Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Game
Game2026
DragonSword : Awakening
Developer Hound13 Inc.
Explore the anime-style open world of the Continent of Orbis, brought to life with Unreal Engine 5! Recruit unique companions, unleash spectacular Status Ailment tag-team action, and embark on an epic journey to save the world from the threat of a Dragon reawakened after 60 years. From the Steam store page
349 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Oct 7, 2026 · last updated Oct 7, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
85
LovedLoved
225 positive · 40 negative
95% range 80–89%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 225 | 40 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
84 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
11,585 of 13,208 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 349 · most liked firstTurns out if you remove the gacha monetization and turn it into a single player game with the addictive combat loop, you end up getting a really good game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm just super happy this game wont take advantage of my dangerous gambling habits. No more genshit impact o7
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I picked this up because the combat looked good, but the story behind the game ended up being another reason to support it. DragonSword originally existed as a gacha game published by Webzen. After the publishing relationship collapsed, Hound13 went through a legal fight over the game, won, and brought it back as a proper paid release without the gacha systems. That change did the game a massive favour. There are no character banners, no gambling for equipment and no stamina system deciding…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →TL;DR: A massive W for the Devs, a massive L for greedy publishers. Before we talk about the game, let's talk about the crazy underdog story behind it. The devs (Hound 13) got completely screwed by their publisher (Webzen), who refused to pay 60% of their guaranteed funds. This forced the studio into survival mode: they had to lay off almost their entire team (dropping from 150 down to just 46 employees) while eating nearly $46 MILLION in accumulated losses. Instead of filing for bankruptcy,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I am absolutely furious. I have thrown thousands of dollars into other gacha games just to feel a pixelated spark of joy, and then this absolute audacity of a buy-to-play game comes along and ruins my life. There are no stamina gates. I can’t even swipe my credit card to skip the grind. Do you know how insulting it is to actually enjoy playing a video game? The combat is unbelievably fluid, the skill trees are deeply rewarding, and the boss fights are masterclasses in mechanics. I kept…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've been begging for a non-gacha gacha game for years now, I am morally obligated to buy this game and say something nice about it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gotta support these kinds of games with no predatory gacha systems
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I booted this up expecting to spend thirty euros and then another three hundred chasing a character I'd never get. Old habits die hard. Except this time I just... got all the characters. By playing the game. I had to sit with that for a moment because my brain genuinely could not process what was happening. No banner. No pity counter. No carefully calculated "you're 73 pulls in, just twenty seven more and you might get the character you wanted." Just. Characters. Unlocked by progressing through…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Tested on Steam Deck OLED and LCD The short version: it runs better than I expected for a UE5 open world. On low you're between 70-90fps, on medium it's 40-60. Add Lossless Scaling on medium with a few settings dropped to low and you're at a smooth 90. No anti-cheat, no launch bugs, ran out of the box on SteamOS without needing a specific Proton version. Battery: 2h30m on low, so this is more of a near-a-charger game than a long-flight game. Cap your framerate and set a TDP limit and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So after getting screwed over by the publishers the dev refused to let their new gacha game die silently in the good night by removing all the gachas, making it a standalone game and just took the business to Steam. Beyond based.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Its a Gacha game WITHOUT the Gacha! Literally! If someone ever wanted to play games like genshin. But did not want the pay-to-win gambling. THIS is that game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →DragonSword is really fun, which isn't shocking considering it was created by some of the talented team who brought you Dragon Nest. It isn't gatcha, it isn't "pay to win", and it isn't a Genshin clone - instead it reminds me of a bunch of my favorite games I actually DO like (I don't like Genshin/gatchas) all rolled into one. The gear crafting, guild system, and hunts remind me of Monster Hunter, the exploration and questing remind me of MMOs like FF14, the puzzles remind me of Crimson Desert…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Enjoyment: 9.5/10 It's been 4 days since DragonSword launched and I've clocked about 36 hours. I'm nearing the end of the Main Story but there's still a lot of content left for me to clear. For some context, the game was originally