Post by Warlock on Feb 24, 2012 19:59:27 GMT -5
I've recently been playing through this charming Dragon Quest-style RPG on my commute, and I thought I should post and talk about it a little.
Dragon Fantasy is a fairly straightforward RPG, reminiscent of the early Dragon Quest games- it's divided into a number of chapters, in which you'll explore dungeons, fight monsters, and battle the forces of evil. The whole thing is done in an NES-ish style; it's got pretty nice, albeit chunky and low-res, graphics and sound. The game is intentionally humorous and lighthearted, and it's pretty well-written for what it is... While I'm generally not a fan of pop-culture humor, Dragon Fantasy pulls it off in a way that's at least low-key and inoffensive. They've taken the time to include unique descriptions for each enemy's attacks, appearance, and death- it gives them a lot more personality than most generic RPG monsters, which is a big plus.
Three chapters have been released so far- the first, and longest, chapter is the Dragon Quest-esque adventure of Ogden, a retired knight, as he leaves retirement to save a prince captured by the forces of evil. This chapter is the most straightforward, and have the most basic gameplay- Ogden is your only character, and he never encounters more than one enemy at a time. Ogden himself is very reminiscent of Dragon Quest 1's main character; that's clearly what the chapter is modeled after, although it's more linear than Dragon Quest.
The second chapter is the shortest; it puts you in control of a mage-type hero and adds a second party member and monsters with elemental weaknesses to the mix, although you'll still only be encountering one enemy at a time. It is a bit frustrating at times, though; you don't have a lot of margin for error with your relatively frail hero, particularly when you're required to run a sizable dungeon on your own. Still, at least it's short.
The third chapter is the most interesting- it stars a thief and his niece, a ninja. Like Dragon Quest 4'a Taloon, your ultimate goal is to amass a pile of money through a number of subquests. This chapter adds a few interesting quirks... You can pickpocket NPCs, which is something I haven't seen in a Final Fantasy-style RPG before, even if it's more gimmicky than practical. Secondly, your party doesn't have a dedicated healer- you're largely dependent on items stolen from enemies to recover your health. Combined with the addition of multiple enemies in combat, it makes for more tactically interesting combat than the Fight-Fight-Heal-Repeat rhythm of the previous chapters. The third chapter ends with a lead-in to at least a fourth, but it hasn't been released yet.
I've been enjoying the game a lot on my commute, and I'm looking forward to the next chapter. I heartily recommend it if you're interested in a pocket-sized RPG in the faux-NES style. I've been playing the iOS version, but there's a recently-released PC port as well.
- HC
Dragon Fantasy is a fairly straightforward RPG, reminiscent of the early Dragon Quest games- it's divided into a number of chapters, in which you'll explore dungeons, fight monsters, and battle the forces of evil. The whole thing is done in an NES-ish style; it's got pretty nice, albeit chunky and low-res, graphics and sound. The game is intentionally humorous and lighthearted, and it's pretty well-written for what it is... While I'm generally not a fan of pop-culture humor, Dragon Fantasy pulls it off in a way that's at least low-key and inoffensive. They've taken the time to include unique descriptions for each enemy's attacks, appearance, and death- it gives them a lot more personality than most generic RPG monsters, which is a big plus.
Three chapters have been released so far- the first, and longest, chapter is the Dragon Quest-esque adventure of Ogden, a retired knight, as he leaves retirement to save a prince captured by the forces of evil. This chapter is the most straightforward, and have the most basic gameplay- Ogden is your only character, and he never encounters more than one enemy at a time. Ogden himself is very reminiscent of Dragon Quest 1's main character; that's clearly what the chapter is modeled after, although it's more linear than Dragon Quest.
The second chapter is the shortest; it puts you in control of a mage-type hero and adds a second party member and monsters with elemental weaknesses to the mix, although you'll still only be encountering one enemy at a time. It is a bit frustrating at times, though; you don't have a lot of margin for error with your relatively frail hero, particularly when you're required to run a sizable dungeon on your own. Still, at least it's short.
The third chapter is the most interesting- it stars a thief and his niece, a ninja. Like Dragon Quest 4'a Taloon, your ultimate goal is to amass a pile of money through a number of subquests. This chapter adds a few interesting quirks... You can pickpocket NPCs, which is something I haven't seen in a Final Fantasy-style RPG before, even if it's more gimmicky than practical. Secondly, your party doesn't have a dedicated healer- you're largely dependent on items stolen from enemies to recover your health. Combined with the addition of multiple enemies in combat, it makes for more tactically interesting combat than the Fight-Fight-Heal-Repeat rhythm of the previous chapters. The third chapter ends with a lead-in to at least a fourth, but it hasn't been released yet.
I've been enjoying the game a lot on my commute, and I'm looking forward to the next chapter. I heartily recommend it if you're interested in a pocket-sized RPG in the faux-NES style. I've been playing the iOS version, but there's a recently-released PC port as well.
- HC
