Dragon's Crown Review

System: PS3, Vita (not cross-platform compatible)
Players: 1 - 4 (offline and online)
Rating: T (blood & gore, violence, suggestive themes, partial nudity, alcohol & tobacco use)
DLC?: Yes
Website: Dragon's Crown | OFFICIAL WEBSITE

It's been a long time since I've played a decent side-scrolling beat 'em up.  When I heard about Dragon's Crown, I knew I had to give it a shot.  The game combines beat 'em up, RPG, and even some point-and-click elements.  And it does so very nicely.  It's a blast to play, and I'm about 12 hours into it.

There are 6 character classes to play as: Fighter, Amazon, Wizard, Elf, Dwarf, and Sorceress.  Each one has unique skills, weapons, and play styles.  And with all the equipment and items you can find, there's a little something for everyone here.  Anyone can pick up the game and play it without feeling overwhelmed.  The basic tutorial is very helpful, though some instructions can be hard to read with the small font. You don't have to worry about memorizing long button combos; the circle and square buttons combined with the movement of the left stick are all you need for attacking.  Later on, you'll be able to unlock special skills and items. They're also very easy to set up and use.

The music and sound are great.  The artwork and visuals are beautiful, and the animation is smooth.  It's nice to play this style of game without having things slow to a crawl when a bunch of enemies or effects are on screen!  People have complained about how some of the female characters look and move, and I can see where they're coming from on some points.  This isn't a game you'd want to play in front of more conservative folks, or younger children because there's quite a bit of cheesecake art.  If that's not a problem for you, then it's a nice bonus.

The other thing people complain about is having to "unlock" online multiplayer.  Anyone who says you need to beat the game to play online is completely misinformed.  What you really need to do is beat the game's first 9 bosses.  That may sound like a lot of work, but it's really not.  Depending on how you play (blaze on through, tweak a few things, or grind like a maniac), you can have multiplayer unlocked in 6 hours or less. Honestly, I was a little miffed when I found out you had to unlock online play, but as I went through the game, it made sense why this was a requirement.  There's quite a bit to learn, and if you don't learn it, you will die.  A lot.  And once multiplayer's unlocked, the game's difficulty is bumped up even more.

Dragon's Crown has quite a bit of stuff to keep you amused for a long time.  If you've got a PS3 or Vita and feel like a good, old-fashioned, side-scrolling brawl, this is definitely a game to consider.