designed to be a gacha live service game, but after a dispute with their previous publisher it released as a full offline game with no gacha instead. The core gameplay loop is similar to Genshin with the open-world exploration and puzzles. The story is rather…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Since I have read too many "Gacha" related reviews, I want to try and describe it without referring to such games. It can be very confusing for those who have not engaged with the genre before and don't know what to expect. In short, this game is like a single-player MMO that gets inspiration from open-world and action-JRPGs in terms of various mechanics. It focuses heavily on exploration and combat in an heavily stylized anime format. Think of this game as a baby of Breath of the Wild and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →More games should follow this direction instead of being a lame, money hungry live service crap.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wasn't really planning to write a review for this game. I kinda finished it, but at the same time I have quite a lot of complaints, so I decided to stay "neutral". But after the developers announced their stance on mods, and I "accidentally" ended up in their Discord and saw people defending the game while completely ignoring its problems, I decided that this game deserves at least one negative review. Like many people have already said, this is basically a gacha without the gacha. If I had…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Genshin without the Gacha I loved playing Genshin Impact years ago when it first released, but the grind and monetisation eventually wore me down, and I never returned. I have grown to hate those types of games that use psychology to bleed my wallet and manipulate me in a dozen other ways that I'm probably not even aware of. So when I saw the trailer and gameplay for this game, I was really excited to jump in. The world here is beautiful, along with its heroes and villains. The art style and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game was previously a gacha released in Korea (apple/ios) and was intended as the Korean competitor to a certain game. It has the depth and mechanics of the genre—but then Hound13 (development studio) parted ways with Webzen (publishers) and took the opportunity to self-publish on Steam as a buy to play game (a "packaged" game). The result is fantastic. The depth, mechanics, and variety of a gacha without the predatory monitization. Players can finish the content with only the base game…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →How is this game ONLY $30?! Seriously this game is my new addiction, it's bad. Pros: Graphics / Art style: Typical of a genshin impact style video game, the art style of this game is fantastic. I love exploring the world and looking at all the colorful details that are everywhere to be seen. Its truly a beautiful game. Animations: The game has some of the best animations ive experienced lately. From the character combat, to the physics in the movement, to the summoning of the mounts…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Thank you Hound 13 for never giving up, the few game that actually come true. While I admired many anime RPG, most are scary gacha game that I couldn't bring my heart to play due to the past of time and financial burnout. This game gives a soul at ease, beautifully made South Korean premium game, one of the rarest of its kind. Yes, it isn't perfect and translation is a bit jank, but those tiny flaws are insignificant compared to the beautiful atmosphere, handsome lads, beautiful lass, top it…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Genshin Impact without the Genshin and with way more impact Quite good game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Dragon Nest was a memorable online game from my teenage years. When I heard that the developers behind Dragon Nest were releasing a new title, eagerly awaited its launch. Rumors also suggested that the game's world-building resembled some of Nintendo Switch Exclusive Games and of course My Favorite first-party on NS, specifically The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Dragonsword Awakening features excellent execution of its anime-style cel-shaded graphics. The…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Basically Genshin Impact, but single-player and without the gacha system and I'm very glad that's the case. We should support devs that don't emphasize greediness in their business and I think this is one. Everything in the game is free (aside from optional cosmetic DLCs), but there's a catch. Since the game started as online MMO but got scrapped, it's extremely grindy. You'll constantly be collecting materials to upgrade other materials so you can upgrade even more materials... all just to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →"DragonSword is like nicotine gum for gacha players." ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ✅For Steam deck users: It runs well! I think I finally found my 'gacha' rehab. As someone who's played more gacha games than I'd like to admit, I never thought I'd find a game that scratches the same itch without making me reach for my wallet. You still get beautiful heroes. You still get satisfying team building. You still get that excitement of recruiting new characters. Except... No 50/50. No pity. No "just one more pull."…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →We need more games like this that respect our wallet and our time. I hate gacha games that turn us into a gamblers.