Black Beacon: The Rising Star in Gacha Gaming

Black Beacon has recently made its way to mobile devices, but we got a sneak peek before its official launch! We've had the chance to dive into this Mythic Sci-Fi Action RPG, and we're excited to share our impressions with you.

Black Beacon is an action-packed RPG that emphasizes fast, fluid combat while incorporating a unique character-swapping feature.

Shh! This Is A Library!

The game begins in the Library of Babel, a vast and enigmatic structure drawing inspiration from the biblical Tower of Babel, which was supposedly built by humans to reach heaven, and Jorge Luis Borges' short story, where the library contains every conceivable combination of letters, thus housing every book ever written somewhere within its walls.

You awaken in this bizarre place with no recollection of how you arrived, alongside a colorful cast of characters who are equally puzzled. It seems you're destined for something great, but there's a catch: a giant spinning orb threatens to kill everyone within 24 hours. Welcome to your first day on the job, Seer! Hope you enjoy bookshelves.

Despite the humor, the setting and story have a charmingly wild allure. A library filled with nonsensical books, time travel, and numerous mythology references (we won't spoil them, but keep an eye on that peculiar bird) plunge you into a deep and intriguing narrative. If you're feeling confused, that's exactly what the developers are aiming for.

Send Me In, Coach

Black Beacon's core gameplay resembles an ARPG dungeon crawler, offering a customizable camera view. You can choose between a top-down perspective or a free camera mode where you can adjust the view with your other hand. We found the latter more enjoyable, though it's largely a matter of personal preference.

You navigate through the Library's corridors, progressing through the story in short, episodic segments, each containing several maps. Accessing these segments requires energy, but the game was quite generous with this resource during our playtime.

Your tasks include exploring the area, solving puzzles, hunting for hidden treasure chests, and battling enemies—distorted entities that are remnants of people the Library has "not fully digested." Quite unsettling!

The combat is enjoyable, fast-paced, and somewhat button-mashy, yet it remains challenging enough to avoid feeling like mindless busywork. Timing is crucial; a perfectly timed dodge grants you a brief invincibility period, while a well-timed heavy attack can interrupt an enemy's attack, sparing you the need to dodge.

The game introduces a character-swap mechanic, allowing and encouraging you to switch characters mid-battle. This turns fights into a tag-team affair, where you can bench tired fighters—even mid-attack—to bring in a fresh one. Once you master the rhythm, it feels rewarding, though mistiming a dodge can send you flying down the hallway.

Characters And Weapon Rolls

As a gacha game, Black Beacon features a system for acquiring characters and weapons, with weapons tailored to specific characters. Both can be leveled up, and while the number of resources required is significant, the game allows for considerable automation, easing the management burden.

You may encounter characters through the gacha system before meeting them in the storyline, but as the saying goes, "the flow of time is convoluted." This adds variety to the gameplay.

Overall, Black Beacon is a quirky gacha game with an ambitious narrative and solid gameplay mechanics to support it. We're eager to see how it evolves post-launch.

Does this sound like your kind of game? Or perhaps a row of shelves in the vast library you inhabit? If so, you can check out Black Beacon now on its official website, the App Store, or Google Play.