Like many die-hard Game of Thrones fans, I was more than ready to try a new mobile RPG that allowed you to rear and train your own pet dragon. I mean come on, even in virtual reality a pet dragon that responds to high Valyrian is a cool concept. However, I was also wary of a developer trying to jump on the House of the Dragon proverbial hype train. So, without further delay, here is one diehard fan of Game of Thrones review for House of Dragon: DracARys.
Getting Started
Upon first view, the game looks very sleek. After allowing the game access to your phone’s camera, the view gives way to a cave with smoky embers flying in the foreground. However, the first glitch appeared before gameplay even began. Where the player should be able to see eggs to choose from, no eggs appeared on my screen. Luckily, after redownloading the app, I was able to finally open and choose my own egg, and thus, my dragon was born.
How to Train Your Dragon
Once your dragon is born, you can name it. However the game changes what you type into a Valyrian-sounding name–which is kind of helpful if you’re not the most creative linguist. Now you can begin to train your dragon. Players are given a few sets of commands, which they can speak into their device. These include Mazis, which means come in Valyrian, and of course, everyone’s favorite, Dracarys, which instructs your dragon to breathe fire. If a player prefers not to use his or her Valyrian, there is an optional button that will speak these commands to the dragon directly.
You also have a seemingly limitless amount of raw beef you can feed your dragon to help it grow. Eventually, after enough practice, your dragon will learn to cook raw beef without your command and consume it, helping it grow. While the feeding was a fun aspect, it would have been helpful to have a way to gauge how much food was sufficient to help the dragon grow.
One nice touch within this interface is that you can stick your hand in the picture as if to pet your dragon. The dragon reacts to your touch, so much so that at one point I was given points for “disciplining” him, despite the fact he had not warranted any disciplinary action. I suppose I’m a strict dragon trainer.
Eventually, House of Dragon DracARys will prompt you to take your dragon outside, as all dragons yearn to fly. I was hoping that by bringing other types of foliage and birds into the camera view, the game would pick up on and introduce them into the sphere of the game itself. Unfortunately, that does not happen. In fact, despite repeatedly calling for my dragon to come, he never seemed to want to head in my direction.
Time to Fly
As the dragon continues to grow, it learns to fly. To command it to do so you’ll use the “Soves” command. And to be sure, it’s fun to see your dragon virtually flying around your backyard. Also, it should be noted, throughout this process, you can use the camera function within the app to take pictures and videos of your dragon performing commands or flying.
House of Dragon DracARys feels less like a game and more like a virtual pet. If that sounds appealing to you, however, you will enjoy this app. While not every player will experience the glitch I did with the eggs, it certainly took away from the experience. The game’s visual effects and use of Valyrian are a nice touch. However, the game loses its appeal after a short amount of time. If you want to train a virtual dragon this game is for you. However, if you’re looking for an immersive Game of Thrones experience, look elsewhere.
