Speaking of story, Dragon’s Crown’s plot is its greatest weakness, not because of the tale it attempts to weave (which I won’t spoil here), but because that tale slows everything down and reminds us of its repetitive nature. Each class provides a new experience, even though you’re facing down the same fantastically designed enemies strewn about the same lush environments while being told the same story. There are actual, serious implications attached to your choice, significantly compounded because you can’t switch classes without starting all over again. This is especially true when you realize that Dragon’s Crown is undeniably hardcore, even if it’s able to lull some people into thinking otherwise.Īre more than mere palette-swaps, and the significant differences between them (thanks to six unique skill trees) makes selecting yours about much more than who looks cool or fun. This is in addition to an actual difficulty setting that can only be unlocked once the roughly 15-to-20-hour campaign is beaten.įor a game that simultaneously underlines, bolds, and italicizes its multiplayer functionality – whether locally, online, or with AI companions – this kind of accessibility for entry-level players is worthy of applause. So while the straight-forward Fighter or brutally powerful Dwarf might provide an easier romp, using spellcasters like the Sorceress and Wizard requires a touch of finesse and will increase Dragon’s Crown’s difficulty level exponentially. Cleverly built into its classes is a de facto difficulty system, one that ranks characters by each statistic and rather overtly illustrates who each class is catered to. The option to select from six totally unique character classes represents one of its key tenets: it’s essentially as hard as you want it to be. It instead relies on enjoyable action, a rewarding experience system, and an addictive loot scheme, gameplay-centric features that overshadow everything around them.ĭragon’s Crown is drowning in features that speak to hardcore gamers, but strangely, its most understated strength is how broad its appeal can be.
Of course, Dragon’s Crown's exceptionally beautiful graphics and atmospheric soundtrack prove that the two priorities aren’t mutually exclusive, but the essence of this game doesn’t hinge on frills and aesthetics. It harkens back to the days when side-scrolling beat-‘em-ups like Double Dragon, Final Fight, and Golden Axe ruled the arcades, an era of gaming when frenetic pacing took a front seat to story, art, or sound, and when pure gameplay was king. Playing through Dragon’s Crown brought back a torrent of memories for me.
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