Dragon's Crown

Dragon’s Crown is quite literally a crowning achievement in the beat ’em up genre. Utilizing some of the best design concepts of the past 20 years, Vanillaware succeeds in creating a captivating world that you just can’t help but experience over and over. While it may not win over the hardiest of brawler haters, if you’ve even had an inkling of joy hacking and slashing at any time in your gaming career, you should probably be playing Dragon’s Crown.

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Atlus and Vanillaware make a strong case for the greatest tag team in modern gaming. Dragon's Crown is a brilliant reimagining of a classic genre that wields the depth of an RPG while keeping core elements intact.

Dragon’s Crown is about to put Vanillaware on the map. Whether on PlayStation 3 or PS Vita, it’s an enjoyable and deep old-school romp with an incredible amount of charm and an even higher amount of replay value. The experience is virtually identical on PS3 and Vita, but if you absolutely, positively only want to buy one, I’d go for the PlayStation 3 version, as its chaotic action is more readable and better appreciated on the big screen. While it’s puzzling why Dragon’s Crown is only cross-save and not cross-buy or cross-play, that doesn’t reduce its astounding production values and addictiv...

It wasn't long ago now that Vanillaware released Muramasa Rebirth for the PlayStation Vita, and showed us exactly what it's capable of doing with an OLED screen. In an apparent effort to prove that it isn't done yet, the developer’s second game has already landed on the handheld in the form of Dragon's Crown. Though it may share similarities to the aforementioned release – and countless other games that came before it – this hack-and-slash RPG brings a fresh experience to the platform that isn’t easy to put down.

Dragon’s Crown is a reminder as to what made the beat-em-up genre so popular in the first place. Not only does it have that pick-up-and-play quality that made the arcades hopping in the 90s, it also adds its own modern-day touch that tailors the experience for console play. It doesn’t matter if you’re an old-school gamer or new -- Dragon’s Crown has got that universal appeal.

Vanillaware has never been afraid to indulge its artistic side and it really shows in their latest game. All environments and character models are completely hand drawn and coloured. It’s great stuff and though there are odd moments of inconsistency, its charm is undeniable. Sure, some models are slightly over-sexualised and exaggerated but it doesn’t really detract from the overall experience.