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I feel like im cheating IRL by playing this game. I'm playing what it feels like a tripple AAA gacha game live service for only 30 dollars and nothing more is crazy The combat is insane, the characters awesome and the world is gorgeous. 10/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You need to buy this game if you don't like the gatcha monetization and FOMO in games. Also, you should buy it if you like gacha games in general. If you have no opinion on gacha games, just buy this one because it has good combat and exploration. That's all. No matter how good the game is (it's good enough) - just buy it for the sake of game industry itself.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Should you purchase? - Short answer yes, but read more reviews if you need to convince yourself. (The information below is my experience) Pro : - If you've played gacha games before but wished there wasn't absurd monetization, than this game is for you. This game is one of those experiences where you keep on exploring and get rewarded for it. I did barely any story but kept on running around to see what side quests and secrets I can find. There is always something that you will find if…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I declared that I was taking a break from writing reviews… but GUYS. DragonSword is ***outstanding.*** So I couldn’t resist a “PLEASE PLAY THIS!!!” recommendation for my friends. <3 I bought this on release, and finally had a chance to sit down and try it out for an intended hour or two before bed. Before I knew it, five and a half hours had flown by. :) DragonSword is GORGEOUS. I’ve taken more screenshots here than in any other game this year, I think. I am running this on a handheld…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I originally bought this game simply to vote with my wallet for this kind of monetization—the old one-time pay-per-game system. Here you only pay for a game or a few skins and possible story DLC later on. Let's get rid of this stupid gacha mechanic once and for all. The game itself is stunning: a beautiful world and characters. Interesting combat mechanics. This is what I dreamed of—a proper RPG in the style of Genshin Impact without energy/banners cringe. My only complaint about this game is…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →my reviews never get read, but I'll always take time out for games I believe in. DS: Awakening is one of the most brilliant accidents in gaming to happen. No misleading systems, DLC is cosmetic and reasonable for characters you enjoy. Multiple systems are present to guide you on the what / where / how to grind for whatever grade materials needed for crafting. Hound13 is actively listening and implementing community suggestions. Grateful to support, and an entry fee $30 for hours played so far…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →First thing I want to say. Calling this game just a "Genshin clone" and writing it off is doing a pretty big disservice to the game. Yes.. ideas were taken from Genshin and put into this game but plenty of games out there take ideas from other games, hell majority of them and that's a good thing because that's how we get better and more games to enjoy. I originally heard about this game because everyone was screeching "Genshin clone, Genshin clone, Genshin clone!!!!" I played Genshin day 1…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gonna spare you from the "gacha without gacha" comparisons, they're kind of meaningless unless you've already played these kinds of games before. Do you like upgrading your gear/characters with materials you earn from doing instanced dungeons? Do you like collecting characters (almost like a lego game) but in the context of an rpg? Do you like combat that is mechanically simple but still rewards good execution & good team synergies? Then this game may be for you. Otherwise you may be…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wish I could say Dragon sword is a good game. But it is only average. I do not know if this is a symptom of it formerly being a gacha game or if this is an issue with its over all budget and scope But the fact of the matter is the game really only have one thing going for it. The combat. And to be clear. 10/10 combat. Its very flowy and inventive But unfortunately it just does not carry the rest of the game. The first big issue is the story. The narrative itself is largely fine. the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I remember years ago (9/2020) when genshin impact was released I played it and said this is a really good game weighted down with asian gambling culture, which wasn't a thing in the west, of course now it is. When I stopped playing which was soon, I thought if they took out the gacha (gambling) and just charged for cosmetics and mounts etc. I would totally support this model. I waited years just gave up hope, then I heard about Dragonsword and my interest perked up, I said wait a second is this…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Please make the coop better. The game is really good, but the coop modes are too limited... I wanna join my friends' worlds and vice versa.