First announced last month, Serencia Saga: Dragon Nest recently launched in Japan on Google Play and App Store. Developed by Primus Inc, a new Korean studio under Japanese developer gumi Inc, the story of the original Dragon Nest was changed to fit a new world and storyline. Of course, this was officially approved by Eyedentity Games, which created the Dragon Nest franchise and IP.
Starting out, gameplay in Serencia Saga: Dragon Nest could feel very challenging. Players eventually are able to have 3 characters in a party and enjoy auto-mode, but the high-damage boss attacks really require much manual control. When selecting characters for a dungeon, there seems to be many empty slots available. I suppose there are more classes other than the 4 basic ones in development.
At the end of each chapter, there is a nest-like boss which players do not have to kill to progress to the next chapter. It is more for farming crafting materials, and it is the only map where 4 characters are allowed with the addition of another player’s character. There is a parts-destruction system similar to Monster Hunter’s, though the boss still feels really strong after each part is destroyed.
For the gacha system, the main focus is on weapons, armor parts, and costume parts. While a norm in mobile action RPG titles now, there might be a significant pay-to-win element since the items are better than the crafted ones early in the game. We are still very early in the game, and have yet to reach the PVP feature. It is unknown if publisher gumi plans to launch the game outside of Japan.
