Dragon View (1994)

Dragon View, for SNES

Rating: 7.5/10; Good

Highly recommend for anyone looking for a Zelda like adventure.

Dragon View is an action RPG that uniquely combines elements from multiple genres for a very fun adventure. Like most RPGs, the protagonist gains xp by defeating enemies and leveling up. Levels improve attack and defense, and the combat mechanics directly compare attack and defense values so that if you are under leveled you will inflict pitiful damage and take massive damage. However, the combat is quite skill based and it is possible to win with a huge disadvantage.

Combat takes place in a 2D side view and plays out similar to a beat em up, having a few different lanes along the ground and simple controls. A large part of battle strategy is changing lanes so as not to be in the same lane as an enemy when it attacks, though many enemies have special abilities to make this more difficult. You have a variety of tools to help in battle starting with a sword and later a mid range boomerang. Both have power attacks that can be learned to inflict more damage at a cost to your health, and this is one way to mitigate the pitiful damage from being under leveled. You can also spend money on bombs and arrows, and use magic that completely ignores defense and wrecks enemies that are weak vs that element. Magic is a great way to defeat strong enemies and can be upgraded to room clearing area effects.

If you are getting some Legend of Zelda vibes so far that is because the game is overall most similar to that series. All weapon, armor, magic, health and mana upgrades are found in the world and the hero's appearance changes with each armor or weapon upgrade. Dungeons and caves often have hidden paths to find these upgrades and some even require backtracking later in the game when you get the appropriate ability (such as fire magic to melt ice). The game does not have many puzzles though. The ones that are present are either very simple or slightly obtuse; don't expect the intriguing puzzles of A Link to the Past.

Outside of towns and dungeons, the overworld is experienced from a 1st person perspective. Despite being technologically impressive it does not really add anything to the game. The world is larger than it needs to be, relatively empty, plain looking and a bit tedious and slow to move around in. There are random battles that move around as clouds but they are usually easy to avoid and less efficient than grinding in dungeons. Your map is abstracted as multiple pieces of paper and it can be a little difficult to find your way around, especially if you wander into an area for which you do not have the appropriate map item. Add to this a confusing fast travel system using teleporters. I actually preferred to get around on foot rather than try to figure out how to use them.

The positive features of the game far outweigh the flaws and when combined with the well written (if cliche) story, the result is a solid and enjoyable adventure.

Coming from Drakkhen, you might not think Dragon View would have much to live up to, but Dragon View improves on and delivers a quality action JRPG formula, even if the expansive 3D world can be a little slow to move around and backtrack in.

On a simple quest to defeat an evil wizard with the power of the Dragon Lords, you make your way across a large continent, with small dungeons and villages amidst a 3D overworld. The 2D portions are gorgeous, with special attention made to the main character's animations and graphical effects. The 3D is less so, resembling the blocky 3D in Drakkhen but still a technical wonder to behold as the player can smoothly scroll a three-dimensional world on the SNES.

The mechanics are similar to a beat-em-up, where the player can move and jump across belts on a horizontal plane in a 2D area. The player has access to a sword and a throwing blade called a hauza, along with three magic rings and some items. The player has a lot at their disposal, but the main winners are going to be careful movement around opponents and advanced attack maneuvers based on player placement.

The world is fairly well organized, with villagers often having (multiple) helpful things to say, and the world map split into various map pieces that the player can use. Warp points are available but limited, meaning the player does have to slog through this 3D realm quite a bit. Secret merchants, glowing emblems, hidden caves - it can get a little boring looking for them.

Still, the game has incredibly solid combat that rewards careful movement and a bit of grinding, and has a charming little story that is well worth a player's time to check out.

Beat the game without much trouble. Had to check a walkthrough a couple of times for minor things that I could not be bothered to spend too much time figuring out. I made it nearly to the end while being somewhat underleveled the entire time and missed some important weapon, armor and magic upgrades. Just before the end I used a walkthrough to find all the stuff I missed, and breezed through the final dungeon and boss.

Really enjoyed my time with this game, especially the tactical balance in the combat between the different weapons, magic and special attacks.