Dragon's Crown Pro

For everyone that’s already very familiar with Dragon’s Crown, I’d say that Pro feels like a worthy re-release even if it’s a bit light overall on extra features. If you’re starting to wind down with something like God of War right now, Dragon’s Crown Pro could easily be a solid addition to your PS4 library next week.

The best way to play Dragon’s Crown, period. Even if one can argue that this is a lazy port, there’s no use to change something that was already close to perfection.

It really is little more than a direct port of a really wonderful game, with only the most superficial of enhancements. That being said, Dragon’s Crown Pro is a direct port of a really wonderful game, and it’s still the most sublime, brilliant fun, and it only gets better the more people you share it with.

Quotation forthcoming.

Dragon's Crown Pro is still the best 2D beat 'em up that you can play on PlayStation 4.

The lack of new content in Dragon’s Crown Pro may be disappointing, but when a game plays — and looks — as good as this, it’s hard to hold such complaints against it. Returning players, welcome back; new players, enjoy your stay.

All in all, I found my time with Dragon’s Crown Pro immensely enjoyable and worth the re-visit. While the main scenario can be completed fairly quickly, I felt as though that didn’t detract from my experience at all, as I could still play the game with friends or even start a new campaign with a class I had yet to experience in full. Coupled with beautiful backgrounds and a lovely soundtrack, this homage to early RPGs is practically perfect.

Dragon’s Crown Pro is a straightforward and worthy remaster that new players will surely be enthralled by.

The most beautiful "beat´em up" of the past generation is back. Dragon´s Crown find a perfect balance between classic brawlers such as Golden Axe or The King of Dragons, and RPG elements, and adds an unmissable 4 player coop (local or online). This remastered version also includes 4K resolution (witch PS4 Pro) and a new orchestral soundtrack.

Repetitive but never monotonous thanks to the range of heroes, Dragon's Crown PRO is an arcade of the old guard made with a great audiovisual style. Nothing new for its old players, but continues to be a gem in the ARPG scene.

This updated 4K version of the 2013 release is great fun. The handcrafted graphics will blow your mind and the game does a great job of fusing together different genres. Online or local 4-player multiplayer is an absolute treat and hat's off to Vanillaware for enabling cross generational cross play features. The story is a bit stale and the online component is only made available after a couple of hours of single player campaign, which is a weird decision. This game is highly recommended provided you don't have either the PlayStation 3 or PlayStation Vita version.

This is one of those games that deserves a second chance. It doesn't offer anything particularly relevant compared to the original, but it still is a great game and it looks, sounds and plays better than ever.

Dragon's Crown Pro is an essential game for those who have skipped the PS3/PSVita version, but also a great opportunity to replay on PS4 one of the best beat-em-up in recent years.

Dragon’s Crown Pro remains an outstanding brawler/action RPG hybrid even five years after its initial release. It’s got satisfying gameplay, an enjoyable storyline with some twists and turns, and gorgeous graphics.

A good example to show there are not too-old formulas, just wrong approaches to reignite them. Taking the base of D&D Arcade and introducing plenty of RPG and Hack'n Slash elements, Vanillaware has made its finest game.

The improvements made to this new edition, in any case, are essentially just graphical in nature.

Roughly five years after its premiere two things become evident. A) The art design still is out of this world. B) It still has some flaws, but the relentless action paired with the hunt for items is highly motivating.

Dragon’s Crown Pro is the definition of what a remaster should be. Cross save and crossplay with older versions is a great bonus, and the new orchestral score is incredible. This is a game a lot of people missed due to one reason or another. Don’t make that mistake again. This is one of the best beat ‘em up games in the last ten years. More than worth investing into.

Dragons Crown looks and feels great in 4K. It offers a nice blend of beat 'em up and RPG and keeps you busy for more than 20 hours. The only real downside is the online multiplayer which unlocks nearly at the end of the game.

Dragon's Crown remains one of Vanillaware's best titles to grace a PlayStation console and the Pro remaster showcases the beautiful art in 4K glory, but in the end, you're ultimately playing the exact same game that came out five years ago.

A beautiful, chaotic adventure, Dragon's Crown Pro is worth a go if you've never played the original.

Dragon's Crown Pro is the same great, hack 'n' slash played years ago. 4K resolution, new soundtrack and great gameplay take the game to a higher level.

Dragon’s Crown Pro is an excellent dungeon-crawling beat ’em up adventure.

Dragon's Crown was one of the best Action RPGs for the PS3, and to no one's surprise it's aged well and brought to new life here on the PS4 Pro. Definitely recommended for anyone looking for a solid side-scrolling RPG.

A game that is almost as good as it was 5 years ago... but with small improvements over the PS3 & Vita versions, making this remasters forgettable if you've already played the original game.

Dragon’s Crown Pro is that same Dragon’s Crown we all loved and remember from 2013, it’s just shinier, prettier, and on the latest console. If you’ve already played it to completion (or simply to death) on other platforms, there’s very little reason to come back for a second purchase.

