Is Dragon View Worth Playing Today? - SNESdrunk 

As it turns out, the 3D overworld isn’t mode 7. It’s pretty impressive, cause the draw distance isn’t bad

DUDE! Thank you for showing me this game. I finally gave it a long chance today and i really love it. To me it's a top 30 SNES game that i would have never known about without you. You rock bro.

Again, Kemco-Seita didn't develop Drakkhen. They ported it and did a fairly poor job at it. A French company Infrogrames developed it for AmigaOS which explains the much more western style. The two games really have nothing in common beyond the first person overworld (not that it's otherwise similar) and the naming by Kemco-Seita.

"Your girlfriend or whoever is kidnapped by the evil what's-his-name..." = 80% of video game storyline introductions.

Dragon View is actually timeline-wise a 'prequel' to Drakkhen, but the game has a lot of well-executed style to make use of the SNES hardware. Drakkhen, however, was a poor port of the Amiga version. A shame the port was riddled w/ so many flaws. It makes Dragon View all the more.. redeeming. Worth a (re)play.

I had this game arrive at the weekend! Good to hear your thoughts on it. I'm really enjoying it so far.

The narration is as it would be if you were playing a tabletop rpg with a gamemaster.

You need more subs, you've been killing it for too long

Absolutely one of my favorite hidden gems on SNES. I found my copy years ago at a Movie Gallery, and play through it every couple of years. In fact, it might be about time for another run...

Having played it more, I truthfully believe Drakkhen is an alternative game. It's flawed to hell and back but it is an experience I would unironically recommend to the right people. It is my cup of tea. I love the empty, quiet, sometimes-somber overworld. I love the backwards battle system. I love the cryptic and deeply atmospheric story telling. I love the music, and I love the way it keeps you on your toes. The sequel is a better game, but good luck ever finding a cartridge.

Just finished this game on the Evercade. Absolutely loved it, a real underappreciated gem of a game! I thought the combat was a highlight but enjoyed everything the game had to offer!

Gonna sound weird for saying this, but I actually like the original Drakkhen when I look back at it. I only played it for the first time around a little more than a year ago. However, after the admittedly bad introduction, I found the gameplay strangely addicting. Exploring the vast open world, learning how to set each character's combat style during combat in a manner similar to Xenoblade Chronicles and The Last Story (yes, the original feels much like a SNES version of those games to me,) finding secrets in the dungeons, and fighting some admittedly surreal bosses this game certainly comes off as a unique piece in the SNES library. Plus the music is actually pretty damn good and makes the game worth it in my opinion.

Wanted to say thank you for this review! I discovered this lovely game via your review, and I absolutely adored it :) So thanks for sharing something amazing and hitherto unknown to me! This is why I follow you :D Hope there's more great gems like this! The music just makes me so happy. Oh, and its also on Steam in case folks are looking to play it!

i discovered your channel this week and thanks to you for leading me to this game. i got it and I tested it and played 5 minutes of this and i can tell i'm gonna love it.Thanks!

I got it for like 3$ on steam the other week. I am actually enjoying it quite a bit. the story is simple but fun, and the animations are cool

One good thing about the boomerang/hauza is that you can go to the swamp early on and beat the blobs there fairly easily with it for some level ups.

You are my favorite Internet video game person. I listen to your videos to build a back log on my ROM box. I also listen to your videos while I game because it reminds me of when I had friends that liked old games too lol

I managed to fumble my way through Drakhen as a kid before the days of online walkthroughs and enjoyed it enough since my library wasn't very large or varied. I've wanted to play the follow-up for years and have been unwilling to shell out $150+ for a cart. Just snagged a repro and am loving it. The gameplay is satisfying and it scratches that nostalgic itch. It's not without its shortcomings but it is a far more intuitive and easier story to follow than it's predecessor. Never thought a mash-up of RPG and beat em up would work well but here it is. Definitely worth your time if you are feeling in the mood for some 90s goodness.

I love this game. I was so mad when I was younger playing a ROM of this. It was a bad version of the ROM and when I was like 60% through the game I'd enter a room after a boss and the screen would flash to black and there would be a voice laughing at me..... took me forever to find a good version I could finish

Great post! I played and finished this excellent game in the cartridge that I have until today. I love this great SNES RPG, very well remembered and commented on this classic.

I started playing it again after you mentioned it in one of your previous videos and I can say that I'm enjoying it now as much as I did when I first played it years ago. Wandering around on the map can be annoying/boring, though, since your view distance is pretty short, so trying to find your objective can be a PITA sometimes. Also, who the hell goes on a date wearing plate armor? You just *cannot* make out wearing that.

Okay I thought I knew most games worth a damn on SNES but lately you've really been surprising me with the games you've been bringing into discussion (the "Titanic"/Poseidon looking game for instance). The content keeps getting better. HAve a good day man.

I Love Drakkhen!

Playing this game now for the first time. Was pleasantly surprised. Highly recommended.

I was really hoping you'd do this game. It's definitely one of my sleeper hits from the SNES days. Thanks! Good work.

I like "Drakken"... good tunes...nostalgic goggles on tho

As of 04/28/2022, Limited Run games will have this soon to buy.

