Vanillaware returns with arguably its best game to date, a tribute to beat-em-ups with much deeper elements.
If you decide to stick it out on your own, you'll have a great adventure ahead of you anyway. You can skill up your warrior in a number of ways, buy and sell new weapons to improve your battle style, and call upon fallen allies to rejoin you, through a resurrection system in a nearby chapel. It's a bit weird turning a pile of bones into a living, breathing character, but they're quite effective when it comes to serving in battle with you. So, either way you play, you've got a grand quest ahead of you.
There are times that the game will feel like a grind, especially when it comes to attacking an enemy the same way over and over. However, with all the sub-quests that open up, and the ability to change your tactics depending on what you're in the mood for, Dragon's Crown delivers a splendid experience. And it's got replay value galore, especially if you're up for a good looting.
In terms of presentation, this is easily Vanillaware's most beautiful game to date – and yes, that's taking the recently released Muramasa Rebirth into account. The graphics are luscious and beautiful on both platforms, though the game easily looks better on a good HD TV in 1080p form on the PS3. The Vita version also suffers from a slight bit of slowdown, but not enough to rob you of the experience. The character animation is smooth, and the cinematics, especially the rotating worlds leading into your next quest, are something to watch. I only hope Vanillaware continues to make games look as good as this one does.