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm a Dragon Nest player since 2010 for a total of 10000+ hours and seeing it's spiritual sequel without the gacha/P2W on Steam as a normal game was quite a surprise. - Is this Dragon Nest 2? - Short answer - yes, but not entirely. More on that in gameplay section. - Prelude - DragonSword : Awakening was announced a few years ago and the trailer immediately catched my attention because some of the characters used canonical Dragon Nest movesets for certain classes. It was not just a rough…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →---{ Graphics }--- ☐ You forget what reality is ☑ Beautiful ☐ Good ☐ Decent ☐ Bad ☐ Don‘t look too long at it ☐ MS-DOS ---{ Gameplay }--- ☐ Very good ☑ Good ☐ It's just gameplay ☐ Mehh ☐ Watch paint dry instead ☐ Just don't ---{ Audio }--- ☐ Eargasm ☐ Very good ☑ Good ☐ Not too bad ☐ Bad ☐ I'm now deaf ---{ Audience }--- ☐ Kids ☑ Teens ☑ Adults ☐ Grandma ---{ PC Requirements }--- ☐ Check if you can run paint ☐ Potato ☑ Decent ☐ Fast ☐ Rich boi ☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer ---{…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ever wanted to pull for characters or get dupes but didn't have enough currency? Ever wanted to grind and max out your characters only to be stopped by a stamina limit? Well, you don't have to worry about any of those stuff in this game. This game is basically a gacha game but without the frustrating gacha and the stamina limits. So if you are someone who likes to grind and build their characters or try trials and dungeons with different team comps as many times as you want, then this is the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →DragonSword : Awakening This is what happens when you take a gacha game, remove the gacha, throw it into the Continent of Orbis, and say “just let people buy the damn game.” And honestly? I respect it. Pros: Feels like a gacha game without the gacha nonsense. Huge respect to the devs for going with a ~$30 premium model when they probably could've squeezed a LOT more money out of this with gacha mechanics. The progression feels GOOD, can max out pretty much everything by just playing normally.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →its like most gacha games but without the insane grind and pay to win microtransactions so basically just good game without trash monetary systems if that helps as a review. a simple game that is very easy to get into and play I'm very glad they stepped away from the pay to win gacha systems and just let you play an actual video game i bought all of the dlc and deluxe edition to show my support for this type of game but even so none of the dlc items are needed to play the game even though it…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Yeah.. Got kinda hooked. So far, amazing game. A Genshin-like without the Gacha. This fact alone makes this game already superior. The combat system is nicely done and allows for some nice action-paced combat. Yes, every character only has two skills, but during combat you can use even further combo skills. It feels very fluid, but I hope they improve on the combat system even more. Definitely worth the money, hope the devs keep this way and expand the game with Story DLCs to buy, rather than…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Genshin Impact, but without aggressive monetization. Here's my video review if interested https://youtu.be/pXrB09bTbvU No gambling for characters and best of all, no energy! So you can grind all you want. The game also has smart adjustments to the dungeons. You can grind ore and resources in the open-world, or grind dungeons for currency to buy the resources from the shop, all earned in-game. Combat and movement are the main things that keep me coming back. Instead of just mashing buttons…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I am supporting JRPG NO GACHA Games and this game is stunning, I have spent so much money on WUWA, I got frustraded. I will put my love on this game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I hope more devs use this as inspiration because a gacha game without the gacha is exactly what we want!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you're a working adult with barely any time to game, read this: I picked up this game almost by accident (didn't even know it was coming out) and it turned out to be a way bigger surprise than I expected. Full disclosure: I've never really gotten into games like Genshin Impact, mostly because I don't have the time, and I just wasn't into the whole live-service, FOMO-driven gacha grind. DragonSword: Awakening, on the other hand, ditches the typical gacha DNA of these games and gives you an…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I used to be a fan of Genshin and WW, but due to the DEMANDING EVENTS and DAILIES, couldnt keep up with my work as a father, for the span of 3 years, I had missed like 5-6 events, but this game, have all the issue solved. Not only that I can enjoy playing an open world with multiple units, I can also MAX THEM all yes its grindy which is common and thats the best part. The satifactiom to MAX 1 unit without spending a dime is divine. On top of it, you can rinse and repeat without creating a new…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →FOR ANYONE WHO IS STILL IN GACHA HELL LIKE I WAS, Please, you have to try this game. Give it an hour or two. If it's not to your taste, you can always refund it. But for me, this game holds a special place in my heart. Here is my summary of the game: • 10/10 Combat (Try Reina's unlimited aerial combo) • 10/10 Traversal (Stackable unique mount skills like flying, high jumping, and many more) • 8/10 Scenery (Decent graphics overall, but looks really beautiful in some places) • 7/10 Story…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →the thing about "de-gacha" as a concept is that it's everything from "the same game but with a way to get characters normally" (Dragonsword Awakening, MMX Dive Offline) to a near-full remake using a lot of the same assets (Octopath Zero, FF Resonance) and i wish people understood that it's not just-
