12.10.2013

I have only played through a fraction of the game, so this is not a fully experienced review. But from what I have played (as a level 20 warrior now doing the B routes in the 9 areas) I have found the game to be a breath of fresh air.-- If you are buying this for a 12 year old, see my comment below --I was going to stay away from this game at first because the price is excessive (at the time of writing this) compared to other newly released VITA games which are a lot cheaper.It also doesn't help that the GAME is NOT Cross-buy which I personally believe is shocking. But I caved in and bought it the digital copy for the VITA (both the VITA and PS3 versions are identical).You may have read that the game only contains 9 DUNGEONS(or areas to explore)and a BOSS for each one. This gives the impression that the game is very short, which is very misleading because the game does a great job of encouraging you to re-run those dungeons to complete quests, find loot, earn Gold and it offers areas to unlock and alternative routes in each dungeon.DESPITE some of the negatives below, I would highly recommend this game, but keep reading as the game does contain questionable content.Pros----- This game is absolutely beautiful with amazing 2D visuals, animation and original visuals.- The controls are stupidly simple to grasp with two attacks of normal and heavy.- A massive amount of skill unlocking for each character.- A wide range of armor to loot and replace.- It is very easy to make GOLD in game and earn enough to repair and buy things.- A large amount of well designed quests which work as "challenges".Most of the quests in game are more like "challenges" asking you to re-run a dungeon and perform a certain task while in there, such as killing an enemy while riding a beast (but others can be a bit grinding)!- The in game henchman (NPCs who help you) are quite good, except when avoiding boss AEO.- The online co-op is perfect and the smoothest and most stable I have ever seen on the VITA.I have tried online play on other VITA games and it has been a nightmare, but this game runs without issue and the next patch will allow PS3 and VITA to do cross-play.Cons----- I can't speak for the PS3 version, but on the VITA screen the chaos on screen can sometimes get confusing and make it very hard to see your character. Especially if you play online and join players using the same class. I have found instances where I had NO clue where my warrior was in a mass of battle.- The game can come off as a bit hard at times, but that simply means you need to go away and level up more and get better gear and find stronger NPCs.- The GAME not being cross-play (i.e you buy it on the PS3 and get the VITA download version free) which is just greedy and dishonest because the game would sell more copies if it was.One small warning for those easily offended or 12 years old------------------------------------------------------------I'm saying this a 31 year old man...As has been reported and can be seen in screen shots on the internet, the GAME does use some questionable imagery of woman. I personally don't mind how the two female classes are drawn because the male characters are also exaggerated in appearance, so this balances that out.But... there is a point in the game where a female warrior priest is shown injured and dieing on the ground, and they have chosen to position her in a very provocative position, while at another point we see a capture female character virtually unclothed. It does appear excessive!This makes me question the 12 AGE RATING, so if you have 12 year old kids, be careful!

