Dragon View - a Kemco joint

Kemco is a japanese game localization company whose primary focus has always been on western markets. Their first game was Doughboy, released in 1984. This forum is most likely familiar with a few of their other awful releases, such as Ghost Lion, Superman for NES, Phalanx and a slew more, some less terrible than others. They are currently working on a game for Kinect scheduled for release later this year, believe it or not.




This game, however, was also published by Infogrames, French publishers of the stellar 3D horror game Alone in the Dark as well as many others. I'm curious to see how the collaboration turned out, and judging by these opening graphics, things are looking good so far.




Then again, Lagoon front loaded all their decent graphics into the intro, so we'll hope for the best but plan for the worst here.




I know nothing at all about the genre, gameplay style nor length nor appropriateness of this game for a still image LP, but so far the graphics are looking pretty darn great.





Cool, something to vote on, and it looks like we get 8 characters. The default name is Alex but I filled the box with As for a character count. I'll cast my own vote for Sexbeast to set an irreverent mood.

What should we name Alex?
>Sexbeast
>Not sexbeast, that's dumb.

The scene fades in with CODPIECE training dutifully before a soldier named Damme. Damme is training CODPIECE, who is soon to join the town guard.



"Well, well... aren't you energetic this morning?" he jibes, "What's got you in such a good mood?"

You just smile, raising your eyebrows.

"Look at you, grinning like an idiot." Damme chuckles, "Since you're in such a good mood, how 'bout 30,000 more!"

Your jaw drops and your smile fades. "Surely you jest!"

Damme laughs heartily, "Ha ha... gotcha! And don't call me 'Shirley'!"

Suddenly, Katarina runs up to you. "CODPIECE, have you seen the old man?"

"Master Qunos?" you ask, "Not recently, why?"

"This morning he went to the arsenal but he hasn't returned yet." she replies."He should have been back by now, and I'm worried."

"I'm sure he can look after himself," you say, comforting her, "But, I'll check on him just to be sure."

Damme frowns. "You just want an excuse to get out of your workout!"

Katarina flares a bit at that, "Come off it Damme, you know CODPIECE isn't like that." She bats her eyes at you adoringly. "Thanks CODPIECE, it will make me feel better to know Grandpa's ok."

As you are leaving, Katarina suddenly calls after you, "Oh! CODPIECE! Here's the map to the arsenal. You may need it."



The screen fades to black.



The scene fades back in and we are now in Arsenal where Katarina's grandfather was apparently going before he became delayed. A lizard man with a simitar (is there any other kind) is waiting for us. He falls before our blade, but not before I take two hits leaving us with just over half our HP remaining. Ow! In the back of the cave I find a door, and stepping through...



Master Qunos tries to rise, but, "Ooo... I never thought I'd get whipped by a wizard. I must be getting old." As if suddenly remembering, he continues, "I'll be alright, but Katarina's in danger! Hurry back to Rysis and stop Argos!!!"

"Who's Argos?" you ask.

"No time... GO NOW!" Qunos commands.

"Yes, master."

The scene again fades out and back in, and now we are back in Rysis.



"CODPIECE, help me!"



"Argos! Have you the courage to face a warrior? Release the girl!"

Argos turns his fearsome visage towards you and a voice like the growl of a thousand demons assaults your ears. "A feisty young morsel are you... eh? Stay back! I shall only warn you once!"

Bracing yourself to strike, you swear between clenched teeth, "And I, too, warn only once! Today you DIE wizard!" You charge but Argos repels your attack as if you were only a pesky gnat! Again his evil voice reverberates within your head.

"You are fortunate, whelp, that I am expected at Keire Temple. You do not die this day, but we may meet again!"

You prepare to renew your attack, "First you must get by me, for this town has only one gate!"

Argos only laughs cruelly. "Sorry, 'brave' warrior, but we shall leave now and your puny gate will not bar our passage! Ha ha ha ha!"