As beautiful as the storybook world looks in 4K, it simply isn’t enough to justify a second purchase for those who’ve already played through it on the PS3 and Vita. But if you fall into the camp of people who are intrigued by this charming world, or if you just want more Dragon’s Crown in your life, there’s no better way to play this game than on the PS4.

Some might consider it repetitive, vulgar and may even be left wondering what all the fuss was about. But, for those of you who ever fell in love with arcade brawlers, fantasy storytelling, and tabletop RPGs, then Dragon's Crown Pro will shine oh-so-brightly as the unique and sublime treasure it is.

It’s tempting to call Dragon’s Crown Pro a lazy rerelease, because beyond a slight visual bump and new orchestration of the soundtrack, this is basically the same game from 2013. The thing is, five years later, it’s still an incredibly engrossing experience, so I can appreciate the effort in simply bringing that same game to modern hardware.

A modern port through and through, Dragon’s Crown Pro offers a more visually and aurally excellent dungeon-crawling beat ’em up adventure that you’ll remember for what it exactly was five years ago.

As good as Dragon’s Crown Pro may be, there are no significant additions and with only the soundtrack and visuals receiving polish there’s no point to upgrade to this version if you still have an original copy of Dragon’s Crown. But if you missed out on Dragon’s Crown five years ago, Pro is a perfect excuse to experience it.

Its enjoyment relies so much on its visual flair but at the same time, the game is perfect for those people who just love nothing more than a good grind. Either way, Dragon's Crown Pro is a sure-fire buy for anyone in a mood for old-fashioned fantasy.

The pricing will seem somewhat steep if you've already poured countless hours into the original Dragon's Crown, but that doesn't take anything away from what is still one of the best, most memorable beat-'em-ups on the market. Topped off with some incredibly addictive RPG elements, it's difficult not to fall in love with Vanillaware's stellar sidescroller all over again.

This new version of Dragon's Crown is a superb way to discover another Vanillaware gem, a great fantasy beat them all with some great arts - to enjoy in 4K if you own a PS4 Pro - and with up to 4 players. There are not many new things compared to the PS3 and PS Vita versions, but newcomers should really go for it.

I love what it’s going for, how it looks and also enjoy how it plays — for the most part. On the other hand, I burn out on it incredibly quickly during each session. Even so, I’m genuinely glad it exists and wish there were more developers out there like Vanillaware who indulge themselves in creating passion projects like this one.

When it comes to beat 'em up / action RPG hybrids, Dragon's Crown Pro is certainly a must-have game for any fan of the genre. However, it still has some substantial shortcomings that hold it back from being a universally recommended experience.

I think the largest issue with Pro is its price point. Those who have played Dragon’s Crown in the past will not find anything new here other than it being on a different console. While it’s a solid game through and through, it’s hard to recommend given this game released in 2013 and it’s essentially the exact same title from before.

A fantasy brawler mistaking excess for depth. With no new content, there's less incentive to revisit Dragon's Crown, though new players can still find fun with friends. [Issue#150, p.95]

Honestly, there's a hell of a lot to like about Dragon's Crown Pro, but hardly any of it is unique to this PlayStation 4 remaster. If you've already played Dragon's Crown to exhaustion on PlayStation 3 or PlayStation Vita, you won't find anything here that'll get your juices flowing.

An almost arbitrary re-release of a great game, Dragon’s Crown Pro succeeds on its existing merits but brings nothing new to justify the full price tag.

Highly recommended to anyone with a passing interest in beat 'em ups, but there is no denying that there is mild disappointment at the absence of new gameplay content, rendering it a hard sell to those that have beaten the game before. Don't like beat' em ups, though? Better off to pass, as the tedium does have a tendency to rear its ugly head before long, and that isn't something even Dragon's Crown can evolve the genre from.

Dragon’s Crown Pro is filled with endlessly captivating art, but those same visuals also trip up its deep, intricate action (and may be a bit too risqué for some players’ tastes).

For many it will come down to how much you enjoy Dragon's Crown Pro's combat, and how much of its repetition you can stomach. It doesn't take long to see everything the game has to offer, but the allure of the grind and the near-perfect loot system might keep some players coming back for much longer than anticipated.

While Dragon's Crown remains the most refined and candid of Vanillaware's neo brawlers, it's absent of the range of improvements and adjustments that marked Odin Sphere Leifthrasir's transition to modern hardware. Dragon's Crown Pro is Dragon's Crown on the PlayStation 4 and it has no interest in being anything else.

Dragon's Crown Pro makes strides in updating the side-scrolling beat-'em-up genre by incorporating light RPG mechanics well. The overall setting and simplicity of getting into the game are intriguing, but the art style is jarring, and the story paper-thin. While I understand the latter is not the reason to play this type of game, it's frustrating to see and feel how flimsy it comes off. The gameplay is solid, and the innovations are intriguing, but the rest of Dragon's Crown Pro is rather shallow.

A beautiful but merely competent beat ‘em up, which becomes repetitive after around five hours played with the first character. [07/2018, p.76]