sieg6529's Review of Dragon's Blood

The best hack and slash you will find on the Dreamcast, and it even comes with a story!

User Rating: 8.3 | Dragon's Blood DC

By sieg6529 | Review Date: June 19, 2006

Draconus is one of those games that, sadly, few will ever play. It was released on a system that, to me, was ahead of its time and suffered. Like the reviewers have already said, Draconus is the game that so many other hack & slashers should have been. You take control of Cyndric or Aeowyn, two characters who really have more similarities than differences. To me, the game is easier with Cyndric because of his physical prowess. However, if you are good at seeking wisps (which either heal or bestow powerups) and you have learned which levels have bosses (and therefore which ones require spell hoarding to survive), playing as Aeowyn is way more fun. She is more magically inclined, which sucks at the beginning because you're weaker and possessing no spells. If you put the time into finding the oh-so-rare blue wisps, however, Aeowyn rapidly becomes a sorcerous powerhouse. Both characters change appearance as their ranks increase, becoming most intimidating by that late stages.

The graphics are very similar to Soul Reaver, by which I mean that the stages are generally very expansive and adequately textured, although a few levels look bleak. Most mobile units are well rendered and move fluidly, although I can't figure out why some of the baddies pick up their feet as though they needed to pee. Anyway, the graphics may look a little bland in the year 2006, but when one accounts for the game's age, the graphics are certainly above-average.

Sound and music are also pretty good. The characters are voice acted, which is nice even if all the goblins are obviously voiced by the same guy. The protagonists obviously received better voice actors than the miscreants encountered on the way to fight the big nasty dragon (who is difficult on any difficulty setting; see below). The music is classic save-the-world fantasy setting music. It's not great, but it doesn't detract from the experience in any way.

The gameplay is, to me, what makes this game better than most of its genre. For one, it is hard. Even though you can change the difficulty (easy medium hard) at any time, all this does is lower the amount of damage taken in battle and increase the damage given. Therefore, it often justs delays your doom. How is said doom brought upon you? By very aggressive bad guys. Right away, one must recognize the immeasurable value of the shield. The shields of both characters are identical in functionality and can block ANYTHING, so it must be used at all times. However, turtling up is kinda hard, although not as hard as Blood Omen 2. After every blow dealt by the enemy, you must reposition your shield or you will get hurt. So the battle system becomes very active, especially against enemies who try to get behind you. Thankfully, there are combos. Some are best suited for one aggressor, while others are better for group battles. Either way, the combos lend depth to the fighting system and greatly increase you survival probability.

The not so good: character-independent storyline. No matter who you choose, the story remains the same. It would have been sweet to have had the ability to switch between the two players, as well. Also, there are a few issues with collision recognition during battles.

Despite minor complaints, Draconus: Cult of the Wyrm is a game that you should never pass up if you can find it.

Draconus: Cult of the Wyrm

The best hack and slash you will find on the Dreamcast, and it even comes with a story!

I don't understand why this game has been rated so low.

This game should've gotten more attention.