Despite likely being best known in the mainstream for the
controversy surrounding the exaggerated assets of its female characters, 2013’s
Dragon’s Crown also had some pretty fantastic beat-em-up gameplay underneath
those wonderfully thick thighs and ridiculous breasts. Now in 2018 the game
comes to PlayStation 4 in the form of Dragon’s Crown Pro with even better
looking visuals, now in 4k, and the awesome co-op gameplay intact. There isn’t
really any new content in this remaster, unfortunately, which may upset
existing fans of the PS3 or Vita versions of the game, but if you’ve never
experienced Dragon’s Crown before, Dragon’s Crown Pro on PS4 is definitely the
version to get. Continue reading our full review for all of the details.Game Details
- Publisher: Atlus
- Developer: Vanillaware
- ESRB Rating: “T” for Teen
- Genre: Beat-Em-Up
- Pros: Great art style; nice visuals; solid gameplay; co-op; addictive loot system
- Cons: Using the cursor during gameplay; nothing new over PS3 version
- MSRP: $50
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| Buy Dragon's Crown Pro at Amazon |
Dragon’s Crown is a fantasy beat-em-up / action RPG that
sees you becoming a hero in a medieval kingdom by punching, slashing, stabbing,
and magic casting your way through hordes of beasts. You can play as a
sorceress, wizard, elf, amazon, fighter, or dwarf as you seek out the mythical
Dragon’s Crown in order to save the kingdom of Hydeland.
Gameplay takes the form of a 2D side-scrolling beat-em-up
where you and your party travel from left to right and kill any and every enemy
that dares appear onscreen. Each of the different character types has unique
weapons and skills and all really do feel unique and fun to play in different
ways. You have basic attacks (that differ based on weapon type, of course), air
attacks, ground pounds, slide attacks, magic attacks, and more at your
disposal. You can use magic rings or scrolls so non-magic characters can cast
spells as well, and there are also weapon pickups for crossbows, bombs, and
other temporary weapons to help you fight through each stage.
I’m not going to sugar coat it, though, the actual moment to moment
combat in Dragon’s Crown is pretty stiff and clunky feeling. Characters have a
limited range and can only attack enemies on relatively the same plane onscreen
as they are, which can get a little frustrating. It can also be difficult to
tell exactly what is going on as your character can get lost in a sea of
special effects and flailing enemies (and allies) during hectic moments. Of
course, these are complaints that apply to pretty much every beat-em-up ever, so
you kind of expect them when you play a game like this, but it is a little
disappointing that Dragon’s Crown doesn’t do more to fix them. Don’t
misunderstand, though, the game is still a total blast to play even if it is a
little stiff and clunky.
As your character levels up you also earn skill points that
you can use to unlock new moves, abilities, and upgrades. The best part of the
game, however, and what makes it so addictive and fun to play, is the huge
amount of loot you discover as you play each stage. You’ll find new weapons,
stat boosting accessories, and much more as you play. I have to admit, I love
seeing numbers go up in RPGs, so chasing down new loot so my XP and damage and
defense numbers creep ever upward is very addictive and expertly handled here
in Dragon’s Crown Pro.
You also come across the bones of slain adventurers that you
can take back to the church in town and have them resurrected. These
resurrected characters can then be added to your party as A.I. partners, which
is very cool. Beat-em-ups are always more fun in multiplayer co-op, so having
the option to have A.I. partners if you don’t have anyone around to play with
is absolutely fantastic. If you’d rather play with real people as partners, you
can play local co-op as well as online with friends or random players. In a
great move, online is cross-play with existing PS3 and Vita players, so you
should always be able to find folks to play with.
It has to be said, though, that Dragon’s Crown is a
surprisingly small and grindy experience. There are only a handful of levels
available – though they do get an additional “B” route midway through the game,
essentially doubling the level count – and they are all pretty short and only
take minutes to complete. The idea is that you play the same levels over and
over again to collect new loot and level up. There is quite a bit of variety,
however, as the levels are full of hidden treasures and secret rooms to find
and explore. You also have lots of optional side missions that task you with
doing unique things within the levels, which add some variety as well. Plus,
it’s always fun to play through old levels with new toys. When you put all of
this together, the game never feels overly repetitive even though it is
undeniably compact, which is a testament to how well the game is designed
overall. Also, while the came is short and compact, you can still easily spend
dozens of hours with it through thorough exploration and having fun in co-op.
The one gameplay complaint I have is that the game requires
you to use an onscreen cursor to accomplish certain tasks. Using either the
right stick, or the Dual Shock 4 touch pad, you move a cursor around to have
your party’s thief unlock doors, open chests, or examine suspicious walls and
other things. This blows. It always feels awkward and unresponsive and is just
awful, but it is required in order to open chests or find secret passages. I’m
not a fan.
Dragon’s Crown Pro on PS4 is a remaster of the original
release on PS3 and Vita with sharper visuals (up to 4k if you’ve got the
hardware) and a newly recorded orchestral version of the soundtrack. It doesn’t
have any other new content, however – no new bosses, no new levels, no new
content of any sort – so if you’ve already invested dozens of hours into the original
release there isn’t really anything new here, which makes it hard to justify
buying at the full $50 MSRP. If you’ve never played Dragon’s Crown before,
however, there isn’t really any reason not to get Dragon’s Crown Pro. It looks
and sounds better and is an awesome game to begin with.
Presentation-wise, Dragon’s Crown Pro is absolutely
fantastic. The 2D hand drawn characters and dungeons are sharp and beautiful
and the animations for allies and enemies alike are smooth and wonderfully
done. I also really, really love the art style. Yes, the female characters are
overly exaggerated and “too sexy” in these overly PC times we live in, but I
love it anyway. The sound is well done as well with great voice work for all of
the characters and both the original and new orchestral soundtracks are
fantastic.
All in all, Dragon’s Crown Pro is a fantastic
beat-em-up / action RPG that shouldn’t be missed. There isn’t any new content
for existing owners, which makes it hard to justify buying the game again, but
the good news is that the game features cross play between PS4, PS3, and Vita
so last-gen owners can enjoy the influx of new players without having to buy
the game again. For new players who haven’t played Dragon’s Crown before, there
is no reason not to pick up Dragon’s Crown Pro if you have even the slightest
interest in beat-em-ups and love co-op games. Buy it.
Disclosure: A review code was provided by the publisher
