Hound 13 released a demo for its open world action RPG, 'Dragon Sword: Awakening,' on Steam starting the 5th. Originally, the demo was scheduled to coincide with the Steam Next Fest from the 16th to the 24th, so it arrived about 10 days early.

While the developer claims to be refining the live version previously introduced via Webzen last January, the backstory is filled with twists and turns. After failing to receive the remaining balance of the minimum guarantee (MG) from Webzen on February 19, Hound 13 announced the termination of its publishing contract. On the 20th, they alleged that Webzen had demanded management rights at face value and imposed additional investment conditions, leading Hound 13 to pursue a self-published package version starting in April. Webzen responded by refunding all user payments made in Dragon Sword and warning of strong legal action. Although the remaining balance was paid on February 27, the conflict persists, with Webzen filing for an injunction against the game on April 21.

Given these circumstances, the rapid release of a demo—even with an existing foundation—is commendable. However, the real question is how well the game is being polished. Specifically, 'Dragon Sword: Awakening' is now being prepared as a package game rather than a live-service title. Since certain elements previously excused by the live-service model may not be well-received in a package game, the key is how effectively the developers address these issues.

Action with Depth and 'Hand-Feel,' Now with Controller Support

Hound 13 has been widely recognized for its unique action style since 'Hundred Soul.' Unlike the core mechanics of typical mobile action RPGs—which rely on just-dodges, counters, and tag attacks—the studio differentiates its games through diverse QTE (Quick Time Event) actions that trigger based on accumulated status effects. In 'Hundred Soul,' players could launch enemies into the air to trigger aerial combo QTEs or mount large, staggered monsters to deliver continuous, lethal attacks.

That DNA carries over into 'Dragon Sword' and 'Dragon Sword: Awakening.' Instead of an ultimate skill, each character has two active skills, each assigned a specific status effect, allowing players to pair characters and chain combos. Starting out, there was a distinct thrill in using Lute and Castella’s stun-link and tag-QTE combos to wipe out swarms of goblins. Later, with Aria joining the party, the design allowed for strategic depth: Aria could trigger bombs during a combo gap, which could then be ignited via a switch to neutralize enemies, allowing Lute or Castella to jump back in once their cooldowns refreshed.

In this demo, the removal of the 'gacha' system and the wider initial selection of characters made these strengths even more apparent. 'Theresia,' who was not previously playable, was introduced, and her exhilarating action—swinging a chain with iron balls at both ends to rapidly overwhelm enemies—was impressive.

With her bleed and stun traits, she creates a high-tempo tag-QTE action loop when combined with Roxy and Castella. While neither Castella (with her battle axe) nor Roxy (with her bow) have particularly fast combat tempos, Theresia bridges the gap, accelerating the party's pace and adding to the fun. It makes one look forward to the unique combinations possible as more characters are added.

The demo also adds controller support, which was previously lacking, offering a different feel compared to keyboard and mouse. While there are many buttons used for combat, most are mapped to QTE-triggered skills, making it easy to learn naturally without memorization. Although the use of combo keys like LB+X or LB+Y for active skills feels unfamiliar at first, it quickly becomes second nature during combat.

However, while things seem smooth, the controller reveals issues that might be overlooked with a keyboard and mouse. Since there is no lock-on feature, players must manually control the camera, and because 'Dragon Sword: Awakening' features frequent QTEs, characters move around quite rapidly.

In particular, QTE-triggered status effect attacks often target the affected enemy rather than the one currently in the player's view, which frequently shifts the camera toward regular mobs during boss fights. When you need to quickly snap the camera back to the boss, the analog stick feels slower than a mouse. This creates a level of discomfort not felt with a keyboard and mouse. Additionally, the UI key-mapping for controllers is still underdeveloped, making the current experience more of a novelty. That said, the level of polish achieved in the combat system within such a short development window is impressive.

Trimming Repetitive Content and Adjusting Pacing: Laying the Groundwork for a Package Game

The demo covers Chapter 1, ending after Lute joins Johnny's mercenary group, completes his first requests, and retrieves an artifact for the Organa Order from the Dragon Worshippers. The main quest takes about an hour to finish, and world exploration is limited to the area around Orbis Castle.

In a typical package game, this hour would be enough to build anticipation for future characters and content. Unfortunately, the 'answers' for 'Dragon Sword: Awakening' are already largely known. Beyond the protagonist Lute's design, the story, direction, and content structure do not deviate significantly from the original 'Dragon Sword.' It is highly likely that the gameplay loop will involve following the main story, grinding levels and character growth when hitting walls, clearing high-difficulty challenges, and waiting for DLC.

