9th Dawn III RPG

First Impression

I downloaded this after my old go-to RPG started pushing annoying daily login rewards harder than actual gameplay. My first thought was, “Ten dollars? That’s steep for an app.” I spent a good hour just poking around the starting town, Cedalt, testing the controls and seeing if I could break the free demo part. The pixel art looked nice on my iPhone 15 Pro, but the virtual joystick felt slippery. I almost put it down, but I figured I’d already paid so I might as see what the fuss was about. By Sunday afternoon, I was still on my couch, completely absorbed in trying to fish up enough Silverfin to buy a better shield. That’s when I knew it had its hooks in me.

What It Does Well

This game doesn’t waste your time with tutorials that treat you like an idiot. It just drops you in a huge world and says “go explore.” The freedom is incredible. I got tired of swinging a sword, found a fire spellbook in a dungeon chest, and just decided to become a spellsword. The game let me. The monster catching system is a weird highlight—I have a pet ghost and a floating eyeball that fight with me, which is both hilarious and super useful. The world feels alive because your actions matter. I remember clearing out a cave full of giant rats for a farmer, and a week later (in real time), I walked past and he actually thanked me again. Little touches like that make it feel less like a checklist and more like an actual place.

Where It Falls Short

Let’s be real, the controls are a pain sometimes. Trying to pick up a specific piece of loot in a crowded room or target the right enemy in a mob can be frustrating. My thumb slips off the joystick more than I’d like. The inventory system is a nightmare of hoarding. You’ll pick up hundreds of bones, herbs, and chunks of ore. I spent a whole Tuesday evening just sorting my bags and selling junk because I couldn’t find anything. It’s part of the old-school charm, I guess, but a better auto-sort button would be a lifesaver. Also, don’t expect a fancy story with voice acting. You read a lot of text, and the main plot is pretty basic “save the world” stuff.

Is It Worth the Price?

As someone who refuses to pay for subscriptions or get tricked by “free” games, the $9.99 price tag made me pause. But after several months, I have to say yes, it’s worth it. You pay once and you get everything. No energy timers, no ads popping up, no loot boxes. I’ve gotten way more hours of solid entertainment out of this than I have from a $15 movie ticket that lasts two hours. Compared to other paid mobile games that feel shallow, this is a deep, complete package. It’s not for everyone, but if you like getting lost in a game at your own pace, the value is definitely there.

Developer & Support

I had a weird bug once where a key for a side quest just wouldn’t drop from a boss I’d beaten. After two days of grinding, I finally emailed support. I didn’t hear back for about three days, which had me worried I’d just lost those hours of progress. But when they did reply, it was helpful. They asked for my save file details and explained it was a known rare glitch, giving me a simple console command to input to spawn the key. It wasn’t an instant fix, but they solved my problem. Seeing a few updates roll out that added new areas also shows they haven’t just taken the money and run.

Privacy & Safety

I got it from the App Store, so it felt safe to download. The app doesn’t ask for any weird permissions like accessing my contacts or photos. The privacy label on the store page was clean, showing no data collected for tracking. For a single-player game like this, there’s no account to create or social features that could leak info. It’s just the game on my phone, which is exactly how I like it.