BADCP - GPOW Tribute

Peace Through Strength

DATE:
25 YEARS AGO

GPOW 25TH
A N N I V E R S A R Y



PLAYSTATION 4	BAD	DRAGON'S CROWN PRO


			More disappointing than the absence of new characters and/or stages for the Pro edition, however, was the absence of new, unique Trophies. I almost never judge a game based on Trophies or Achievements, but for this game it just had to be addressed. Dragon's Crown Pro on PlayStation 4 literally has the same Trophies as Dragon's Crown on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. It shares Trophies with them. This was incredibly disappointing, considering how new Trophies could have been the least they could have done with the Pro version. I couldn't believe that it just shared Trophies with the other versions, giving older PlayStation 3 players virtually no reason to buy the Pro version on PlayStation 4. There's no defense for the lack of Trophies. Sad seeing such laziness, considering Vanillaware's hard work and dedication. The mishandling of the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4 versions really saddened players who expected content that reflected Vanillaware's reputation for deliverance.

The most noticeable addition to DGP is the thunderous, newly-orchestrated soundtrack, which immediately shows you it means business. The theme song from Dragon Crown Pro's cinematic intro is memorable, just like the 16 and 32-Bit brawling masterpieces it pays tribute to. Kamitani knows his audience well, and knew exactly how one of the genre's biggest hooks is a memorable soundtrack. The soundtrack will easily have you humming and hitting tables to the rhythm all day. The dialogue has also been redone from what the press release said, and the narrator sounds great. Character battle cries are very similar to the ones longtime fans of the genre will remember echoing in arcades of the 90s. The characters sound eerily similar to the ones in Capcom's Alien VS. Predator and Dungeons & Dragons arcade games. Perhaps the most useful addition to Dragon's Crown Pro is one that nobody knows about because it was so poorly-promoted.

Not just the most overlooked feature of this game, but of the PlayStation 4 hardware in general, is touchpad support. This isn't just one of the few games that actually uses that big pad in the middle of the PS4 controller; it actually uses it well, and it's great. Finding stashed items, secret doors, and spells are all speed of control when Dragon's Crown used the right analog stick to control screen searching for treasure and secrets, and Dragon's Crown Pro offers the touchpad to control it faster and more efficiently. In a self-defeating move, that right-stick support from the PlayStation 3 was left in the PlayStation 4 version. I wouldn't have done this simply because it feels largely obsolete compared to the touchpad controls, but then again, this game was full of questionable decisions...

	31
	BURSTING
	At the seams with elegant royalty.

	32
	LITTLE BEEAPPS
	Love this little guy.

	33
	FIGHTING
	Fire.

	34
	SECRETS
	Hand icons show players using the touchpad to search for hidden treasure.

	35
	BETWEEN
	A clash of titans.

All of this being said, it is also rarely talked about just how much Dragon's Crown does for the genre. Mr. Kamitani himself was saying about how he wanted to evolve the genre with it, and he absolutely does. There are several parts in the game that prove he stayed true to his goals, but which do you choose? In one battle, you can either hack away at a Kraken assaulting your ship, or light cannons to fire at him and even the odds. In another, you can man catapults and hurl an assault at your enemies. Still, there are other parts where branching paths lead to different boss fights with different outcomes. True, Final Fight 3 was probably the first side-scrolling fighting game to have branching paths, I don't remember it having any of those paths determined by boss fight outcomes. The aforementioned Kraken battle is among those where your performance does matter!

	36
	LOOKS LIKE
	An enemy from Turtles in Time?

All of this being said, there's plenty of different ways to go through every stage in the game, with multiple bosses to fight in each stage. Criticize Dragon's Crown Pro for lacking basic extras, but don't criticize it for its gameplay; there's enough here not just brawling fans, but for any player to enjoy. In fact, even with extra stages and/or characters being ignored for Dragon's Crown Pro, there's still probably a wealth of gameplay to be had by most players. There might not be much left for devoted players who put considerably more into Dragon's Crown on PlayStation 3 than the average player, though, and that's sad. The game's "Pro" moniker is aimed at fans and early supporters of the game, but with few additions to the game for those players who have finished everything, Dragon's Crown Pro really seems like it was meant more for casual players.

	37
	MEMORIES
	Huge boss battles remind us of old Capcom D&D arcade games.

	38
	COLD STEEL
	Knights of the Round.

	39
	STATUES
	Perhaps destroyed by lawless vandals?

	40
	BREWERIES
	Were they as trendy then as they are now?

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