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Description
A free-to-play action RPG with amazing art and generous free-to-play rewards, Guardian Tales is a perfect summer game for Gacha enthusiasts. Enjoy one of the best storylines in mobile gaming without spending a dime!
Guardian Tales is one of many anime-styled Gacha RPGs available on the mobile app store. While it's not entirely dissimilar to games like Epic Seven or Arknights, Guardian Tales has made a name for itself by having one of the most engaging and well-told stories of any mobile RPG. Betwen the great story, the high-quality anime art, and the classic RPG mechanics, it's a game that's definitely worth checking out.
Before we talk about gameplay, it's important to talk about gacha games in general. “Gacha” is a term that refers to a game that uses an in-game gambling system to distribute items, characters, and other gameplay elements. In gacha games, you can't earn new team members or weapons directly. Instead, you have to purchase “pulls” or “summons,” which give you a small chance of receiving the thing you want. Drop rates vary, but it's not uncommon to have less than a 1% chance of getting the item or character you want from an individual pull. While you'll be able to save up a few pulls just by playing the game, getting every character and item will require a substantial expenditure of real-life money.
While some gacha games are incredibly predatory, Guardian Tales has a reputation for being one of the more free-to-play-friendly games on the mobile market. You definitely won't be able to get every single character and item without spending money, but you'll be able to quickly build up a strong account that can complete all of the PVE in the game without pulling out your credit card. This makes Guardian Tales a perfect second game or a game that you play for a few weeks. There's still some grinding to do, of course, and you'll want to take advantage of daily quests and replenishment, but it's an ideal way to spend some time over a summer vacation or a boring period at work.
The storyline of Guardian Tales is a fan favorite. While other gacha game fans talk about gameplay, art, and progression, Guardian Tales is often recommended based on the strength of its story alone. It takes a few minutes to pick up, but you'll likely find yourself engrossed very soon.
Like other freemium games, Guardian Tales uses a constant stream of new content to keep players engaged. Since its 2020 release date, Guardian Tales has added a huge amount of side content that will keep you from ever running out of things to do. While the side content releases have had interesting side effects on how you progress through the game, they've generally been positively received and they've done a great job of giving you lots of options and keeping things fresh.
Unfortunately, gameplay might be Guardian Tales' weakest aspect. From a broad perspective, it's a lot of fun to upgrade your heroes, max them out, and farm materials. From a zoomed-in perspective, the “action RPG” gameplay is honestly not great. Sure, you get to zoom around and dash a bit more than in other games, but the pixel art used in combat and the activities you'll perform as a player are somewhat less fun than in other games. This means that doing your daily routine can feel like a chore, especially after you've finished the story.
This compounds with the other strengths and weaknesses of Guardian Tales to make a game that's great to dip your toes into, but not necessarily a game that you'll keep playing after you've finished the main story content. It's fantastically fun to play as long as you're interested in leveling up anime characters, but the core gameplay means it might have trouble competing with other genre staples. If you're into mobile RPGs and appreciate good storytelling, take the time to check it out, but take advantage of the generous free-to-play rewards and play for a few weeks or months before you start to spend real money.
Guardian Tales is one of many anime-styled Gacha RPGs available on the mobile app store. While it's not entirely dissimilar to games like Epic Seven or Arknights, Guardian Tales has made a name for itself by having one of the most engaging and well-told stories of any mobile RPG. Betwen the great story, the high-quality anime art, and the classic RPG mechanics, it's a game that's definitely worth checking out.
Before we talk about gameplay, it's important to talk about gacha games in general. “Gacha” is a term that refers to a game that uses an in-game gambling system to distribute items, characters, and other gameplay elements. In gacha games, you can't earn new team members or weapons directly. Instead, you have to purchase “pulls” or “summons,” which give you a small chance of receiving the thing you want. Drop rates vary, but it's not uncommon to have less than a 1% chance of getting the item or character you want from an individual pull. While you'll be able to save up a few pulls just by playing the game, getting every character and item will require a substantial expenditure of real-life money.
While some gacha games are incredibly predatory, Guardian Tales has a reputation for being one of the more free-to-play-friendly games on the mobile market. You definitely won't be able to get every single character and item without spending money, but you'll be able to quickly build up a strong account that can complete all of the PVE in the game without pulling out your credit card. This makes Guardian Tales a perfect second game or a game that you play for a few weeks. There's still some grinding to do, of course, and you'll want to take advantage of daily quests and replenishment, but it's an ideal way to spend some time over a summer vacation or a boring period at work.
The storyline of Guardian Tales is a fan favorite. While other gacha game fans talk about gameplay, art, and progression, Guardian Tales is often recommended based on the strength of its story alone. It takes a few minutes to pick up, but you'll likely find yourself engrossed very soon.
Like other freemium games, Guardian Tales uses a constant stream of new content to keep players engaged. Since its 2020 release date, Guardian Tales has added a huge amount of side content that will keep you from ever running out of things to do. While the side content releases have had interesting side effects on how you progress through the game, they've generally been positively received and they've done a great job of giving you lots of options and keeping things fresh.
Unfortunately, gameplay might be Guardian Tales' weakest aspect. From a broad perspective, it's a lot of fun to upgrade your heroes, max them out, and farm materials. From a zoomed-in perspective, the “action RPG” gameplay is honestly not great. Sure, you get to zoom around and dash a bit more than in other games, but the pixel art used in combat and the activities you'll perform as a player are somewhat less fun than in other games. This means that doing your daily routine can feel like a chore, especially after you've finished the story.
This compounds with the other strengths and weaknesses of Guardian Tales to make a game that's great to dip your toes into, but not necessarily a game that you'll keep playing after you've finished the main story content. It's fantastically fun to play as long as you're interested in leveling up anime characters, but the core gameplay means it might have trouble competing with other genre staples. If you're into mobile RPGs and appreciate good storytelling, take the time to check it out, but take advantage of the generous free-to-play rewards and play for a few weeks or months before you start to spend real money.