Drakkhen

"So close to greatness..."

Don't let the relatively unspectacular score of 7 be deceptive here. I really like Drakkhen, especially the beautiful colors used when the sky changes from day to night. The Game has a very magical and mystical feel to it. It is a fun quest game, and would be a true classic if only the play control was better!! The interface is awkward and the battles are very confusing. The game itself looks good, and relatively free roaming world was a first in the SNES world.
A nice RPG that comes so close to being a classic...

Graphics=9.0 Very nice visuals, especially the shifting sky. Your characters are not ultra detailed but get the job done. The scale of the graphics makes the big dragons look huge and imposing, as dragons should.

Sound=7.3 Mostly moody music, not especially memorable but does not take away from the game.

Gameplay=5.8 This is where the game tends to lack a little. It can be confusing when you encounter enemies and get into the battle sequences. I get the idea that you have SOME kind of control but I still don't know exactly what it is!! The interfaces could be smoother as well.

Challenge=8.0 Confusing at times, but most of the challenge comes from solving the quests and finding items, the normal RPG fare.

Overall=7.2 I am fond of Drakkhen, perhaps because it was one off the very first RPG's for the SNES. I was amazed at the colorful world and the giant enemies. A good idea of what first generation quest games looked like on the good old 16 bit platform.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 02/01/00, Updated 02/01/00