Drakkhen
Reviewed by J.M. Hornbaker
You take control of 4 adventurers, and lead them around a world full of
castles, evil princes, falling giants, and other oddities. It's a pretty drab
game, but it was also one of the first games that came out for the Super NES.
Graphics 7 out of 10
As you travel around the map, your movements are surprisingly
smooth, with very little of that "jerking" effect in most first
person games. The enemies are detailed pretty heavily, and the interiors
of castles, although they are all similar, are nicely done.
Music and Sound 3 out of 10
It was a long time ago, but I don't recall there being any music at
all, except for on the title screen and in the castles. The sound
effects were ok for their time... but not very good. The same sound
is made for attacking, whether it be with a sword, staff, or bow, or
whatever. There should be at least a slight variation here and there.
Game Challenge 10 out of 10
This is a tough one! The NPC's don't help much, and the enemies
(especially bosses) are no pushovers. Another thing that makes this
game difficult is the sloppy control, which I'll deal with later.
Game Play-Fun 2 out of 10
The funniest part of this game is probably being able to set up
your character stats at the beginning. The fun ends right there.
All you can do is sit back and watch your party try to defeat the
monsters, and you usually end up dying because of their stupidity.
Bad control also hinders the fun factor of this game.
Frustration
Yes, in a few cases. I don't mean to make a list, but here goes.
1) You can't control your characters in battle.
2) You can get stuck in the weird lights and every time you advance a
screen a giant falls from the sky and says the same thing to you.
(Sometimes you can lure Arthur underneath the giant and he gets
stomped on, which is quite funny to watch).
3) Your characters never go where you want them to in castles.
Replayability 1 out of 10
None, nada, nothing doing. Drakkhen is a "play me through one time just
to see the ending" type of games. It is as linear as you can get, and not
being able to control your party is just plain idiotic.
Game Value 1 out of 10
No, it's not worth anything more than a free give-away at a flea market
or a yard sale. Even then I'd save myself the pain and boredom and
frustration that comes with this title.
Control 1 out of 10
You have no control, quite frankly. You can't control your characters
actions/movement in battle, and again, quite frankly, they are all idiots.
In the castles, the moving around process is quite lengthy, and your
characters never go where you want them to.
Overall 1 out of 10
Overall, except for the graphics, this game blows. Pick up Final
Fantasy 3 if you want a good Super NES RPG. Bad control and poor
game design keep this one from ever seeing the light of day.