unlabelledView post →I almost never leave reviews, but I have to. I've been playing gachas for many years now, I suffered through so much corporate greed, the power creep, the insanely low rate of getting what you want, the ♥♥♥♥♥♥ bloated writing in the stories that only exist to show shareholders that players are on the game for however many wasted hours. This game is what you would've believed Genshin would become over time, with all the money and popularity they had gotten. This game has so much love put into…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game should show you that these gacha developers are literally nickeling and diming you for every piece of content in the game when you should be able to pay 30 bucks and play a 40 hour campaign without feeling the FOMO of doing daily or weekly activities and feeling like your locked behind time gated content trying to level up or experience the campaign! Good job on Hound 13 for making this amazing title
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Edit: Imma gonna have to take a few points out of the story because having finished the main story, it didnt feel like at all a proper conclusion to an otherwise interesting story that really drew me in at the start. Feels like the latter half of what had been intended for the story had been cut, while the first half had been padded with unnecessary bloat to drag things out. 4/10 for the story, 5 or 6/10 overall, not sure if i can even recommend the game anymore. The devs should be applauded…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Finally, a game that scratches the Genshin/WuWa/Honkai itch… without also ruining my bank account. One-time purchase. No gacha. No “just $100 more and you’ll almost have the character.” You just buy it, play it, and actually get to use the cool characters as you progress through the game. Feels like these types of games we were promised before have all turned into predatory credit card slop. Highly recommend.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →All the relaxing podcast gaming of your favorite genshinslop without any of the pull currency hoarding for limited banners. Runs admirably on the Steam Deck despite the UE5 handicap. Game could grow into something special if Devs can sustainably provide new content & characters in a premium pricing format.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For someone that like anime-style open world game but dislike gacha, this game is perfect. Game run pretty well too, no stutter at all.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →-flicking a switch Dragonsword sold way, way more than the devs ever anticipated but the process of de-gachaing an already indev game was so costly that they're still sayin "no sorry, too expensive" to a lot of common fan requests
unlabelledView post →After a long decade, Hound13 dropped their new title. Their previous title Dragon Nest was one of my favourite games of all time. The reason I brought up their previous title is because I find this game more comparable to Dragon Nest over other "open world gacha games" such as Genshin and WuWa. While the structure of the game is similar to these gacha games, your experience is more comparable to Dragon Nest because this is a honest game without the predatory gacha elements. On a sidenote art…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I can't resist playing on Day 1 if another new gacha game releases soon. But I ended up buying this, and man, it’s so good. The story, gameplay, and QoL are amazing, and there's no crazy grind since characters unlock just by pushing the story. With standard gachas, I’d probably just skip the lore for the first 10-60 minutes just to pull for Meta/Day 1 limited units. If the RNG favors me, I stay; if not, I reroll or instantly uninstall. Highly recommended for anyone tired of the gacha loop!…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gyaru Elf in less than 10 minutes of gameplay. If this is not living the dream, I don't know what is it. Just wish we had Japanese voice acting.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I had always wanted to try Genshin. Unfortunately, I have a love-hate relationship with Gatcha, as my experience with its cousin Honkai Star Rail has proven. I like the Gatcha leveling facets and the randomness of the equipment loot. I don't like how it blows a hole in my wallet and I still get ♥♥♥♥♥♥ relics/not the character I want when another player spent not a single cent and won with the Lucky Goddess' blessing. Life is unfair. I get it. I don't need a game to remind me that.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
Posts are quoted from public profiles with links to the original. Want yours removed? Contact us.
You Might Also Like
similar titlesFINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH
FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH
Game
Little Kitty, Big City
Little Kitty, Big City
Game
What Remains of Edith Finch
What Remains of Edith Finch
Game
DRAGON QUEST VII Reimagined
DRAGON QUEST VII Reimagined
Game
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
Game