Dragon's Crown

Dragon's Crown is a return to a genre that seemed long extinct — the arcade beat 'em up, in which a party of heroes works its way through ever more dangerous dungeons, smashing everything that moves. Vanillaware combined it with RPG progression: six distinct classes ranging from the fighter and amazon to the sorceress and elf, gear collection and upgrades, repeated runs through the same dungeons in harder variants, and a story told in the spirit of a classic fantasy adventure with an old narrator. The path to the true ending also runs through several repeat playthroughs, so the game is built from the start for long-term play.

Combat is simple to grasp and deep to master. Each class plays noticeably differently: the elf manages her ammo supply, the sorceress positions spells and must stay covered, the fighter belongs on the front line, and the dwarf slams enemies into the ground. Up to three companions can be brought along into the dungeons, whether online or as summoned helpers made from the bones of fallen adventurers, and loot is split after every run. The PlayStation Vita version offered cross-play with the PlayStation 3 and the ability to continue a save on either device depending on where you happened to be. Between expeditions the player returns to town to shop, revive the bones of fallen adventurers, and take on new commissions, which gives the whole loop the rhythm of a board game.

Visually it's one of the most striking games of its generation — giant hand-drawn characters, richly decorated backdrops, and animations that preserve the weight of every hit. The stylization also sparked disputes at the time over the exaggerated proportions of some characters, something that followed the game into practically every review. The music, complete with orchestra and a narrator who comments on events like a read-aloud fairy tale, gives the whole thing a theatrical tone. Reviews praised both the gameplay and the art direction, less so the repetition of the same dungeons. Today Dragon's Crown is ideal on Vita: twenty-minute expeditions fit a handheld console perfectly. The whole game can also be completed solo without a connection, though a four-player party is clearly the most fun.