| Dragon's Crown (video game) | |
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Promotional image of the logo of the game. |
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| Developer(s) | Vanillaware |
| Publisher(s) | UTV Ignition Entertainment |
| Designer(s) | George Kamitani (Art director) |
| Composer(s) | Hitoshi Sakimoto Masaharu Iwata Kimihiro Abe Mitsuhiro Kaneda Manabu Namiki |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita |
| Release date(s) | Q1/Q2 2012[1] |
| Genre(s) | Action role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multi-player |
| Rating(s) |
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Dragon's Crown (ドラゴンズクラウン Doragonzu Kuraun) is a 2D fantasy action RPG video game currently being developed by Vanillaware and localized and published by UTV Ignition Entertainment. The game will be released on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita during the first half of 2012. Like Odin Sphere and Muramasa: The Demon Blade, it is a spiritual successor to an Atlus game titled Princess Crown and takes some concepts from Norse mythology.
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Dragon's Crown is an action role-playing game structured like a traditional side-scrolling beat 'em up where players move their characters across the screen into the background or foreground attacking enemies. Players may choose between one of six characters--Fighter, Amazon, Elf, Sorceress, Wizard, and Dwarf--who must travel though a number of environments using standard attacks as well as magic spells to defeat enemies.[2] Each character has their own specific strengths and weaknesses such as attack power, movement speed, special attacks, and selection of magic, with the characters' growth throughout the game also being customizable by the player.[3] During gameplay, players may come across items which can be used to aid characters, as well as equipment and weapons which can increase a character's statistics and battle strength. The title features branching paths in every level which are traveled based on the player's decisions during gameplay, such as choosing to steal an item from a boss character, running instead of engaging an enemy, or searching for secrets, which will lead to alternate areas.[4] Quests may also be undertaken by players which hold specific objectives for each dungeon, which all come with their own rewards.[1]
The game features an online mode over Sony's PlayStation Network which allows up to four players to experience the game simultaneously.[1] When a player's character runs out of lives during online player, another player may gather their bones to trade into special merchant characters who can bring that character back as an AI-controlled partner.[4] Players may also communicate using an in-game pop-up system which can quickly convey simple messages such as "thank you" to another person.[4]
The Playstation 3 and PlayStation Vita versions of the game were designed to be identical and compatible with the same save data, which can be freely transferred between both systems.[5] In addition, the PlayStation Vita version uses its touchscreen for item management in place of the PlayStation 3's Dualshock analog stick.[5]
The game takes place in a fantasy world where vast labyrinths and catacombs lie beneath civilization. Magic-users seeking a legendary treasure know as the "Dragon's Crown" have used their sorcery to link each of the ruins together in order to search for it, which they plan to use for a sinister purpose. Players must take up the role of one of six adventurers to keep the crown out of their hands, as well as search for treasure of their own.[1]
Dragon's Crown was first announced at the 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles by representatives of Ignition Entertainment, who revealed that they would also be localizing the English-language version of the title.[2] The game, developed for the PlayStation 3, represents the first HD video game developed by Vanillaware, previously known for their work on standard-definition titles such as Odin Sphere for the PlayStation 2 and Muramasa: The Demon Blade for the Nintendo Wii.[3] It was also produced simultaneously for the PlayStation Vita handheld system, which Ignition claimed would not be a "scaled-down version" and would contain the "same fluid hand-drawn animation, blazing special effects, and haunting soundtrack" as the PlayStation 3 release.[3]
Art Director George Kamitani first had the idea for Dragon's Crown thirteen years before its release, immediately after production of Princess Crown for the Sega Saturn in 1997, but claimed that he was unable to find a publisher willing to support the project, which at the time was intended for the Sega Dreamcast.[6] Kamitani, who had previously worked with Capcom on Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom , said that he always wanted to develop a game that would "advance the genre" of similar titles such as Golden Axe and The King of Dragons while still keeping it 2D.[7] Kashow Oda, publishing producer of Ignition Entertainment stated that the company signed on with the project because they "respect[ed] Kamitani’s artwork and unique style" as well as being intrigued by its online mode.[6] A separate version for the PlayStation Vita was developed due to the success Capcom's Monster Hunter series had on PlayStation Portable, with its connectivity to the PlayStation 3 version added because "we wanted our game to have a feature where people can get together and play."[6]
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