THANK YOU, finally someone who talks about this game! you've really mastered the knowledge of the SNES library through the years (love your Super Famicom JRPGs videos, btw). p.s. for some reason, it was one of the very first games that I emulated.. although I really don't remember why, maybe for the silly name :P

It's sad how bad of a rap Drakkhen gets. I really enjoy the game. I think it's a very misunderstood game. People play it for five minutes and give up. If you give it a chance it's a pretty unique and interesting RPG. As for Dragon View, never played it. But it looks really good. Too bad it's so expensive....

I poured hours into this when I was a kid. Loved the fighting. Loved the exploration.

I remember trying to play Draken when my buddy got his SNES when it was first released. I didn't get it at all but wanted to try playing so bad. Thanks for stirring that memory at the beginning of the video.

I remember this game. Bought it at a pawn shop for 5 bucks when I was 12. Bought a lot of great games from that pawn shop. Chrono trigger, final fantasy 2 & 3, front mission. Some many classics

from the uk and love what you do used to watch avgn untill i discovered you I find ur reviews indeph and honest compared to avgn where I feel I'm watching a scripted episode of friends.

Drakkhen is not that bad, in my opinion. It was the first game I beat. Also, when I struggled with sleep paralysis I have had many dreams about places I have been to reimagined as Drakkhen castles. Dragon View is a weak sequel.

Reminds me of Sword of Vermilion.

Brandish 2 is really fun actually. You get used to shifting the screen, but you can change the controls so that you do it a lot less. Your character will walk sideways, even backwards, but this is usually better in the fights anyway.

I just beat this recently, glad to see it getting attention! It had its share of flaws for me, mainly the clunky world map and sometimes the difficulty in figuring out what you need to or should do next. I had a lot of fun with it though, especially in the second half of the game.

Awesome job on New Game Plus Podcast! Great review

Drakkhen was actually my first SNES game. We were out shopping after having just got the console, and myself and my brother could choose one game each. I chose this game and my brother chose Final Fantasy 2(4). I think you can tell who was the smarter brother. So yeah, that game is pretty crap, but it's got a soft spot in my heart...except for the constellations, AKA the jump scare monsters. As for Dragon View, I've only seen it referenced once in Nintendo Power where somebody was asking a question about what to do. It wasn't until I had access to an emulator that I was able to play....and partway through the game, it hard locked. Not sure if it was my game's copy or what but I had to start over a few times. Also I just found the channel and now I've been binging videos.

How did I miss this game when I was a kid?

This game is one of my guilty pleasures. I owned it on SNES growing up, and while I recognize it doesn't do anything particularly noteworthy, it's not a bad little game. It scratched an itch I had for an "RPG with side-scrolling beat-em-up battle system" that would remain incredibly rare for generations to come. And while the music isn't anything to write home about, it had some pretty catchy tracks.

I played this game about a decade ago and always meant to go back and finish it, but didn't. I decided this week to play it again, because I really enjoyed it the first time. I'm looking forward to it.

Just a side note...the overworld in Drakkhen is polygonal with the buildings being differently scaled sprites. Also, the intro song is pretty badass... I'm just saying it has some good points if you're patient.

Nostalgic!! Only downside is that the ROM I had was broken. When I got right before the swamp "chapter" the game just got frozen and never worked again =( . I've had a great time playing it though. Still worth it

This game looks awesome, I like the combination of first person exploring and beat em up action with RPG elements. It just sucks how SNES games can get quiet expensive. ah well SNES9x can save the day.

'Looks game up on ebay'...' Cries'

Thank god for homebrewed Wii and snes drunk love your videos bro

Yrs ago i watched this video and downloaded the game to my snes mini, i was always drunk when i tried to play and i could never figure it out. Playing it again now sober and man this game is cool. Fun, interesting, and the graphics are great. I also cant believe how smooth it runs. Really good game.

Thanks SNESdrunk, I just now purchased a copy after watching your review :)

Drakkhen was good on the PC and 16-bit home computers (Atari ST and Amiga), from what I understand a different game than the SNES version. Thanks for the video.

John Riggs recommends this game

Playing this on the Evercade VS...its a awesome game. For the snes its a rare and expensive game

This game is - and I hate the term "hidden gem" so I'll use a thesaurus.com's first synonym for each word - a real *buried hardware*. XD My parents accidentally bought this for me instead of The King of Dragons which I had requested. I was so disappointed at first but that quickly faded away. Really do like this game and hope others discover and enjoy it too.

Actually that Big Stats Screen was quite dirty hack to allow game to operate in "3D" mode without not-yet-existing things like FX chip. With this stats on screen (static part) part of screen SNES needed to render in real time was significantly smaller so CPU power was just enough.

I stumbled across this from one of those “diamond in the ruff” videos. I really enjoyed the game.

Your reviews are priceless! Thank you!

I feel the thing I look most forward to in your videos is how you pronounce SNES Drunk

Found this game by chance some time ago and I was enthralled with it.

