Dragons Blood: Slash the Price

A game which caught my eye in the bargain bin of Toys R'Us the other week was Dragons Blood. I had considered buying this game many times, at full price, but I was always led astray by classics such as Crazy Taxi etc. In fact, I remember juggling Dragons Blood and Sword of the Beserker one time, finally deciding on the gory anime slasher. However at £4.99, I could not resist, and the game finally had a home.

Booting it up, you are treated to a chunk of crimson FMV. You get to play a butch warrior type, or a svelte but magical lass. Both characters possess magical abilities as they level, but the lassy can use it more readily. The graphics are really special. They portray a detailed world and the characters are realistically medieval. The movement mechanism is simple enough, although it does take some getting used to. You character seems to sway and swoop around alot. I was expecting the "fixed perspective" of Tomb Raider, however, Dragons Blood uses a much more realistic perspective, where the landscape and character alter according to your position in the world.

The battling mechanism tries for realism too. As the swipe of your trusty sword connects with mob, they recoil and are often thrown quite a distance. Perform a series of slashes, chops, and thrusts in succession and you will pull off a combo strike which can be very satisfying indeed. Theres nothing quite like a flying chop from above. Different mobs require different fighting techniques and strategies. You will often require a well timed block using your shield, following it up swiftly with a counter-lunge. You can circle strafe around slow mobs and slash at their back. The beauty of the fighting is that it takes real skill and co-ordination to battle three fairly cunning enemies each try to get around behind you to deliver that fatal backstab. You'll have to use the landscape to corner yourself in and protect your rear, whilst blocking all attacks and getting a counter in. A side swipe can often lift the mob off the ground and hurl them away long enough for you to skewer the one left. The sword and shield play are varied enough to make a battle strategic enough and not degenerate into a mindless hack and slash.

After each kill, you can steal a small amount of health back from the deceased's heart. Not all mobs drop a heart - but since your health bar is incredibly important, you cherish each mobs lifeforce. In order to progress and level up the game adopts a mechanism by which you collect wisp blessings and trade them in at the end of the level for skill improvement. Offense affects the weapons you carry, Defense affects the armour you wear, while you can learn new magical abilities by spending points on the elemental skills. You can also invest in rank which is effectively levelling you up. There is a predefined tree which you will climb, as you are blessed and go through the levels. Although it seems to allow for some specialising, particularly in magic. One of the offensive power ups I gained was a morphing blade. It can morph between broadsword, axe and spiked club. Each having different rates of attack and damage abilities.

The one area the game falls down, is its lack of ability to save mid-level. This particular niggle is a problem that affects many games out on the market and some game designers argue against mid-level saves - because they use it as a tool to set game difficulty. For an aging gamer who sometimes only has a spare half hour, there are times when I cannot sit down and plough through a level for 2 hours just so I can save my progress. Anyway, Dragons Blood goes some way to alleviate the frustration - because it allows you to set a mark anywhere on the level, where you will restart if you die. This mark however, isn't written to the memory card, and if you turn the console off - you will have to start the level again next time you play. This mark has helped me get through the really long levels, because I just set it, pause the game, leave the console on and then return when I have some spare time to finish it. Obviously this is only going to work if you can keep the console on, and the poor little box got rather hot, awaiting my attentions again.

I am starting the sixth level I think, so still a way to go, but for a budget game - this really is worth it. In fact it is such a shame it has hit the bargain bin, and will no doubt be passed up as mere tat. This game deserves much better. Then again, perhaps the cheap price will give it more exposure than it would have got. If I'd have paid full price for this, I'd have been happy. Since I got it at a steal, I'm very happy.

Right, I'm off to kill something, I wonder what I should kill it with, sword, axe or club?