Draconus: Cult of the Wyrm

by 2 Barrel Fugue
July 31, 2000 00:00 AM PST

There's a land in need of a hero, a Dragonsbane who will lay a bloody swath, like a crimson carpet heralding peace, through the ranks of the unholy and the malign, right up to the cause of it all, the evil Dragon Lord himself.

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What You Get
The last bastions of civilization are under assault from all sides, and the sinister tide flows from a single determined force - the Dragon Lord. You can take on the role of either Cynric the Warrior or Aeowyn the Sorceress, and it is your duty to save the world. Sounds pretty standard, but for every fault found in Draconus, there are more than enough strengths to make this game anything but standard. Your quests are many, from collecting parts needed to build a Juggernaut, to sabotaging a floating castle that's been raining terror from on high. The missions alone merit laurels for their creativity, and while the storyline is linear, the depth of each level is good enough to make you forget that fact.

Do Fear the Reaper
Once you've mastered swordplay with the analog joystick, you become an authority to be reckoned with. Control is crisp and clean. You'll feel like you're in command of combat and not victim to a flawed system of preset combo attacks, even being able to stop short mid-swing and guard against a surprise counter-thrust. However, in tight situations, the camera can be your undoing. Fighting in hallways near torches, you may get an up-close and not-so-subtle nod to the guy who designed the fire graphics while three Krujen and a Minotaur pommel your eclipsed personage. During heavy combat with a major enemy, the Dreamcast suffers some slowdown, but you might find you can use the lag to your advantage. Occasionally, it allows you to catch an enemy in mid-windup and prevent a full-bore crack to the head. Another thing you might notice, graphically speaking, is character design. Cynric's not quite as obviously bow-legged as Aeowyn, who begins to look more and more like a goat as the game progresses. Both of them run like they're seated on invisible stools, toes barely reaching the ground as they pull themselves up hillsides and through caverns.

Sound is average, with ambient noise as finicky as a crew of Union workers - one moment you hear the river, next moment you don't. There is a good, meaty report when you bury your blade in someone's belly, and the clang of metal on metal is dead on with the action. The voice acting is excellent, particularly Aeowyn's sultry, sarcastic edge (imagine her pillow talk), and the script itself is quite engaging.

A Cult By Any Other Name
Ultimately, if it's sword and sorcery you want, with a well-executed storyline and a host of engaging characters, Draconus: Cult of the Wyrm is the right choice for you. Just don't let this game give you the wrong idea about Dwarves - someday they'll get the respect they deserve.