In 2008, PlayStation 2 gamers were blessed with the game Odin Sphere, a hack n ‘slash game created by Vanillaware. The game was very well received in general, and in 2011 they announced their next project, Dragon’s Crown, which was finally released in 2013 on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. Let me tell you, the wait was worth it. Dragon’s Crown blends hack n ‘slash action seamlessly with RPG-like leveling and stat building, resulting in a true homage to old-school RPGs and RPGs. action and action.
If I had to choose the weakest point of Dragon’s Crown, the story would have to be that. It’s not me who says he’s bad in any way, but he’s definitely not the most imaginative. You take on the role of one of the six adventures available to you and set out in search of the holy relic, The Dragons Crown. Throughout, you will meet a group of generous characters and even discover conspiracies within the Kingdom. Overall, the story is interesting, but it seems to get in the way of the real heart of the game. That does not mean that the characters are poorly portrayed. The voice actors of all the characters, as well as the narrator are very well done. It just seems like stopping to listen to the story slows down the real fun, the gameplay.
This is where Dragon’s Crown shines, the gameplay is an almost perfect mix of RPG and hack ‘n’ slash elements. Each of the six characters plays differently from the others, and they all have their own specific strengths, weaknesses, and game mechanics. For example, the dwarf character relies heavily on picking up and throwing enemies, while the fighter relies on defense and can give other players defense and attack power-ups by protecting them from enemies. The other classes are the Sorceress, a magic-based support character, the Wizard, a magic-based character based on destruction, the Elf, a character wielding a fast bow, and lastly, the Amazon, a woman. who wields an ax that is based on developing his attack power and speed. landing hits consecutively. The combination of these classes in multiplayer makes the game very interesting and, at times, downright chaotic.
Another great aspect of the game is leveling up your character. Each character has their own set of abilities to level up and advance, allowing you to experiment a bit with your abilities. You could play the same character twice and have a completely different experience. The game also supports a sizable gear system, adding even more replay value, as you search for the best weapons and gear for your character.
Although I said that the gameplay is where Dragon’s Crown shines, the game’s graphics are also absolutely amazing. This is to be expected from Vanillaware, a studio with a history of creating beautifully rendered 2D games. All character models and environments are amazingly drawn and animated. I can honestly say that I haven’t seen many games that look as good as Dragon’s Crowndoes.
The soundtrack is also a force to be reckoned with, with epic orchestras and wonderful voice acting. You can choose whether you want your character to speak English or Japanese when creating your character, a feature that I know some purists will appreciate. Dragon’s Crown is one of the funniest games available for PS3, and also one of the most engaging. I would recommend this game to both fans of arcade beat-em-ups and RPGs.