Nintendo's Dragalia Lost combines impressive storytelling and great gameplay [Game of the Week]

If you're like me and want more substance to your games, especially in mobile titles, then look no further.

Nintendo's Dragalia Lost was released in Canada on February 26th, and since then, I've been hooked, clocking in around 17 hours.

Nintendo'south newest mobile entry is intriguing as it's a free-to-play (F2P) mobile game with an actual story. Usually with F2P titles, the game ends upwardly either one-half-baked, pointless or straight-up terrible.

Dragalia Lost aims to redefine what a mobile game can achieve, not only by creating an interesting (although non original) story but by also offering fun, accessible gameplay.

The premise is quite simple. Your character is tasked with making a pact with a dragon after your kingdom, Albertia, is losing ability that needs to exist restored.

Joining you in your search is your magic healer sis and her faerie companion named Notte.

Equally you progress in your journey, you will encounter other members that you lot tin recruit to your political party.

Graphic symbol interactions come up from both the story and side-plots, similar to Fire Emblem Awakening'south support conversations.

The game is clearly inspired by anime, so if you like those types of stories, this volition be right up your aisle.

Fifty-fifty if you're not familiar with the medium, yous can still find enjoyment out of information technology. In that location are lots of grapheme interactions and great moments in the story that make Dragalia Lost feel more than like a globe.

This is, bar-none, 1 of the best stories in a F2P mobile game. I'thousand surprised past the number of hours I've put into this game just because I wanted to see more.

Story beats ever progress frontwards and when 1 ends, another opens up to reveal a grander plot.

Even the express fourth dimension in-game events have stories that pleasantly surprised me. For example, the Flit with Fate raid event (with the chief purpose of making some items more easily obtainable) has you lot rescuing a dancer who recently escaped after being enslaved.

Yet, while I can give lots of praise to Dragalia Lost'southward story, it's gameplay that matters at the end of the day. The two go together similar butter on toast.

Dragalia Lost is an activity Japanese Role-Playing-Game, which means that you fight enemies similar you would in a beat-em-upward fighting game, but y'all have a level up arrangement to make your party grow progressively stronger.

The game operates stage-by-stage, pregnant that you move effectually in a set area for that specific mission rather than an open-earth environs. The levels are seize with teeth-sized, making it great to pick upward and play when you're traveling.

Touch controls are fluid in terms of move and combat. You drag your finger beyond the screen to maneuver your party in the field while tapping to striking enemies.

The game as well has playable characters that you can swap betwixt in battle, calculation some other layer of strategy and replayability.

Characters' special attacks tin can exist activated using a designated button. This also applies to Dragalia Lost'south main attraction, which is shapeshifting into a dragon.

Dragons are devastating in battle and grant you immunity to attacks. Withal, you take a timer and a gauge that limits your usage of transformations.

What'due south incredible about Dragalia Lost is that it sports a full-fledged RPG system. You tin level up your dragons, upgrade your weaponry and even customize your ain castle courtyard.

If that's non enough, this game has a co-op mode, allowing users to join in a four-player entrance hall to defeat bosses and complete levels.

All the same, if yous somehow get bored of all that, Dragalia Lost has curt piddling comic strips, which are quite funny and serve as mindless entertainment.

Similar roses with thorns and literally every F2P game, Dragalia Lost has in-app purchases. However, they're completely optional, as I was able to clock in a lot of hours without the game trying to swindle me for cash.

Dragalia Lost uses a stamina meter, which refills every time you lot level up or use a specific item. However, with the rate that you progress, there's no need to purchase whatsoever stamina.

A great feature of the game is that if you level upwardly while you lot still accept a agglomeration of stamina left, yous gain boosted stamina on height of your standard amount, making the system experience less intrusive.

If you do feel the demand to buy more stamina, you tin can use the in-game Wyrmite currency, which takes a modest paring out of your virtual wallet.

When y'all factor in the amount of Wyrmite you become from a unmarried playthrough, though, throwing coins at the screen is a non-issue.

At that place are a couple of issues with the game.

For starters, while there are playable characters, magic users specifically, have pretty minimalist combat. Along with that, levels are a scrap too-brusk, offer no secret paths or actress rewards y'all tin can't go usually.

Overall, Dragalia Lost reaches a elevation that no other mobile game I've played has done thus far. It has a neat story, fun gameplay, and a mesmerizing amount of content.

The game is available for both iOS and Android.