18.12.2013

This is a throwback to old-school side-scroller beat'em-ups. Think Double Dragon, think Streets of Rage, more than anything think Golden Axe. Does that make you go "SWEET"? Then get this game. Otherwise, maybe give it some thought. It's a game designed to appeal to people who played and loved the old beat'em-ups, and thus some people may find it too repetitive/hard/bland. That being said, for people who loved Golden Axe? This game is a gem.The gameplay is nothing new if you're familiar with the Genre, standard character selection and each character pretty much plays as you'd expect. Moving your character is smooth and instinctive, and it shouldn't take long to figure out how to work your character.Speaking of which:For the more physical characters you've got the knight who can block with a shield and who also packs a punch, the Amazon who can do insane amounts of attack damage but has weak defense, and the dwarf who's a good balance between attack and defense and can also grab stuff but is slow and lacking in reach. Then you have the Wizard who can cast all sorts of spells to deal damage, but takes time casting the spells and has weak defense. You have the Elf who has a bow and can shoot rapid volleys of arrows from a distance but A. can run out of ammo and B. is weak in close quarters. And you have the Sorceress who specializes in supportive spells, like boosting everyone's defense or turning the enemies into frogs. There's a good variety, and each character is unique and requires a different game-play stile. No copy-pasting going on here. You've also got some RPG elements and character building, where you level up, gain skill points, and use said skill points to give your character new skills. Pretty straight forward.Another noteworthy thing is the artwork. It's distinctive and cartoonish in a weird way, and I can see some people disliking it, but the sheer attention to detail and beauty is exquisite. It's very similar to Muramasa: The Demon Blade (another good game worth a play), but that's not surprising since Dragon's Crown and Muramasa were both developed by Vanillaware. Whether you like the art or not, you have to admit they put some serious time into character and environment design.Also, there are many little nods to older games, references to certain movies etc, and at least one boss gave me a good chuckle.One thing that DID kind of nag me is the emphasis on multiplayer. It's not one of those "must play with 2 or more people or else is impossible to beat ANYTHING" games, but some characters seem to have multiplayer in mind more than solo-play. That being said, it's still quite possible to play through the whole thing with only one player, and (I presume, I've only used 3 characters so far but managed) any character of your choosing. While multiplayer IS a lot of fun, and adds a whole new level of strategy and teamwork, I do kind of wish they balanced the solo-play aspect a bit more. You can have AI characters instead of actually having other players, but the AI is no genius. It's hardly a game-breaking issue, but still.All things considered, however, this is a gem if you like the classic arcade beat'em-ups. There's plenty of character customization with skills and weapons etc, the game-play and controls are solid, there are story missions AND side missions and so on. You get your money's worth AND some, in my opinion.

12.12.2013

I gave this a 5 star rating as I was waiting for about 4 months for this game to come out, I actually bought my first ever PS3 a month before it come out! I ordered it online and paid like £50 for it just to get it for the next day delivery and with the added art work book, inside the book it said the guy who come up with this game had the idea of making it since he was younger and it was being made for 2 years before coming out! So I am happy it did come out and not get cancelled.I recommend this game to anyone who is in to Hack and Slash games, Rpg's, platform beat-em-up's. Or all 3 of these.Ok, you can play this game single player all he way or at any time you can get a friend to drop in or out of your game with another controller.

6.11.2013

I bought the Vita version despite owning a PS3 but both games are 100% identical (Vita version has some touch based gameplay elements of course).I have to say this game is a work of art.the gameplay is very addictive with lots and lots of replay value.specially if you are an older gamer and enjoyed the style of the games of the 16 Bit era on systems like Sega Mega Drive ,Super Nintendo,SNK Neo Geo you will definitely enjoy this game.that being said,this game is not just a simple beat em up like Golden Axe or other classics on those systems,in addition to being a beat em up there are some RPG elements involved including upgrading and levelling up,looting (a lot of it!),selling items,learning

1.6.2014

Having been a gamer for a long time, I often enjoy games that have a retro feel to them. Dragons Crown should be just the game for any side scrolling beat-em-up fan, with similarities to games such as Golden Axe, Streets of Rage, Final Fight....etc.Dragons Crown is a hybrid of the classic side scrolling formula with a few JRPG elements. I'd agree with one of the professional reviews, I read, where the game takes a while before the action gets rolling. It starts by introducing the story, characters and areas you'll be using throughout playing the game, which after selecting your characters, stops you (and your couch buddies) from getting started with the main game. But once you start playing,

14.6.2018

This is one fantastic game. I was super exited when I heard this was coming to PS4 as I was thinking about buying a PS3 just to play it. The 2d graphics, art Style and animation are truly fantastic. Every character plays differently and some are easier to use than others. This is a 2d beat em up with rpg elements. It's very much like Diablo 3 with the loot drops and grinding and building your character by levelling up and gaining new abilities. After you complete the main story it's not over as the end game content kicks it and the challenge and difficulty ramps up. You'll continue to get stronger and unlock the labyrinth of chaos random dungeons 1-99 floors! Competing floors unlocks even better loot.

