Dragon Wars Review

Following the welcome release of Interplay’s Dragon Wars on GOG.com last month, The Escapist has capitalized on a re-invigoration of the classic CRPG by doling out a detailed and mostly favorable review. A little something to get you started:

This openness bleeds over into the character progression where you’re given a lot of leeway concerning how your party develops. There aren’t any formal classes in Dragon Wars. Every character is free to learn whatever skills and proficiencies you desire, with many being completely unrelated to combat. Better yet, those non-combat skills are actually integrated into the game in ways that make them feel worthwhile. It is intensely satisfying, for instance, to stumble across an injured soldier and realize that you’re equipped to help him because you had your front-line fighter invest a point in Bandage at the game’s outset. There are a few skills that wind up feeling kind of useless, but most are implemented well.

Unfortunately, the game’s openness can, at times, also bite you in the butt, especially when it comes to where it lets you go and when. After you escape from Purgatory, you’re free to roam and explore the game world as you please. As nice as that is, it also makes it possible to go to places you’re not prepared for and even get stuck in them. Add in the fact that you only have one save slot to record your progress and you have a recipe for some intensely frustrating disasters. I had to restart my game at one point because I somehow managed to get stuck between a pair of goblin war bands that spawned at fixed points. I tried backtracking, I tried looking for different routes; none of it did me any good. I couldn’t find my way out and every time I tried to fight through the goblins, they’d kill me handily.