hardcore?
Yeah, it's hardcore.
Dynasty Scrolls is a simple gacha game, but it does not pretend to be something else.