Dragon's Crown

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.

73%Game Brain Score

graphics, gameplay

story, grinding

95% User Score Based on 19 reviews

Critic Score 81%Based on 8 reviews

Platforms

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About

"Dragon's Crown" is a historical hack and slash game that combines breathtaking visuals and hardcore gameplay. It offers both multiplayer and single-player options, allowing up to four players to cooperatively battle through monster-ridden dungeons, discover treasure, and defeat epic bosses. The game is known for its hand-drawn art style, with every detail hand-painted, creating a lush and vibrant storybook experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

95%

Audience ScoreBased on 27 reviews

graphics6 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game features stunning artwork and an amazing orchestral soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
There is a great variety of unique characters with different skills, allowing for diverse gameplay and replayability.
The game offers a fun and engaging multiplayer experience, especially when played with friends.

The gameplay can become repetitive and lacks variety compared to other titles from the same developer.
Inventory and character management systems are overly complicated, detracting from the fast-paced action.
The story is basic and could have been better developed, with a weak introduction.

graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning, hand-painted art style that resembles oil paintings, particularly impressive when viewed on 4K TVs. Many reviewers consider it one of the most beautiful games on the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita, highlighting the gorgeous visuals and character designs that enhance the overall experience.
- “The oil painting-like graphics and character designs look stunning on a 4K TV.”
- “The art style is very beautiful with hand-painted art.”
- “Dragon's Crown is one of the most beautiful games that has ever graced the PlayStation 3 or PS Vita, and that's saying something at the tail end of a generation that saw an impressive leap in visuals.”
story
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The story is generally enjoyable, featuring a basic plot with a 'Dungeons and Dragons' style of dialogue, though some players find the introduction weak. While the narrative is engaging, it can become distracting during intense gameplay moments. Players must complete a portion of the story solo, which takes about 4-5 hours, before unlocking online play.
- “The story is also really cool!”
- “The plot is very basic, but the story is very enjoyable with 'Dungeons and Dragons' type dialect.”
- “The story could have been better. The introduction was a bit weak. The game isn't for all.”
- “To play online, you have to beat the story mission solo to a certain point before it's unlocked, which is about 4-5 hours of playtime depending on your skill level and exploration.”
- “To play online, you have to beat the story mission solo to a certain point before it's unlocked, which is about 4-5 hours of playtime depending on your skill level and exploration.”
gameplay
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The gameplay offers a mix of traditional beat-'em-up mechanics and complex RPG elements, providing depth through skill management and varied enemy encounters. While some players find it can become stale quickly, the game features excellent art design, a wealth of content, and enjoyable boss fights that enhance replayability. Overall, the combat is described as deeply rewarding, especially at higher difficulty levels.
- “A lot of great gameplay.”
- “Gorgeous art style, traditional beat-'em-up gameplay with satisfyingly distinct classes, deeply rewarding combat.”
- “The gameplay itself can get stale quickly.”
- “Gameplay is complex at higher difficulty levels as you have to juggle skill cooldowns, health, combos, dodges, and positioning.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that grinding in the game can be seen as tedious, particularly for players seeking a stress-free experience. However, newcomers who enjoy leveling up and RNG loot grinding may find the extensive content justifies the effort. Overall, while it may not appeal to everyone, many consider the grinding aspect worthwhile for the game's depth.
- “This is just tedious extra work for a game that people looking for stress-free hack-and-slash fun are going to buy.”
- “For newcomers, it's a fun game if you're into leveling up and RNG loot grinding.”
- “With an amazing amount of content, this is one game that’s worth the grinding it demands.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is highly praised, with players enjoying the orchestral score that can be switched back to the original version. This enhanced audio experience is a standout feature in the PS4 Pro port, contributing significantly to the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “My favorite part of the game is the music!”
- “This is the port of the PS3 and Vita game with some minor differences: 4K resolution (on PS4 Pro), selectable narrator, and orchestral music (which can be switched back to the original).”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
150%
Players appreciate the game's high replayability due to random enemy loot drops, which encourage multiple playthroughs. The abundance of content, varied enemies, and enjoyable boss fights further enhance the experience, complemented by solid RPG mechanics and an excellent art style.
- “The random enemy loot drops in the game significantly enhance its replayability.”
- “The game offers tons of content, excellent art style, varied enemies, and fun boss fights, making it highly replayable.”
- “With its engaging RPG mechanics, the game invites players to experience it multiple times.”
- “The random enemy loot drops in the game add some level of replayability, but it quickly becomes repetitive.”
- “After completing the game once, I found little incentive to replay it, as the story and gameplay mechanics don't change significantly.”
- “While there are some random elements, the overall experience feels too linear to encourage multiple playthroughs.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its engaging sword and sorcerer theme, creating an immersive beat 'em up experience that captivates players.
- “This is a fantastic beat 'em up with a sword and sorcery atmosphere.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While the graphics and character designs are visually impressive, the reviews do not provide specific insights into the depth or progression of character development within the game.

81%Critics’ scoreBased on 8 critic reviews

5h Median play time

5h Average play time

5-5h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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Platforms

About

Stunningly beautiful beat-'em-up turned RPG

Dragon’s Crown PS3 Review

heavy metal

Videos

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