RuneScape: Dragonwilds review

On the forgotten continent of Ashenfall, dragons have awoken. RuneScape: Dragonwilds asks you to gather, build, skill and craft your way toward the Dragon Queen, alone or with up to three friends, and its 1.0 launch is the first time a RuneScape game has shipped on console, with crossplay.

As of GameDaily’s Sept 19 roundup, neither Metacritic nor OpenCritic had enough reviews for an aggregate, with individual critic marks ranging from 65 to 90, so we show a single outlet score instead. The Outerhaven (4/5, played on Series X) calls it an entertaining survival RPG that gives the franchise a new identity. It singles out the skill system (levelling through use), magic that’s useful both in and out of combat, and flexible building that works well on a controller.

Gfinity’s 1.0 review is a useful counterweight: breathtaking visuals and a highly rewarding magic system (“the magic system gives it its own flair to stand out”), undercut by vague tutorial quests, punishing enemy aggression and a stingy stamina bar that make solo play overwhelming. Both reviews agree the game is at its best with friends.

One caution: shortly after launch, console players reported corrupted world saves. Jagex acknowledged the issue and said the team was working flat-out to resolve it. Check the latest patch notes before you sink in the hours.