And with that, Argos and Katarina vanish into thin air! "CODPIECE!!!!!!!" Katarina's departing scream echoes through the deserted streets, leaving you alone as it fades.



"CODPIECE! Where is Argos?"

You answer remorsefully, "Oh master, I'm so sorry. I couldn't stop him!"

Qunos sighs, "I see... Do not blame yourself, CODPIECE, you did your best. Argos is strong in the evil ways. That is to say... wait, what's this?" Qunos spies something on the ground. "Isn't this the pendant you gave Katarina?"



"Katarina... I won't just stay here and let her be taken from me! I'll save your granddaughter, master, I swear it!" Your oath declared, all else seems meaningless.

But Qunos calls out, "Wait, CODPIECE!" In a commanding tone that brings you out of your blind rage, Qunos speaks, "These are no back alley thugs or weakling monsters you face! No indeed! You shall face beings of great power, not to mention vicious, evil demons. When my friend in Neil left Katarina in my care I knew the day might come when I could no longer protect her... but I'll not pass that duty to a hot-headed over-eager fool! NOW LISTEN UP!!! Take this jade and go to Hujia. Buy equipment you may need. Check back with me occasionally as I may be able to help. Tread carefully and use your BRAIN as well as your BRAWN.



Now free to wander about, I head to the left toward the exit of the town, intending to go after Argos and Katarina. At the exit I see Damme again.



"I heard Katarina's screams... what happened?!"

You rush through an explanation.

"Katarina has been kidnapped?! he exclaims, shocked to his core. Th... that's horrible!"



I decide to check out this building after talking to Damme's companion, who comments on Argos' absconding with Katarina. Inside the temple, the holy man in green speaks of lost magic which allows teleportation. The holy man on the right wearing blue heals for free and offers to save our game. After doing so, I leave town and follow the map toward the nearest town, intending to look for more shops.





"Oh warrior, what a gorgeous pendant you are wearing! Sell it to me for 10k jade?"

>Yes

She bats her eyes at you coyly. "Surely if you would sell it so easily then you could just give it to me for FREE!"

"Give it to you? No way!" you roar.



It's definitely time for us to visit a shop.



"The silver arrow is a mighty weapon, but you need a bow to use them. Just 5 jade apiece!"

"You are interested in HP potions? Just 100 jade each."

"I'm having a sale on magic crystals, today only. Portable MP - only 200 jade."

Deciding I don't need any of these things yet, I leave, keeping in mind we can return here if needs be. Inside the next house...



"Y'know, an avalanche blocked the pass. Now noone can get across." He pauses, deep in thought. "I'm trying to think of a way to clear the pass." Suddenly he brightens. "I've got it! I bet Tylon's bombs could blast that rock to dust! Tylon's house is on the back street. Go ask him to make you some bombs!"

Traveling into this man's back room we find two chests, but when we try to open one...



"THIS TREASURE AWAITS THE TRUE DESCENDANT OF THE DRAGON'S HERO! TOUCH IT NOT WITHOUT COMPLETE PROOF OF YOUR HERITAGE!"

I head to Tylon's bomb shop to see about getting that land slide cleared up, but a furious woman blocks the way.



"I came all the way from Casdra," she fumes, "to buy bombs from Tylon! HA! I bet he just doesn't feel like working today. I'll show him! Nobody gets past me until I get my bombs!"

"Stand aside, woman!" you command. "I have important business with Tylon!"
"Why should I let you in?" she questions.

We continue to confront the irate woman.



"Oh NO! Then the rumors are true? Galyis pass has been blocked by an avalance? That means I'm stuck here! And you want to ask Tylon to make a bomb to clear the pass? Then by all means, go on in!"



"So," he muses, "The pass has been blocked. I could surely make a bomb to clear that pass, but I'm all out of dynamite and a host of demons has taken up residence in my storehouse! Will you go to the storehouse and get more for me? Here's the key. Bring me that dynamite and I'll make your bombs for free!"

