Collection essentials #183: Dragon View (SNES)

Dragon View is the sequel to an RPG from early in the SNES lifespan called Drakkhen, which I don’t own and frankly isn’t a very good game. But for this game they changed things up, in a good way. This game plays like a blend of an RPG and arcade-style beat ‘em ups like Final Fight or Streets of Rage. You control a character who gets stronger by leveling up, getting better gear and magic. There’s a linear storyline to follow, and a world to explore with towns, dungeons and a world map to get from place to place. However, when you actually get into an area with combat, battles play out in real-time much like one of those arcade games I mentioned. 

Dragon View’s story isn’t very memorable, but what does stand out is how it presents its narrative. All dialogue in the game is presented from a perspective as if you’re reading a book, with a narration describing how the characters are acting and quoting the characters when they’re supposed to say something. You could argue that a video game like this with graphics should show and not tell, but I actually thought it was pretty well done and distinguished this game a little from the crowd.

This game is pretty good, but does lack a little bit of extra polish that would have made it one of the absolute best on the system. The music, for example, is good but doesn’t utilize the capabilities of the console to the fullest extent. Sometimes progression is a little obtuse and annoying, as with many games from this era. Sometimes it feels too much like combat depends on whether you’re the right level and have the right gear rather than the player’s skill. Truth be told, I almost didn’t include Dragon View on this list. I left it off the initial draft of essentials. But as I keep reflecting on this game, I can’t help but feel attached to it. The music may not be the best, but it still stuck with me anyway as I do like the tunes. The gameplay and narrative are good and different from anything else on the system. Maybe it helps that this was one of the first games that I played through after I moved out my parents’ house, so it kind of got linked to a major transitional time in my past. Plus, that poster it came with is darn cool. Anyways, while I wouldn’t insist that everybody has to play this game, I am quite fond of it to the point where I’m now considering it a collection essential.