Dark Throne

As the name suggests, Dark Throne isn’t a game full of bright colors or cheerful vibes. Instead, it pulls you into a dark, eerie world overrun by demons, monsters, and all kinds of twisted creatures. With the protective barrier broken and no divine forces left to shield humanity, evil has free reign. It's up to you to step in as the hero, battling through hordes of monstrous foes to restore some semblance of order in this chaotic world.

Gameplay

One of Dark Throne’s strongest aspects is its ability to create a distinct atmosphere. The visuals are detailed and polished, from the design of the environments to the visual effects during combat. The game captures the grim tone of a dark fantasy world, making it easy for players to immerse themselves in its setting. However, while the graphics are impressive, the environments/dungeons can feel repetitive over time, with limited variation in scenery as you progress through different levels.With an art style and overall feel of the game similar to that of Diablo and games alike, you’ll be sure to feel right at home if you enjoy those kinds of games.

The game recently expanded its class system, now offering six archetypes: Assassin, Paladin, Demon Hunter, Sorceress, Necromancer, and Warrior. This wider selection allows for more diverse playstyles, giving players the flexibility to choose characters that suit their preferences. Each class brings unique abilities to the table, adding depth to the gameplay. That said, character customization remains limited. Each class is locked to a specific gender, and there are no options to alter your character’s appearance. While this doesn’t affect gameplay directly, the lack of personalization might feel like a missed opportunity for players who enjoy tailoring their characters.

Upon selecting a class, the game quickly drops you into combat. The initial dungeon levels provide a straightforward introduction to the mechanics, with fast-paced battles and plenty of loot to collect. Dark Throne includes an auto-battle feature, a common addition in many mobile RPGs. It’s useful for grinding through easier levels or multitasking, but it doesn’t eliminate the need for player input. As you advance to more challenging dungeons, manual control becomes essential. Dodging attacks, timing abilities, and managing resources are critical for survival in later stages, which adds a good balance between convenience and engagement. Dark Throne feels like a simplified and on-the-go version of hardcore RPG/Dungeon run games. 

With each dungeon you enter, you’ll have to pay an entry fee in the form of scrolls. These scrolls will regenerate over time and are limited in daily usage. Of course, you can also purchase these. Overall, nothing new. Something I dislike about this though, the scrolls are used over the entire account instead of per character, thus limiting you if you want to play multiple characters and level each up as you go, overall limiting your daily playtime.

During your dungeon crawling adventures, you’ll collect loot, gold, and experience, and with that, new levels. Reaching new levels increases your skill levels and thus aids you in battle to take on ever stronger foes. Overall, nothing new to the genre but provided as expected. Leveling up is done at your own pace by going to the shrine. Use this wisely as a level-up provides you with a fresh 5 scrolls, thus prolonging your playtime options. This can thus be done over various classes to further maximize uptime.

Unlike many other RPGs where skill trees are a separate progression system, Dark Throne ties skills directly to weapons and gear. This means that when you score a rare weapon or piece of equipment, you're not just boosting stats—you could also be unlocking a powerful new skill. This adds an extra layer of excitement to loot drops, making each find potentially game-changing and encouraging players to keep grinding dungeons for both gear and abilities.

A standout feature is the extract and equip skill mechanic, which allows players to transfer skills from one item to another. This system gives you the freedom to experiment with different combinations and customize each class to fit your playstyle. Whether you favor the stealthy strikes of an Assassin or the brute force of a Warrior, this mechanic opens the door for theory crafting and discovering the best meta setups. However, while the skill system adds depth, it could benefit from a more user-friendly interface. Currently, the only way to view a skill's details is by equipping the item, exiting the inventory, and holding down on the skill icon in the main UI. This process feels unnecessarily cumbersome, especially when trying to compare skills quickly. A streamlined comparison feature within the inventory would make it easier to plan and adjust builds on the fly.

Something else you’ll be collecting along the way are trophies, which will count towards your place on the leaderboard and overall league progression to compete with the best players out there. On that note though, you’ll need to have or rent a totem, which you can receive for logins after signing up or by becoming a member. Progressing up into new league stages will give you some rewards as well as ranking higher within each league. The rewards you’ll receive are in-game currency and can be used to expand storage room, buy scrolls for your dungeon runs, and much more. Once again, nothing new for the genre and mobile game it is. Not bad, but not outstanding either. As you clear more and more dungeon floors, you’ll unlock more game options as well. Different challenges, crafting, and enhancement options are a welcome addition to the game as it prevents it from feeling stale and keeps giving you a fresh input of options every so often.

Review

Graphics-wise, the game is decent, especially on mobile, though some animations can feel clunky at times. The dungeon maps tend to be repetitive, and the monsters you face lack variety, which can make longer play sessions feel monotonous. Additionally, some skills can be animation-canceled—I’m not sure if this is intentional, but it can be used to your advantage for cheesing enemy mobs and dodging quickly. Another minor annoyance is the loot system. While gold can be picked up automatically by walking over it, other dropped items require you to manually tap on them, which interrupts the flow of gameplay.

The audio and sound effects are decent, with skills having acceptable sound design and each character class featuring distinct voice lines—though there isn’t much variety in them. As I mentioned earlier, the game's concept isn't particularly new; it feels like a simplified version of hardcore RPG dungeon crawlers.

Playability, especially on mobile devices, is smooth. The movement input is simple—just tap in the direction you want to go, unlike other mobile RPGs that rely on D-pads, which can feel clunky. However, the automatic skill deployment has its pros and cons. On the plus side, it makes the game faster and more accessible. But if you're aiming to maximize your damage output, it’s less than ideal. For example, a powerful skill you might want to save for a large group of enemies could be automatically cast on a single stray monster, which can be frustrating.

When it comes to replayability, whether you'll keep coming back really depends on the type of gamer you are. This genre tends to attract a niche audience, and those who enjoy it often spend hours grinding for rare loot and character progression. However, in its current state, I’d say the game feels like it’s missing content and isn’t fully fleshed out yet. Progression can also feel slow, especially in the early stages, unless you're willing to spend real money to speed things up. This isn’t surprising, as it’s a common model for games like this, but it might deter players who prefer a more generous progression system without microtransactions.