Game Reviews

On a system swarming with Wii-makes and shovelware, original designs are bound to stand out. From the very beginning we've been following D3's Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire, as the game may not be a high-budget, AAA title, but it dares to try something original on the system rather than just copping out and attaching a half-assed license onto an otherwise original IP. Dragon Blade may not be your kind of game, and it may not be the most polished effort on Wii, but it's a breath of fresh air nonetheless; it just could have used more time in development, or a bit more ambitious design.

Dragon Blade makes no excuses for what it is: A pure-blooded action game. Players move from level to level with Wii-mote and nunchuk in hand, and attack hordes of enemies en mass. Run into an open area and you're bound to be surrounded by a field of darkness, allowing more baddies to spawn and attack. Kill them all, and you're free to move on. No puzzles, no platforming, just pure action. That being said, Dragon Blade is also a first-time effort on Wii, and with it come a few issues within the game's design. Developer Land Ho attempted to create a seamless, "one-to-one" fighting system which allows players to act out the sword swipes, and in turn see them delivered in kind on-screen. The game takes into account horizontal, vertical, and stabbing motions, adding more in as the game progresses. You'll begin with only the Dragon Blade, and then upgrade its powers as you go, adding a whip for the tail, giant dragon hands for huge attacks, and a head for fireball shooting and massive kill-all like attacks. A simple press of the d-pad calls the next magical form of the sword, and in turn enables more ass-kicking. Even with the multiple moves, however, the game is shallow. Each level has players running from point A to point B, beating up everything in their path with Wii gestures. Levels can be a bit too long and sparse, however, as you'll run through gigantic areas only to approach enemies waiting idle on the near-edge of the draw distance. In closed in areas, a sketchy camera will often turn or pan frantically to keep up with the action, often bunching up like similar action games of its kind (the original version of Ninja Gaiden on Xbox comes to mind).