4.9.2013

The first video game I ever bought was Golden Axe on the Megadrive. This game clearly draws it's influences from and pays homage to the good old fashioned arcade games of yesteryear.With six different character classes. All with their own unique play styles, there is plenty of replay value too.And it certainly has that "just one more go" element to it as well. Especially if you work nights. The addition of levelling up and customising your equipment make it all the more addictive.The online multiplayer element is not accessible right away. Not until the second part of the game and it does make it that bit more interesting once it is unlocked.That's it then.

11.11.2020

The description is in German and can confirm that I received a German import copy. Writing on the box etc. is all in German. Just be aware of this. The listing doesn't obviously state this is what you will receive but the description language does hint towards it.Despite that, item looks great! Comes in a cool steelbook case along with additional DLC.The game itself is a remaster of one that originally came out for PS3 & PSVita. This version is the 4K remaster for the PS4. It's a 2D action RPG with amazing illustration and quite a bit of depth. I will add that the art style for characters, particulary females, is risqué in typical anime fashion that may put some off.

12.10.2013

I've been waiting for this for ages and I'm not disappointed!The first thing that will strike you is the unique art style which has to be seen in action to be believed, its amazing. The gameplay is like Golden Axe but you are able to upgrade your characters stats and move list.The companies behind the game wont let the it falter with features being added on each patch fix according to what players ask for on the forums.You just cant go wrong with this, get 3 mates round and you'll have a right laugh on this old school brawler!

21.2.2014

I have just put in a few hours into this. It does remind me of double dragon and golden axe. There is leveling up where you gain xp for completing quests and get gold, which you can use to buy items, and sometimes, you even have to make a donation to be revived. The Graphics are good yes they are flat and mainly 2d but have some good hand drawn styles to them. This game was very popular in japan and you can see anime like qualities in the characters. Look at youtube videos of this game first if you are undecided.

27.5.2018

A absolutely essential Beat 'Em Up game, taking heavy inspiration from DnD and DnD's very own arcade Beat 'Em Up Chronicles of Mystara while adding a hefty touch of RPG mechanics and loot.It plays absolutely nothing like Diablo so if you were expecting something similar then I can't reccomend it, however it does share a similar gameplay loop and feel, towards the end it does become a hefty loot grind.The cards are quite a bit smaller than expected and the case (at least mine) is misaligned and hard to close.

17.7.2015

Amazing game. I have spent maybe 200hours on this game so far. I have gotten platinum and am still playing it due to the free randomly generated dungeons added in patches. A must buy for the vita.Some people try to mark down the game due to some characters showing too much skin. I don't find the human body offensive and the art work is beautiful. If people are offended by this then maybe they should steer clear from beaches or swimming pools in future?

27.9.2018

It's a good rpg/beat-em-up for sure, the action is good fun, very quick and easy to join multiplayer matches, decent rpg elements.My only complaint would be that there's often too much happening on screen to see what you're doing, which could be down to the large, wide style artwork. I often find myself inadvertently trying to control one of my companions only to realise my character is actually wondering aimlessly in to a wall or something.

11.9.2013

It was pretty much everything I expected and a little bit more, with a little bit less in places. Gameplay is that of a classic brawler RPG, and customisation is a lot better than I expected. The online is where this game really shines, but I don't have any friends to play it with, even with strangers, it was fun. Connectivity is good and you can even use Ad hoc to play with people 'locally'

14.12.2013

DC is a very polished oldschool-ish walk'n'slash(something like River City Ransom comes to mind) kind of game.The graphics are elegant(although the proportions are kinda... yeah), the sound decent(voice acting is okay, but the music gets old very fast).The overall gameplay is fun, but it's best to play with friends, because it's very repetitive and can get boring after a while.

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