Key in hand, I leave to finish exploring the town.



"Can you keep a secret, CODPIECE?"

"Sure." you reply.

"The shopkeeper said that if I bring her fruit from Mt. Galys she'd buy them from me. I could become a QUEEN with all that money! But Mt. Galys is full of demons, so I can't go there."

I enter an old man's house and he asks us an important question...



"Why not." you reply.

He begins reciting: "A waterfall; water gushes to the ground to the rhythm of gravitation. A waterfall; water sprays upon the ground at the center of the island. A waterfall; water crashes to the ground and seals within it, lightning."

"Well?" he asks expectantly, "What do you think?"

We leave town, heading for the store house with the dynamite inside. Suddenly a cloudlike swarm appears on the path, and walking into it initiates a random battle...



This continues to happen, with three enemy types appearing alone or in pairs of various mixtures.



We ran out of bubble gum the whole way.

I decide to take a side-trip back to Arsenal where the first fight of the game took place. I remember seeing a chest behind the old man there, but we were never afforded a chance to open it.





It turns out to have been a good decision. This weapon's downside is while it's flying through the air, we're defenseless, but it's great for slashing enemies from a safe distance. Another downside is that it cannot attack things on the ground (maybe? still learning the controls). The refire rate is obviously much lower, but the attack power is 5 higher, going from 23 to 28. Switching between the sword and the Hauza can be done at any time in combat by pressing start.



Range of the Hauza.



Back on track now.



Just inside the storehouse we find an item called Armor Power.



Our armor changes color and look, and now we're significantly tougher. Good thing since there are now poison-sprinkling moths and spear-wielding demons to contend with.



Jumping upwards and pressing down while falling while above an enemy causes CODPIECE to thrust his sword downward, a very useful tactic for killing scorpions whom we'd normally merely land on top of. Landing on top of a scorpion allows us to ride them, oddly, and this seems to be true of fire-breathing beetles as well.



At the back of the storehouse we encounter a boss: A giant scorpion who charges forward every time it's attacked. I use Hauza to hit it from across the screen and dodge up or down as it charges fast, quickly dispatching it.



We level off the experience.

I leave the storehouse and return to Hujia, where Tylon's bomb shop is located. Upon entering the town the screen fades to black...





"Who in this realm could destroy Piercia in her very lair?"

The demon knight bows low and replies, "If it pleases you, my lord, we knew already that the portal into the Underworld was not in this place. Piercia was not needed any longer."

Argos glowers at his subordinate, "I know that, fool!" he snaps. "But if one exists that could defeat Piercia, we should be wary! Go to the ice fields! Reinforce our position there. The Keire Island temple should provide a fine stronghold."

"Yes sir!" the Knight barks out, "And where can I find you later, Master?"
"I shall travel south-east in search of the portal," Argos answers, "I sense powerful evil emanating from there. Inform the others to continue their search as they were instructed!"

"As you wish, my lord." says the Demon as Argos vanishes, "We will succeed!"





The scene fades and we return to CODPIECE.



"Fantastic! You did it! And you brought more than enough! At last that woman will have to let me out of my house! Please tell the shop keeper I'll bring some bombs to her later. Give me some time to make your bombs. Why don't you go purchase equipment while you're waiting?"

Outside, we again confront the irate woman.



"So, Tylon really was out of dynamite... I feel a fool. I must apologize to him and to you, CODPIECE. I'm sorry I doubted you. Perhaps this map will make up for it? It will be useful to you when you cross Galys Pass. See you in Casdra!"



Previously I'd talked to this shady looking fellow who offered to sell us a 'rare item' sight unseen.





Should we buy it? We have over 400 jade now, and I can grind 5 jade from the average enemy outside...

I vote yes. Do you feel the sense of control this vote gives you over this all-important choice? You should'nt.

Buy the mysterious item from the shady merchant?
>Yes.
>No.

