It has been a long time since I played a game featuring a dragon that I rode around on laying down death and destruction for hours. I think the last game that I played like that was Lair on the PlayStation 3. Was it a hit? Well, emotionally it was a hit, but it ended up being a horrible dud upon its release. *Reminisces about the PS3 and its potential* Good times.
Anyway, with the recent HBO dragon-ing and the need for something different in a war game, the good developers at Playwing have brought their fiery and ferocious flying lizard game to PlayStation 5, and I have to tell ya…it’s not half bad.
Let’s get right to it.
War Thunder with dragons
Playwing has produced a free-to-play game with dragons. And before you judge it on its validity and substance because it’s a F2P, just know that they made a good flying dragon game that looks spectacular on next-generation hardware (this generation? Ah, you know what I mean) and is actually quite fun in short stints. The idea in the game is that you hop on a dragon and battle against other players who are also on dragons. That’s the general crux of the gameplay design and it’s not a helluva lot more than just that. Honestly, do you need more than that? Maybe, but maybe not. It depends on your expectations of this game. To put its gameplay in perspective, this is basically War Thunder with dragons and a lot less complication.
That doesn’t sound terrible, right?
When you get going with the game, you get to choose from four initial classes, with one needing unlocked. Choosing a class is somewhat thoughtless, as I didn’t see too much of a difference between them, other than style. There are small bits of attributes that are personality related to the riders and attributes related to the dragons. While the descriptions are pretty potent in details and promises, the execution is very balanced, so you can’t go wrong with whatever class you go with for the game. It all comes down to personal choice. Anyway, there are various other ins and outs to make this game seem deeper than it is (hatching dragon eggs is adorable). The locked class, Stormraiser, can be earned through battles. The cost of unlocking the Stormraiser seems somewhat unobtainable without purchasing it. The amount of money earned versus how much it would cost to unlock is lopsided. It costs 20000 silver to unlock it or 800 rubies. It’s slow-moving with earning that loot without going hardcore or playing the game for hours upon hours. Maybe there are patient people out there that can do this, but I’m not one.
Anyway, getting back to the gameplay, the battling in the game is easy to pick up on. You chase other players around the maps and fire projectile fireballs at them, which are somewhat heat-seeking, use a special move, and/or unleash a hellish flame trying to burn your opponents to a crisp. The moves are all timed, so you can recharge them after using them and then use them again. It truly is just that simple gameplay design that is meant to get you right into the fight. It works.
The initial Initiation phase of the game puts you in the mix with 3v3. The game gets you going with an easy battle with decently balanced matching. The first time I played this game, I felt like I got into the groove of everything without missing a beat. Once the game became bigger with 6v6, it became more chaotic, but in a good way. Twelve dragons going at it is insane. It’s like putting in a bunch of WWII planes in a small arena to have a go with each other. Or just the MP of Rogue Squadron. There is a lot of chaos, but it is welcomed chaos and fun chaos.
As for the maps, there is a variety included in the game which can range from wide open spaces to very hole-y kingdoms for your dragon to fly through and avoid enemy fire. Literal fire. The maps, as far as I can tell, are built for 6v6, but are also manageable with 3v3. It’s a one-size fit all sort of deal with landscape and hidey-holes to make it feel different. That’s simple and that works in a F2P game like this.
As for the modes, the gameplay is a hodge-podge of sorts. You can play team deathmatch, where you’re just trying to take down the other team one by one. You can also play a gold collecting game where you’re gathering up gold, jewels, and whatnot to bring back to your base…err…lair(?). There are various ways this game goes, and all are quick bits of entertainment. It’s something you can play with friends quickly and be satisfied with having some good times.
What makes all the above work well is how the controls feel. The controls are just smooth as a button. You can feel the light movements of the dragon easily in turns, as well as easily navigate the targeting system that doesn’t fight you. Moving the dragon around, performing aerial moves, such as speeding up and slowing down, as well as air drifting (is that a thing?) can be done without a hitch on the PS5 controller. Besides how the game looks, sounds, and works, the controls might be one of the more important parts of this game’s success. It’s so easy to get right into the action, especially after the simple tutorial provided (and a quick one).
Overall, the gameplay and design are simple, which bodes well for this type of flying game. It doesn’t take much to understand or to play.
Things you should realize
This is a free-to-play game. There will be microtransactions. Playwing must make money somehow and the price of ‘free’ doesn’t necessarily keep the lights on. Or the serves going. If this game was subpar with efforts, such as visuals, controls, game types, and such, then I would say what are you really selling, Playwing? Thankfully, the quality of the game does warrant the occasional microtransaction. I say that with no hesitancy whatsoever. The game looks and feels good, so if they’re asking for you to pay for a battle pass or buy something else for your dragon, then just know you’re getting something in return.
Now, having said that, this game is very thin on what you can do. The maps are nice, the gameplay design is clever, and the looks are out of this-world gorgeous, but you’re limited in the type of gameplay you can go into. You have 3v3, 6v6 (unranked), 6v6 (ranked), and a 6v6 spoils of war. There is nothing beyond those modes. And while the quality of the gameplay type does vary, eventually you’re going to hit a wall with entertainment. Maybe that’s not such a bad thing because this game really isn’t designed to be played for hours upon hours. It’s more designed for short stints of fun with friends. Maybe as the game gets older and gains a bigger audience it will warrant more modes and clever events to put on. As of now, it’s limited in what it can do.
Those are my biggest complaints and concerns about the game. I know a lot of people will shun this game for being F2P, and I get it because most of us have been burnt by F2P games, but you should at least give it a shot. Century: Age of Ashes is a pretty game that works well when the battle is on. It feels more balanced than war games of its type. I had a lot more fun with this one than I did with War Thunder, but I’m a sucker for dragons.
Anyway, let’s wrap this up.
Conclusion
Century: Age of Ashes from Playwing is a good free-to-play game. It is gorgeous, easy to pick up and go, and has some competitive charm to it. The microtransactions and the thin amount of variety in the game might detour some from extending their time with dragon battling, but I think it’s certainly worth a look.