This game looks awesome! I knew there was a sequel to Drakken, but I never looked into it because... well, it's Drakken. But I definitely want to give this one a look :D

Damn it... Only you, would make me regret trading this game. I never played it enough to have it hook me, but damn it, this footage and your description, makes this a game I want to reobtain! Great review, as usual.

Reminds me of that one game on Sega, Sword of Vermilion. Had the same FPS world-view but also switched to side-scrolling beat''em-up during battle.

I played this gem hundreds of times when i was a kid, loved those times

Just beat Drakkhen today and fucking loved it - it wasn't confusing to me at all. Remember playing it a little back in the day but didn't get far (need to know which monsters to run from). Awesome game - now on to Dragon View!

looks interesting. Not a game that's going to change anybody's life, but it looks like a neat playthrough none the less.

I love the scathing review of Drakkhen at the start. Brutal.

It's a good game, fun and challenging. Make sure to grind and look for items before venturing to a new area or be prepared to get wrecked

Didnt realize this was a drakken follow up game. Actually been searching for this game for a long time. Played it as a kid and LOVED it. Just hearing the music brings me back.

Never seen this title anywhere but will keep an eye out now.

War of the dead for pc engine also has link 2/dragon style beat em up battles

I used to like Drakkhen when I was young lol. But dang it seems so different playing it and looking at it again.

This really is only a sequel because someone at Kemco decided it was. Drakhen was originally an Infogrames game developed for the Amiga and Atari ST that Kemco had nothing to do with. It's no coincidence that "originally developed for Amiga" is something so many terrible SNES and Genesis games have in common: the Amiga had an extraordinary amount of absolute garbage in its game library (Sword of Sodan *shivers*) and translating games designed to be played with a keyboard and mouse to a console generally only made them worse. In a way Dragon View and Drakhen on the SNES demonstrates quite effectively what both the difference in European vs Japanese game design philosophies led to (even if the Kemco-developed SNES port made some changes to the game compared to the Amiga original, many of the original design choices remain intact), as well as in how the very nature of the console platform just demanded very different design choices for such a game. As a result Drakhen on SNES is a miserable experience (it's that on the Amiga as well, but slightly less so), and Dragon View is an absolute joy to play.

They really improved the sequel a lot compared to the first game, I still think it's impressive that they managed to make an overworld with an open world in 3D for the Super Nintendo.

The graphics and details on the enemy types are Sega Saturn calibur type of good .

The first time I played this game, a friend of mine let me borrow it for Final Fantasy 3. After beating it, I tried to get back MY game and my friend was trying to blow me off and keep my game. Eventually I did get back Final Fantasy 3 which even though I really enjoyed Dragon View I still like Final Fantasy 3 more.

I always get Arcana and Drakkhen confused. Id like to go back and play the latter. Its one of those games you need to read the manual, but I couldnt do that when I rented it.Its prob not that expensive complete, or just box and manual only since we already have it. Dragonview looks awesome. Soon as I find a good deal on it Ill pick it up, and by good deal I mean like 40-50 bucks cuz Im somewhat realistic.

Fans of this hybrid style might also enjoy Sword of Vermilion for Genesis/Megadrive.

PSA: Limited Run is re-releasing this game so don't spend $150+ for a CIB copy.

This is a fun one I discovered several years back and played through to completion.

Can't thank you enough for show me this hidden gem. Having a blast on my twitch channel.

Oh hey, you did get to making a video on this and I somehow missed it. Nice.

Amazing channel! You are the best!

I want so badly for modern RPGs to be done this way. I would kill for a modern game like this.

I've had some interest in picking up this game, but not super thrilled about price, so I haven't yet.

My neighbor had this game. I had to borrow it so I never beat it. I should go back and beat. It really was a fun game.

"The Dialoge is told by a Narrator, it's kinda cheesy" I'd say it's more like as if yoou play a D&D campaign on the SNES! And that's awesome!

Good choice! I forgot all about this 1. Add another game to the huge wish list lol.

This ones a lot of fun! 🎮

it reminds me so much at beat em up dungeons and dragosn capcom tower of doom

I hear a title like "Dragon View" and I think of some weekly newsletter for dragons.

Looks pretty awesome. Any chance I could get this on Virtual Console?

Drakkhen on the SNES is one of the few good memories I had with my dad. I have a weird attachment to it, and it's still odd to hear people say it's not good.

I'm surprised the game isn't more expensive than it is, or featured on more HIDDEN GEMZ videos. I remember renting it years ago and then buying the store's copy because I liked it so much. the mechanics were really innovative for a SNES rpg.

There is also a romhack that allows to rapid fire the bow. Might make this game more fun for someone.

This looks fun, I think I will give it a try

Dragon Thrust, solid! Also, what's wrong with Brainlord :P

gotta check this one out

Omfg....that game. All I ever did was drown my guys. I didn't know what the hell I was supposed to do.

Hey, SNES DRUNK! Did you experience the glitch in this game 3 hours in when the game just crashes? It doesn't look like it was mentioned in these comments.

We had 3D on snes????😮😮😮😮😮 i had no idea!

Seldom considered fact, this game has absolutely nothing to do with Blazing Dragons on PS1 and Saturn. But Blazing Dragons is still awesome!