"Thank you hero, you won't regret this. We shall meet again." With that, he vanishes.

The black market merchant disappears in a puff of smoke.



I return to the bomb shop and our bombs are ready. The man works fast!



"They're over there. You'll have to excuse me now: I have several other orders to finish."



There are indeed 10 of them. I can equip them and use them with B similarly to how potions are used.

It's time to go to Galys pass with my new arsenal.



No new enemies here, and nothing remotely challenging. I have yet to even be hit by a moth.



A heart container we can't reach yet.



I equip the bombs and learn they have a short range and bounce once before coming to a stand still. This rock explodes when the bomb goes off. Really not a very formidable blockade, but maybe it looks less imposing in 2 dimensions.



On the other side of the blockage we find the other side of the heart container room. Getting it requires stepping on a pressure plate which causes the gap to close, creating a convenient short cut back across the pass which bypasses eight screens and several enemies. Handy.



At the other side of the pass, I check the map then fight my way past familiar enemies to reach Casdra, the only town in this area.



We meet the black market merchant again, and he gives the same speech, only this time the heart container costs 300 jade, bringing us to 65 jade.



Since Casdra has no new graphics with the exception of the tomb shown above, I'll give a written rundown of what happens here.

First we recieve a lake map from a home owner and a tip about a man who lives there who can help with our quest.

Next a young girl says she hid her father's hunting bow in the north cave because he spends too much time away from her and she's lonely. The man is grumbling to himelf about his missing bow.

A woman tells the story of a brother and sister who once lived in the town. The sister fell ill and died and the brother hasn't been seen since. There's a grave on the northeast side of town I visit for more clues about this story. When I do, we read the simple inscription lamenting a 'dear sister's' death and then hear a mysterious voice sobbing somewhere. There's no sign of the owner of the voice. I checked the well shown above, but nothing presents.

Finally, we're told by an old man of a fire cave to the west that is very dangerous.

Several people mention that the temple has been invaded by demons. I'm told that Keire Temple's main path is too dangerous, but that there's a magic path that's safer and faster, but I need permission to use it. The guardian of the magic path's entrance tells me that magic ice walls block it. I suspect we'll have to visit that fire cave to find the answer, so before we leave town I make sure there's nothing important in the shop, which is incidentally run by the irate woman from earlier (she refuses to give us a discount ). Bombs, potions, magic refills and arrows. Since we're probably going after the bow eventually, I buy 6 arrows (all I can afford since these 'handmade arrows' cost 10 jade apiece) then prepare to leave.

I vote Eastern Lake first, Northern Cave second and Fire Cave third. Is it weird that I'm voting? I feel like I shouldn't get a vote. I think I'll abstain from now on after this.

What order shall we explore in?

• Western Fire Cave - Possible lead on clearing the path to Keire Temple.
• Eastern Lake - Important information source.
• Northern Cave - Go looking for the huntsman's bow.

Originally Posted by jpfriction

While I'd love to send you straight to the Fire Cave, just to be a jerk. Let's do Northern Cave first to get that bow, then Eastern, then Fire.

Originally Posted by Mogri

I'm really disappointed by this game. I haven't viewed any dragons at all so far.

I decide we need more jade, so I spend 15 minutes fast-forward grinding enemies just outside Casdra, then it's off to the north (red spot on map) to find a bow. I have the thought that if I should be forced to choose between the Hauza and the bow that I should immediately stop the LP again for another vote perhaps, hence the grinding since I'm liking this game so far and if that's going to be the case I'd still like a little face time with the game, a little me-time if you wish, but luckily...



...when I get to North Cave...



...the bow is right there, and there's no need to swap it out: I equpi to B and I can use it along with Hauza, the X button on an SNES controller, if I want, though it's a bit slow firing, with a nerfy refire delay (understandable since the attack power of an arrow is 60 vs 28 for Hauza and 23 for the sword. . After firing of a couple of practice shots I rewind to spare those precious expensive arrows (!) and move on to the next room after slashing these two pots for a bunch of healing drops.



