A Crown Fit for a Dragon‏

Free this month on both PS3 and Vita is Dragon’s Crown, and boy have I wanted to play this one. This game was on my waiting list but considering the low-low price of $0, I was happy to splurge. But enough about my cheap Indian ass. This game does so much right, and you should definitely fork over your hard-earned $0 for this game.

The story is told by a narrator, who plays no role in the game besides telling you the story and dialogue, like a Dungeon Master in Dungeons & Dragons. He’s got a fairly charming British accent which keeps me listening, despite the story taking a backseat to the presentation and gameplay. For $1.99, you can change the narrator to one of the 6 playable characters. Let me just say that whoever voice-acted the Dwarf is a genius.

Gameplay feels old school since it’s a 2D Action/RPG that favors grinding, but keeps things interesting with a varied cast of playable characters. Each character plays differently, so if you’re bored or frustrated with one, it’s easy to switch to another. I myself chose the Fighter, who is slow but can dish out a few hits. Currently, I’m still playing with the Fighter, but I did take some time to play as the Amazon and Sorceress. The Amazon is supposedly easier to play with, and I quickly saw that since she dishes out quick but effective hits, which is very satisfying and would help gamers who aren’t accustomed to other characters. The Sorceress blew me away though, not because she’s stacked, but rather because she has a great set of close and ranged magic attacks. The only problem is that she cannot defend, so you still have to time your attacks right.

You can also choose your party (or go in all alone) which brings some strategy to Dragon’s Crown and allows you to control some level of its difficulty. You gain party members by finding their bones and speaking to the local priest to resurrect them. You and your party will depend on grinding, not only to level up, but for better loot (or “spoils” as they call them in-game). What I don’t enjoy is appraising your spoils (i.e. paying money) before you are able to use them. Usually, games will tell you the minimum level to use a weapon, but in Dragon’s Crown, you also have to dish out some coin. No big deal, but an annoyance.

If you haven’t read any of my other posts, I’ll tell you right now: I’m a sucker for great presentation, and Dragon’s Crown is no slump in that category. Developer Vanillaware has learned from Odin Sphere and Murumasa and have made, yet again, a gorgeous sidescroller. The amount of detail put into every character and level is a feast for the eyes. It’s clear that the art direction was what Vanillaware decided to concentrate on.

I loved Vanillaware for Odin Sphere, and now for Dragon’s Crown. I just don’t understand why they release their games so late in a product’s life cycle. Either way, it’s free right now, so if you own a PS3 or Vita, you have no reason not to play it.