Drake of the 99 Dragons

About

In "Drake of the 99 Dragons," players assume the role of Drake, a member of the 99 Dragons Clan who has been resurrected to avenge the murder of his clan and retrieve a stolen artifact with the power to trap souls. This 3D action-shooter features five stages with 25 missions, a variety of firearms and martial arts weapons, and the ability to summon a dragon companion. The game is set in an animated Batman-style environment and offers a slow motion and freeze motion mode for combat.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

56%

Audience ScoreBased on 162 reviews

gameplay8 positive mentions

story18 negative mentions

The game features a unique art style reminiscent of animated series, which some players find appealing.
Despite its flaws, the game can provide a humorous and entertaining experience, especially for those who enjoy 'so bad it's good' games.
The PC version is considered to be an improvement over the Xbox version, with better controls and some enjoyable gameplay mechanics.

The controls are widely criticized for being clunky and unresponsive, making gameplay frustrating.
Many players report that the game is filled with bugs, poor AI, and unbalanced difficulty, leading to a generally unenjoyable experience.
The story and character development are seen as weak, with incoherent plot points and lackluster voice acting.

story
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
59%
31%
The story of "Drake of the 99 Dragons" is widely criticized for its lack of coherence and depth, often described as a generic good vs. evil narrative featuring a clumsy protagonist, Drake, whose antics can be unintentionally humorous. Many players find the plot confusing and poorly executed, with low production values and a frustrating gameplay experience that detracts from any potential enjoyment of the story. Despite its flaws, some players appreciate the game's charm and the comedic elements that arise from its nonsensical plot.
- “Haters would say this game is bad, but they just don't understand the nuance of the story and near-perfect gameplay.”
- “I actually like the story, and the character Drake is an amazing character.”
- “So the story starts out with Drake inside his training room, and he is watching some TV about these new cyborgs that are being made, and all of a sudden a cyborg comes into Drake’s room out of nowhere.”
- “Voice acting is bad, and the story just happens with no reason at all.”
- “It's very buggy, the story is a mess, and going to the spirit realm every time you die gets annoying, but I still had fun.”
- “Drake of the 99 Dragons is a terrible game, but let’s talk about the story.”
gameplay
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
63%
16%
Gameplay reviews for the game are highly polarized, with some players criticizing the shooting mechanics, movement, and level design as poor and broken, particularly on console. However, others find the gameplay enjoyable and engaging, especially with keyboard and mouse controls, highlighting a satisfying gameplay loop and interesting mechanics that take time to fully appreciate. Overall, while there are notable flaws, there are also redeeming qualities that some players appreciate.
- “Haters would say this game is bad, but they just don't understand the nuance of the story and near-perfect gameplay.”
- “People say this is one of the worst games ever, but I disagree. I can see how on controller it'd be pretty bad, but with keyboard and mouse, the controls are tight and the gameplay is fun.”
- “The idea of having a game about an assassin that's trying to uncover the whereabouts of a stolen artifact that his family had been protecting for centuries, which could open a rift to another dimension, with some action-packed gameplay similar to that of other movies like The Matrix or The Punisher, and even different abilities that you can play around with like slowing down time and using souls as bombs against your enemies actually sounds a lot of fun.”
- “So I open it to play and realize... 'Oh my god... I wasn't bad at this game... this game just plays and is shit!' Holy fuck, how can a game have this bad of shooting mechanics and movement?”
- “Now gameplay for Drake of the 99 Dragons could have been okay if it were not for the fast-moving camera.”
- “A lot of the mechanics are either pointless or broken.”
humor
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as both unintentional and campy, with players finding amusement in its low production values, absurd storylines, and the protagonist's exaggerated antics, such as flailing arms during combat. While the initial comedic charm may fade as the game becomes frustrating and unplayable, many still appreciate its "so bad it's funny" quality, making it a source of unintentional hilarity. Overall, the humor is a mixed bag, providing laughs despite the game's numerous flaws.
- “Yes, this game is arguably one of the worst games ever made, but it is just so bad that it can be hilariously entertaining.”
- “Like, the game is so terrible that it can be funny, especially due to its very nonsensical story.”
- “[Drake of the 99 Dragons] achieved infamy on the Xbox for its unintentionally hilarious story, low production values, and a busted auto-aim that caused its titular protagonist to flail his arms around in every direction.”
graphics
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
30%
30%
The game features a unique art style inspired by Genndy Tartakovsky, reminiscent of "Batman: The Animated Series," which many players find appealing. However, despite its initial charm, the graphics are considered to have aged poorly, and overall quality is criticized, particularly in comparison to other titles from the Xbox era. While the comic book aesthetic is praised, the execution leaves much to be desired, especially in terms of voice acting and sound quality.
- “Amazing comic book art style.”
- “It has its own charm, which of course includes story, graphics, and gameplay.”
- “Some legit positives: the art style is neat, the manual is cool, it's Swedish.”
- “Also for a comic book style game, it hasn't aged particularly well graphically.”
- “The graphics are really bad even for the Xbox era; the voice acting is also bad and the sound quality is annoying as well.”
- “Some people may say poor graphics or gameplay.”
stability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is widely criticized for its instability, being described as a "buggy mess" with frequent graphical glitches and erratic color shifts. Players report that the numerous bugs detract from the overall experience, making it feel unfinished and frustrating at times, despite some enjoyment derived from its mechanics.
- “Aside from the game itself being a buggy mess, it frequently forces itself into 16-bit color for seemingly no reason, and you suddenly have a mess of pink, green, and blue on your screen.”
- “It's very buggy, the story is a mess, and going to the spirit realm every time you die gets annoying, but I still had fun.”
- “Look, yes, it's essentially a buggy, unfinished Max Payne clone.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game is hailed as an emotional masterpiece, with players expressing deep feelings, particularly during pivotal moments like Drake's death, which elicited tears. However, some critics argue that the story and atmosphere can feel dull at times.
- “I cried every time Drake died.”
- “Emotional masterpiece.”
- “Others may say it has a boring story or atmosphere.”
- “Others may say it has a boring story or atmosphere.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
The game's original soundtrack is praised as a highlight, showcasing quality music. However, the experience is marred by the repetitive use of the same tracks across different levels, detracting from its overall impact.
- “The original soundtrack is really good.”
- “The music is repetitive, with the same songs playing multiple times across different levels, which really detracts from the experience.”
- “The soundtrack lacks variety, making it feel stale as the same tracks are reused in various levels.”
- “It's disappointing that the game couldn't manage to provide a more diverse selection of music, as hearing the same songs repeatedly becomes tiresome.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it dull and unengaging, while others may appreciate its simplicity. Overall, it appears that the atmosphere does not resonate strongly with a significant portion of the audience.
- “Others may say the story or atmosphere is boring.”
- “Others may say the story or atmosphere is boring.”