It's at this point that I die five times in a row trying to handle any of the enemies deeper in this northern cave. Not only is the area a dead end if you simply run past all the enemies, the enemies are unkillable demon spawn and they two-shot us over and over. I leave after healing from some hearts in the pots at the entrance.

It's time for tons more grinding. See, sometimes, previously, such as in Galys pass, there will be a 'kill door' blocking the way forward, meaning the door forward won't open until we kill all enemies in the room. Considering that may be the cause of the dead end here, we've gotta level up enough to beat all these monsters to make sure the cave's not hiding anything.



To level, I merely stand outside the cave with the fast forward button held down until a monster attacks. This happens roughly every 7 seconds like clockwork. Then I smash the enemy for a few xp and slowly gain two agonizing levels. An even more painful third level. We are level 10 now and have 400+ jade again, which rocks, but it's for naught. Even after three levels I can barely damage them and they continue to kill me in 2-3 simple hits.





So it's time to move on to the lake! We got the bow, that's all we really voted to come here for! Mission successful on a technicality. Maybe these imps are a later game secret grind spot.



Eastern lake is to the southeast of here (purple on the map) and beyond it they probably call it the west lake. The Lake map shows it better. We get inside easily enough.



There are some enemies to fight but they're familiar and we trash them with our level 10 powers. Eventually we meet the man who has important information for us.

Argos, our hometown, is where Qunos lives and where the game started, so I take us back to Galys pass, and while fighting moths my sword strikes a tree's leafy blob - lo and behold, fruit pops out. I remember a girl telling us she'd make lots of money selling this fruit in Argos, so I collect a few dozen of them, but will ultimately forget to sell them for us (or to even try).

I notice something strange on the outskirts of Argos....



It's like a compass on an old map. When I step on it, it starts glowing yellow. Mysterious!



Back in Argos, Damme has news for us. He tells us of a gigantic stump southeast of Lake Cave where a tablet holds the 'secrets of the sword.' I make a mental note to return there at some point, then head to Qunos' house.





Scales are single-use items which create an icy comet that deals damage. I rewind after experimenting since it seems we'd have to come all the way back here if we ever need more.



We head back through Galys pass and to the fire cave (orange on the map) where a palatte swapped black beetle gives us 40x more experience than its blue cousin did. Now we're cookin! I resolve to stop grinding and seek the next area instead from now on. What a difference! The entrance to the cave is blocked by this pillar of fire which a single scale extinguishes.



The cave is long but sorta fun, with one-way closing doors necessitating a little pattern memorizing, statues that have to be pushed to open doors or to unblock them, and a couple more instances requiring our scales.



I actually think this dungeon is pretty well made, not too heavy-handed with the new quirks and visually interesting with the fire enemies and fire-based traps and tricks.



Nobody says anything about pushing the statues, you just have to think outside the box a little. I appreciate some of this in my video games. It's not like a walkthrough isn't three clicks away these days. More games should rely on the user community to do the hand-holding I feel. Refreshing. I find a star-shaped container and now our mana pool is doubled from 2 stars to 4 stars. Still nothing to use that mana ON, but that could be because I've missed stuff. I'm positive I've missed a lot, really, considering the attention to detail and the idea of sandboxy gameplay this title seems to espouse.



Oh baby! This sword upgrade enhances our attack power significantly. It also alters the color of the sword, similarly to the armor upgrade changing our armor's appearance.

Stop spoiler tagging your posts Guild

Originally Posted by Falselogic

Originally Posted by aturtledoesbite

Wait.

Wait just a minute, here.

You're enjoying the game?

I thought you were supposed to entertain us!

Everything I have said about enjoying your suffering may or may not have been a joke. Who knows?

Originally Posted by Guild

Find me a game worse than Lagoon and I'll LP it.