To be honest, I came across the recommendation of "Hungry Dragon" in the past few days, and I couldn't help but download it and play a few more games. How should I put it, the moment my fingertips crossed the screen, I suddenly remembered the days when I was hiding in bed and playing Java games in the Symbian era. At that time, there were no such fancy special effects. A square dragon made of pixels could excite me for half the night if I ate it.
I don't want to brag about it, but the core gameplay of this game is still the same flavor. Eat, eat, eat, and eat until the end of time. But compared with its father, the "Hungry Shark" series that has dominated mobile phone screens for almost ten years, the evolution of this generation is quite obvious. The most intuitive difference is that the map changes from a one-dimensional water surface to a complete three-dimensional world. You can dive into the clouds or dive into underground caves. The freedom of flying up and down is much more refreshing than a shark that can only flop on the horizontal surface. One thing to say, in the first episode, when I controlled a phoenix to rise from the magma and the flames filled the screen, my thirty-year-old heart actually trembled.
But when it comes to the essence of fun, I think it lacks the punch-to-the-flesh "tension" of the old series. In the early version of "Hungry Shark", the snake-like rules constrained you. You had to accurately calculate your physical exertion and walk the tightrope between deep diving and saving your life. The excitement of licking blood on the tip of a knife was replaced by open world exploration in "Hungry Dragon". Nowadays, this generation is more free. You don't have to worry too much about being killed in the next second. You can fly leisurely over the village, breathe fire downwards, and watch the villagers flee in all directions. The pure "God's perspective" desire for destruction is full, but I always feel that it lacks the excitement of accelerating heartbeats. This generation is more like a "Disneyland" sightseeing car, while the old shark is like a "battle royale".
I won't mention the graphics and modeling much, after all, the technology is there. What interests me more is its collection system. The gimmick of having more than a hundred kinds of dragons is really big. From the naive green dragon to the cold phoenix, they all have different styles, and each one has its own unique skills. This setting can firmly capture an old player like me who has "pictorial obsessive-compulsive disorder". Even if it is just to unlock the shining ice dragon, it is enough for me to stay awake for several nights. To be honest, this trick has been figured out by the production team. It accurately cuts the player's fragmented time, so that you can always unlock new things by "swiping again". There is nothing wrong with this from a business perspective, but compared to the previous model that relied on natural evolution to acquire new abilities and had a simple growth line from the inside out, this one always feels a bit commercial and has a "gambling feel".
The paid model is free, which is quite conscientious. I'm not bragging, although there are definitely in-app purchases, but as a prostitute, I have accumulated a lot of dragons and equipment, so I have no problem if I want to continue playing. Compared with the cheap games on the market today that have pop-up ads at the beginning and give junk rewards after watching videos, "Hungry Dragon" still maintains basic respectability in terms of making money. After all, manufacturers also have to eat, and veteran players can understand if it is done like this.
Finally, let's talk about industry trends. The company Shanghai Bihan can be regarded as the "beacon light" of domestic Ubisoft. The things they have been tossing recently always have a bit of hard-core pedigree of European and American stand-alone games, and their localization is also quite smooth. What I feel about this "Hungry Dragon" is that it strives to find a balance between the "lightness" of casual mobile games and the "fastness" of old-school devouring evolution gameplay. Although it cannot completely replicate the "ceiling-breaking" surprise that "Hungry Shark" brought me back then, as its spiritual sequel, this journey home is still worth a try.
It is especially suitable for new players who have never been exposed to this type of game, as well as old friends like me who can't forget the old taste of "swallowing" to have fun. After all, being a ruthless foodie in the game feels very relaxing at all times. The nostalgia is over, I have to go up and feed the new fire dragon again, see you later. 🐉