Black Beacon has just arrived on mobile devices, but we got our hands on it a bit earlier than most! We've had the privilege of diving into this Mythic Sci-Fi Action RPG, and we're excited to share our thoughts with you.

Black Beacon is an action RPG that emphasizes fast, smooth combat with a unique character-swapping feature.

Shh! This Is A Library!

The game begins in the Library of Babel, a vast and mysterious structure inspired by both the biblical Tower of Babel, which was supposedly built by men to reach heaven, and Jorge Luis Borges' short story, where it is a library containing every possible combination of letters, thus housing every book ever written somewhere within its walls.

You awaken in this strange place, unsure of how you arrived, alongside a colorful cast of characters who share your confusion. It seems you're destined for greatness, but there's a catch—everyone has just 24 hours before a giant spinning orb threatens to end it all. Welcome to your first day as a Seer! Hope you enjoy bookshelves.

Jokes aside, the setting and story are delightfully wild. A library filled with nonsensical books, time travel, and numerous mythological references we won't spoil (though there's definitely something odd about that bird). The game plunges you into a deep narrative, and if you're feeling confused, that's exactly the experience the developers are aiming for.

Send Me In, Coach

Black Beacon offers a moment-to-moment experience akin to an ARPG dungeon crawler, with a customizable camera viewpoint. You can opt for a top-down view or a free camera setup, which you can adjust 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 passageways, progressing towards your objectives. The story unfolds in short, episodic sections, each containing several maps. Accessing these sections requires energy, but the game is quite generous with how much playtime it allows.

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

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

The game's character-swap mechanic adds depth to battles, turning them into tag-team matches. You can switch out exhausted fighters mid-fight, even mid-attack, to bring in fresh ones. Once you master the rhythm, it's quite satisfying... 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 weapons tailored to specific characters. Both can be leveled up, and the game uses a variety of ingredients for this, though much of the process can be automated for convenience.

You might encounter some characters through the gacha before meeting them in the story. The game's time flow is convoluted, adding variety to your experience.

In conclusion, Black Beacon is a quirky gacha game that aims to tell a more esoteric story, backed by solid gameplay. We're eager to see how it evolves post-release.

If this sounds like your kind of game—or a row of shelves in the giant library you inhabit—check out Black Beacon on the official website, App Store, or Google Play.