Black Beacon has just landed on mobile devices, but it found us a little sooner than most! We’ve been fortunate enough to get hands-on with the Mythic Sci-Fi Action RPG, and we’re eager to share our thoughts with you.

Shh! This Is A Library!

The game kicks off in the Library Of Babel, a vast and mysterious structure inspired by both the biblical Tower Of Babel, a legendary construction built by men to reach heaven, and the Jorge Luis Borges short story, where it's a library containing every possible combination of letters, thus housing every book ever written somewhere within its walls. You awaken in this enigmatic place, clueless about your arrival, alongside a colorful cast of characters who share your bewilderment. It seems you're destined for something great.

Oh, and everyone's facing an imminent threat of being obliterated by a giant spinning orb within twenty-four hours. Welcome to your first day on the job, Seer! Hope you enjoy bookshelves.

Joking aside, there's something uniquely captivating about the setting and story. A library filled with nonsensical books, time travel, and a plethora of mythology references (we won't spoil too much, but that bird definitely has something odd about it). The narrative throws you into the deep end, and that's perfectly fine. If you're feeling confused, that's likely the intended effect.

So, what about the gameplay?

Send Me In, Coach

Black Beacon offers an engaging moment-to-moment experience reminiscent of an ARPG dungeon crawler, with a customizable camera viewpoint. You can opt for a top-down perspective or a free camera setup, adjusting the view with your other hand. We preferred the latter, but it's largely a matter of personal taste.

You navigate through the Library's passageways, progressing towards your objectives. The story is divided into short, episodic sections, each containing several maps. Accessing a new section requires energy, but the game proved quite generous in this regard during our playtime.

As you explore, you'll solve puzzles, hunt for hidden treasure chests, and battle enemies—distorted entities that are supposedly remnants of individuals the Library hasn't fully "digested." Yikes.

Combat is enjoyable, fast-paced, and slightly button-mashy, yet challenging enough to keep you engaged. Timing is crucial; a perfectly timed dodge grants you a period of invincibility, while a well-placed heavy attack can interrupt an enemy's move, sparing you the need to dodge.

The game introduces a character-swap mechanic, encouraging mid-fight switches. This transforms battles into tag-team matches, allowing you to bench tired fighters and bring in fresh ones, even during an attack. Once you master the rhythm, it's quite satisfying—until you mistime a dodge and a giant monster sends you flying down the hallway.

Characters And Weapon Rolls

As a gacha game, fans of the genre will be curious about its mechanics. Black Beacon features a character and weapon gacha system, where weapons are tailored to specific characters. Both can be leveled up, and while the variety of ingredients required can be substantial, much of the process can be automated.

You might encounter characters through the gacha before meeting them in the story, but as they say, the flow of time is convoluted. This adds a layer of variety to the game.

So, what's our overall impression? Black Beacon is a quirky gacha game with an ambitious, esoteric narrative, supported by solid gameplay. We're eager to see how it evolves post-release.

Does this sound like your kind of game? Or perhaps a row of shelves in the giant library you now call home? If so, you might want to check out Black Beacon right now, available on the official website, App Store, or Google Play.