Black Beacon: The Rising Star of Gacha Gaming

Black Beacon has just launched on mobile devices, but we got our hands on it a bit earlier than most! 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 RPG that prides itself on delivering fast, seamless combat enhanced by a unique character-swapping mechanic.

Shh! This Is A Library!

The game begins in the Library Of Babel, a vast and enigmatic edifice inspired by the biblical Tower Of Babel, which humans built to reach the heavens, and the Jorge Luis Borges short story, which portrays a library containing every conceivable combination of letters, thus housing every book ever written somewhere within its walls.

You awaken in this mysterious structure, unsure of how you arrived, alongside a diverse cast of characters who are equally perplexed. It seems you're destined for something significant.

However, you're also faced with the imminent threat of a giant spinning orb that will kill everyone in twenty-four hours. Welcome to your first day as a Seer! We hope you enjoy bookshelves.

Joking aside, the setting and story have a delightfully wild charm. A library filled with nonsensical books, time travel, and numerous mythology references (we won't spoil too much, but keep an eye on that bird). The narrative plunges you straight into the deep end, and that's exactly what it aims to do. If you're feeling confused, you're in the right place.

So, what about the gameplay?

Send Me In, Coach

Black Beacon offers a dynamic ARPG dungeon crawler experience with a customizable camera viewpoint. You can choose between a top-down perspective or a free camera setup, adjusting the view with your other hand. We preferred the latter, but it's ultimately a matter of personal taste.

You navigate the Library's corridors, progressing towards your objectives. The story unfolds in short, episodic sections, each containing several maps. Accessing these sections requires energy, but the game was quite generous in allowing us to play extensively.

As you explore, you'll solve puzzles, search for hidden treasure chests, and battle enemies—distorted beings that are remnants of people the Library has 'not fully digested'. Yikes.

Combat is enjoyable, fast-paced, and can be somewhat button-mashy, yet it remains challenging enough to keep you engaged. Timing is crucial; executing a perfect dodge grants you a period of invincibility, while landing a heavy attack on an enemy about to strike will interrupt them, sparing you the need to dodge.

The game introduces a character-swapping mechanic that encourages you to switch between characters mid-battle. This transforms fights into a tag-team affair, allowing you to bench tired fighters—even during an attack—and bring in fresh ones. Once you master the timing, it feels rewarding... until you mistime a dodge and get sent flying down the hallway by a giant monster.

Characters And Weapon Rolls

As a gacha game, Black Beacon features a system for acquiring characters and weapons, with specific weapons tailored to certain characters. Both can be leveled up, and the game uses a variety of resources for this, though much of the process can be automated.

You might encounter some characters through the gacha before meeting them in the story, adding an element of variety. It's all part of the convoluted flow of time within the game.

So, what's our overall take on Black Beacon? It's a unique gacha game that aims to weave a more esoteric narrative, supported by solid gameplay. We're eager to see how it evolves upon full release.

Does this sound like your kind of adventure? Or perhaps a row of shelves in the giant library you call home? If so, you can dive into Black Beacon right now via the official website, App Store, or Google Play.