Dragon’s Crown Pro Is Street Fighter V Meets Dungeons and Dragons

Local co-operative games have been few and far between this generation, making Dragon’s Crown Pro a rarity. It’s a co-operative 2D action role-playing game. Aside from the likes of Diablo 3 and the recently released Overcooked, few game companies have bothered with couch play, preferring the more lucrative confines of live services and vast open worlds. Dragon’s Crown Pro for the PS4 and PS4 Pro is a remaster of the 2013 PS3 and PS Vita classic by the same name, which is out the world over on May 15. We spent some quality time with a final retail build of the game to tell you what you can expect.

Developed by Vanillaware — the studio behind unique looking games like Odin Sphere and Muramasa — Dragon's Crown exudes style. From large bosses that fill up the screen, to the oddly proportioned heroes you control, it’s a slick cel shaded adventure with few comparisons.

In terms of plot, you’re an adventurer who has set out to claim the titular Dragon’s Crown, a legendary piece of treasure. Along the way you’ll meet unending hordes of disposable orcs, skeletons, and goblins, as well as bosses such as towering wyverns, and fiendish vampires. The story is narrated by an omniscient narrator not too dissimilar to what you’d expect from a Dungeons and Dragons campaign, and while its presentation choices do a lot to highlight the atmosphere, the narrative supports its combat and exploration, rather than the other way around. So if you were expecting something akin to Persona 5, think again.

The approach works given the classes at hand. There are six to choose from — the Fighter, the Amazon, the Dwarf, the Sorceress, the Wizard, and the Elf. They have a mix of ranged and melee attacks. Though that’s just the surface of an exceptionally deep system involving combos, juggling, countering, and cancelling attacks, making it akin to a fighting game like Street Fighter V, despite its RPG trappings.

Plus, every character has a unique trait, such as the Fighter being able to block, and the Dwarf having the ability to throw enemies. Throw in a host of customisable skill trees coupled with an RPG-style level progression system, and Dragon’s Crown Pro is a lot more than meets the eye, allowing you to shoot a volley of arrows as the Elf; summon wooden golems as the Wizard; or buff your allies as the Fighter, which is what we ended up doing in succession. It supports local co-operative play for upto four players so handling three adventurers was a cinch.

And while the original Dragon’s Crown was a great looking game on the PS3 and PS Vita, Dragon’s Crown Pro manages to look sharper on the PS4 Pro at 4K with a steadier frame rate to boot. Even with multiple enemies on screen in local co-op mode, it held up considerably well. We’re yet to take it for a spin online to ascertain its net code, the original release did have a few issues which were ironed out with patches. Hopefully Dragon’s Crown Pro online is a seamless experience.

As it stands, Dragon’s Crown Pro is shaping up to be an entertaining action RPG. But does it have enough to warrant a playthrough if you already own it on the PS3 or PS Vita? Is its online as good as its local co-op? Find out in our full review next week.

Gadgets 360 played a final retail code of Dragon's Crown Pro on the PS4 Pro. Dragon's Crown Pro release date is May 15 and is priced at $50 in the US and Rs. 2,999 in India.

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