A Beautiful Work of Art that Deserves a Bigger Canvas
A clear homage to Golden Axe and other similar fantasy side-scrolling brawlers, Dragon's Crown probably won't win any Game of the Year awards but for what it does it is practically flawless. I chose the Vita version to facilitate ease of play at work (woot) but I kind of regret that; this game is PERFECT for party-play; invite a few friends over and hack-n-drink your way through the night. The characters (Fighter, Wizard, Witch, Amazon, Dwarf, and Elf) are all varied and different enough to give you good reason to mix up your party and each is accompanied by their own tutorial to help you get accustomed to their individual play styles. DC pulls few punches; enemies can easily overwhelm an arrogant player and even the first boss can be a challenge for the unwary, single dwarf! You won't be alone long though; DC is a game meant for a party and it eases you into the prospect with NPCs you can find and resurrect in dungeons (although you must first recover their bones and bring them to the monk in town who has the power to do so.) These resurrected character will be you initial companions but eventually you'll want to take advantage of other players. In other words; here's a multi-player game that us single-player game enthusiasts can get in to!
There is a definite finesse to battle, despite its simple appearance on the surface. While most combos are mapped to one button with a directional companion other characters have a second set of attack options on a second button. Still more can be unlocked as skill upgrades; one set of upgrades are common to all characters and the other is class specific. These powers expand as your character levels, evolving into their own distinct persona and enabling you to include party members who share your own class and yet still function independently enough to not cramp your style.
In addition to your 4 main party members you are accompanied by your constant companion Rannie the Rogue; whose only job is to pick locks and occasionally pick up items you're too lazy to get, and eventually Tiki the Fairy, who will assist you in finding the crap-load of secret stuff you are likely to miss until you are moving off screen and it's too late to go back and get it. DC features a truly surprising level of depth for a side-scroller and, as a child of the age when these were our bread and butter, I can honestly say I am impressed. While missions will send you back to the same levels over and over again to mostly fight recycled enemies there are enough little hidden items and areas to make you actually want to do so.
Ultimately the place where Dragon's Crown shines the most is exactly where it was meant to: in all its 4 player glory. For a Vita player who will spend most of his time playing without an internet connection this is a bit of a disappointment, for while DC supports Cross Save it is decidedly not Cross Buy or Cross Play. A shame, that, since this is undisputedly the best Vita game to come out after Persona 4 Golden. If Sony had decided to go Cross Buy then an incentive for Vita owners would be to level their character while off line and then hop on the PS3 when they got home for some hot-blooded multi-player action in all its 52 inch HD glory. And that's really the black mark against the Vita version: this game is really too pretty to be small. I haven't noticed the slow down that some reviews mention when they talk about the Vita and a full party, but it does just strike me as a shame that such extravagant beauty should be viewed on such a small screen. Don't get me wrong; the game looks amazing on the small screen but it's kind of like trying to enjoy fine art online on your cell phone instead of going to the museum and seeing it first hand.
Overall Dragon's Crown is an incredibly fun experience made better by multi-player, made even better than that by multi-player with your friends. While it won't win any major awards (and will probably be one of those underground titles in the tradition of Ico) I foresee it developing a rabidly loyal, hardcore fan base. You can count me in that group but I will be definately be on the lookout for a free Plus offering or a price drop in the PS3 version; I'm happy to have another great Vita game but this particular game deserves a bigger canvas for its great art.
Dragon's Crown - 7.5 (PS3 Recommended)