In a free-to-play live service game, players perform daily chores, burn stamina, and collect resources to pull for new characters. However, it is difficult to appeal to players with this routine in a package game. While package game players are familiar with finishing the main quest and exploring, they rarely engage in repetitive, unnecessary grinding for the sake of future, unconfirmed DLC.

Furthermore, the original 'Dragon Sword' made even that repetitive content quite cumbersome. While the attempt to make dungeon exploration fun was good, the equipment farming dungeons felt like they were designed to artificially inflate playtime. In this genre, set items are usually farmed in a single dungeon, but 'Dragon Sword' required farming individual parts of a set.

If you needed Life Set gloves, you had to run the glove dungeon; helmets required a separate helmet dungeon, and each dungeon had a different structure. It was tedious enough to farm for stats, but having to hunt for individual parts made it frustrating. Moreover, the presence of 'trap' options like Critical Hit Resistance—which were useless since there is no PVP—added to the farming stress.

Hound 13 seems aware of these issues, as the demo consolidates dungeons into upper and lower parts. While the blacksmith content for gear crafting and options isn't open yet, the fact that items previously used in the blacksmith are now found in field chests suggests that farming will be streamlined and resource acquisition increased to reduce stress.

Additionally, while account leveling previously relied heavily on sub-quests or repetitive farming, the demo increases the EXP and rewards from hidden treasure chests scattered across the field. The game now encourages players to explore the open world and solve puzzles rather than just grinding. Even in the small area around Orbis Castle, the inclusion of various gimmicks like cliff climbing, diving, pushing pillars, and minigames builds anticipation for what the next fields will offer.

Other daily routines have also been adjusted to fit a package game's play pattern. In the original 'Dragon Sword,' harvesting wheat in the village was a daily chore. Since animals and birds were hard to hunt without a precision aiming system, and other crops were scattered, harvesting wheat and potatoes to make health-restoring pizza was the most efficient method. While the potato harvest isn't open yet, wheat now regrows after a set time, allowing for periodic harvesting without waiting for a full real-world day.

Dragon Sword: Awakening' Prepares for a Relaunch: Hoping It Doesn't End as a Fallen Prospect

Currently, the 'Dragon Sword: Awakening' demo is limited to one hour of main story, with many sub-quests closed as they are being readjusted. Nevertheless, I found myself reinstalling the original 'Dragon Sword' to compare them. As a gamer, I couldn't just watch a game that had potential but was derailed by internal and external issues struggle to survive.

I tried to set aside sympathy to avoid clouding my judgment, but this demo was a welcome sight. The way it establishes QTE combos and aggressive combat from the very beginning is impressive, even by package game standards. Of course, the early story is plain, and the self-centered mercenary leader Johnny can be a bit grating.

Given that many live-service open-world RPGs in the subculture genre have been released, 'Dragon Sword' felt quite alien in that context. However, as a package game, it feels like a classic character-driven title, which is a relief. There is a risk of fatigue as Johnny continues to drive the narrative unilaterally in the mid-game, so the key will be whether the developers can adjust the tempo and remove the hurdles that were originally intended to slow down content consumption.

Players who finished the original 'Dragon Sword' main story likely have expectations for the orthodox fantasy narrative. The mid-game began to effectively cover the Orbis continent, the history of the six heroes, and the looming threats. The Ninian quest also showed a blend of emotion and lore. Just as the game was showing promise, things went sideways, and now it stands at a new starting line.

Dragon Sword: Awakening' still has a long way to go to reach that potential. However, seeing the developers address issues in this early demo is encouraging. Some of my positive feelings may stem from having played the original, but the UI and controller support—while still needing refinement—are steps in the right direction. These issues could be more significant for players coming to 'Awakening' without prior experience.

Furthermore, the action in 'Dragon Sword: Awakening' is completed through character combinations, and the tempo of those combinations is crucial. Unlike the demo, the full game will require obtaining characters through quests or exchanges. Given the original's design, which often fragmented acquisition sources, I hope the developers continue to simplify these systems to match the pacing of a package game.

The fact that I spent time exploring the field while analyzing the game shows that the 'Dragon Sword: Awakening' demo has a strange, magnetic charm. Above all, it felt harsh to only release one hour of a high-quality open-world action RPG. Just as I was getting a taste of the combat, it cut off, leaving me wondering how to optimize my Theresia bleed-party. Since the developers are now dealing with customers who will pay for the game, I hope they use the feedback from this demo to refine the details, fully realize what they couldn't show before, and continue the journey with consistent DLC.