Live an open world destructive fantasy in Dragon

Think back to all the epic fantasy titles you’ve played through over the years. In each of these medieval adventures, there was most likely one constant, a powerful mythical creature or beast, revered for its strength and tenacity. Of all the formidable foes we hear about through folk tales and stories of olde, the dragon is arguably the most frightening and monstrous. Looking back on games from the past, it’s usually a particularly heroic human or other type of overly courageous protagonist that will best a dragon, with every other unit perishing under the mighty beast’s incredible strength. In modern fantasy games we are usually tasked with taking down these towering giants, but it’s not often that we get a chance to see through a dragon’s eyes.

Red Level Games is hoping to change that, by giving gamers a chance to live a super powerful existence. Dragon puts you into the body of a fire breathing titan, giving you the freedom to raze the countryside and lay waste to tons of human outposts. If you’ve ever wanted to be on the opposite side of the fence, flinging opponents effortlessly with your razor sharp teeth and decimating everything with powerful, firey breath, this is the opportunity you’ve been dreaming of. Dragon is classified as an open world action RPG, and features a seamless map design that really drives home the feeling of flying across a vast open space.

Dragon is currently in early access, but still offers a lot of entertainment. From a graphical standpoint it looks okay, although it would be nicer if it was a little more polished. It is important to note though that early access acts much like an open beta, and the graphics could easily be updated in the future. However, with such an expansive, seamless open world planned, its difficult to imagine that the graphics will be anything overly spectacular. Still, the dragons are well-rendered, and the graphics are on par, if not more substantial in certain aspects than most recent 3D indie releases.

In its current state, gameplay involves trouncing around as a dragon and laying waste to anything in your path. Environments are fully destructible, and you’ll be able to burn down portions of the forest, as well as enemy bases, with your powerful breath attacks. You can gain points and “level up,” which will allow you to make your dragon stronger, unlock different breath attacks, and possibly even more skills to help you dominate the air, land, and sea. According to the Dragon trailer, Red Level Games plans to add quite a bit of content to the title before its eventual release. Future plans include things like improved RPG mechanics, the ability to claim territories, and new weapons. There are even plans to add other mythical creatures that will test your skills and keep you on your heels as you grow your legend. Dragon even includes some interesting multiplayer elements, including cooperative play and a PvP section.

If you’re interested in blazing through the skies, you can jump into the Dragon experience right now on early access through Steam for $14. Red Level Games is currently offering 20 percent off this access, and it will go back up to $17.99 sometime in the near future so be sure to get in on the savings now. According to developers, this is a very community driven title, and they are actively seeking support from gamers like you to help craft an experience that is as legendary as the creatures it features. The retail version of Dragon is planned for release sometime in 2015, but there is no word yet if it will be featured on multiple platforms or if it is simply a PC exclusive.