In the Blink of a Dragon's Eye
A tale of survival.
A tale of unexpected bonds
A tale of heroism.
All wrapped in a beautifully crafted narrative that blurs the line between game and story.
I was approached by Michael in April via Instagram to review In the Blink of a Dragon’s Eye. But before that, he told me to check the game files to see if it was really my kind of game. That caught my attention. Why wouldn’t it be? Was there a new angle to the game that I hadn’t encountered before? As it turns out, yes, there was.
I was looking at a solo RPG adventure that, in the words of Michael, is more than just a book, and more than just a game.
Now that’s something fresh! I’d never played a game that integrated a book, and I was all in. After all, it brought together two of my favorite things: reading and gaming!
In the Blink of a Dragon’s Eye is a story of two brothers– not in blood but in bond, whose actions will leave an indelible mark on the world of Blight. Set in the Harbor of Blight universe, this story unfolds around 5,000 years before the events of the game. It consists of mini-games for each of its 5 chapters, along with the novella that you need to read in between the chapters.
As I write this blog, the game is already on Day 5 at its Kickstarter Micro May Campaign, and it’s on fire! Closing in on 400% of its goal, you can already get the hype it’s creating in the game community.
Questions that lingered in my mind before playing the game:
– Is it ideal for game nights or quiet evenings?
– Can the mini-games be played on their own?
– How replayable is the game?
All you need
You barely need much to get started with the game! I printed the 5 chapters (one page each) for the game, grabbed a couple of D6 dice, and a whiteboard marker. Since you’ll be marking/scoring the mini-games in each chapter, it’s best to laminate them.
With the components sorted out, I printed out the novella. The artwork already enchanted me, and on first look, you can already tell that it will enhance the game experience.
And you’re ready!
PS- I was provided a digital copy of the novella, but it’s only available in physical form on Kickstarter. That too at a great deal!
Here are my findings from playing In the Blink of a Dragon’s Eye
My findings
Experiential!
I played the game for the very first time at the dead end of a night (I’m a night owl). With a warm cup of coffee as my companion, the laminated chapters, and the novella resting on a dimly lit table, I began the journey of Nibaa and Niijii. And it was quite something!
The game has the kind of flow that I have never experienced before. In a way, it felt real! After finishing out the combat in each chapter, I resorted to the novella to read the events that followed it. This created a flow that made the game quite interactive– like I’m resting and exploring in between the phases of climaxes. And that was fun!
It’s not nonstop action or constant intensity. I took my time, about two hours, to truly savor my first playthrough.
Which answers one of the questions I had before playing the game- it is destined for quiet nights. Not for a buzzing game night!
Mini-games are fun!
The mini-games are not out of the world- but they are simple, easy to learn, and to an extent, strategic. There are phases where you explore a territory and collect resources, while there are those where you combat the creatures of the Blight. Each of the chapters explains the rules for the phases really well, so I never felt the need for a manual. A big win!
There are a few scopes of strategy that I really enjoyed in the combat phases. For instance, in Chapter 1, I was struggling to survive a Juvenile Fire Dragon because I only focused on Basic Attacks. It was on my second try that I realized using the Break Attack significantly increased my chances of surviving the dragon, which was the end goal for that round.
The mini-games aren’t super easy– you need to adapt your strategies to secure victory and progress to the next chapters. It does get difficult as you progress each chapter, but the base rules are the same. So you spend less time learning new stuff and more time on absorbing the story.
The mini-games and the presence of the universe gave me a sense of déjà vu, reminding me of MonToons: Guardians of the Coral Isles, another game set to launch in the Micro May campaign on Kickstarter, that I recently reviewed!
Breath-taking Art
I know I’ve mentioned this already, but the artwork of the game, particularly of the novella, is captivating! It plays a crucial part in making the game feel immersive alongside the narrative and mini-games; a bit shoutout to Sandra Singh and Jonas Nathanael Gali Kristensen for taking the game to the next level.
Standalone?
Now, can the mini-games be played on their own?
You can play the games on each chapter independently, but it only makes sense to have the whole experience instead of opting for a partial one. To me, the game truly shines when integrated with the novella. So if you’re interested in backing it, I’d recommend opting for the novella as well. So now you have a hardcover book with an amazing artwork and narrative at your disposal. You’re welcome!
Replayable?
As you can already guess, it’s not the kind of game that you can play over-and-over in one sitting. It’s like watching a movie– or better yet, being a part of one. Now, how many times do you rewatch a movie, or re-read a book?
As for me, I can definitely see myself giving it another try very soon. It was therapeutic, and I’d love to have another 2-hour experience without a screen. I’m in desperate need of some off-screen time, and perhaps this game will help me with that!
Bandersnatch…?
Just a thought. What if, for future expansions, the game featured multiple endings, depending on how the player performs at each level? A bit like Netflix’s Bandersnatch, offering different outcomes based on the performance. A wild thought indeed!
The clock is ticking!
Less than 25 days left of the game’s Kickstarter campaign, so what are you waiting for? If you’ve read this far, you’re clearly interested in the game. Be sure to visit the campaign page to learn more from the creator and back it!
A big thanks to Michael for allowing me to experience such an immersive game. I hope there are more to come very soon!
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Game Overview
Publisher: Cardboard King Games
Designer: Michael Parziale
Artist: Sandra Singh and Jonas Nathanael Gali Kristensen
Number of players: 1Â
Difficulty level: Easy
Rounds of gameplay needed to learn: 1 round
Game duration: 30-120 minutes (really depends on how much time you want to allocate)
Available on: Kickstarter
Theme: Solo RPG Game Â
Number of pages and color: 5 (color)
Assembling difficulty level: Super easy. No Assembly required
Lamination: Recommended
Additional elements required: 2 D6 dice + 1 whiteboard marker
Time to learn: Within 10 minutes
Travel-friendly: 9/10
Shelving friendly: 10/10
Rating from PnP Time: 9/10
Tasliman is a board game developer based in Bangladesh, with the dream of exploring the world of games and introducing it to anyone new to it. He is the founder of Kraftz, a brand that develops board games commercially, as well as with reputed entities like BRAC and The Gates Foundation.
