Developer: Iron Galaxy Publisher: Capcom Release: 06/18/13 Genre: Beat em up
Dungeons and Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara is another in a long line of games I am embarrassed to have put off for so long. I have wanted to play these games for decades. Ever since I first read about Tower of Doom in Diehard Gamefan it has been high on my list. But outside of the Sega Saturn collection which never left Japan it was impossible as arcades were disappearing around their release. But the Steam port finally made my dream come true and I bought this collection day 1. And then I ignored it. Embarrassingly I have had this collection installed on various PCs for close to a decade. But I am only just now getting to them. While they are not as great as the image I built up in my mind both of these arcade classics are solid ways to kill a few afternoons.
Chronicles of Mystara is a collection of both Capcom arcade games, Tower of Doom and its sequel Shadow over Mystara. Capcom were no stranger to beat em ups as they have a long line of classics aside from Final Fight. The marriage between their brilliant artists with D & D created a brawler unlike anything else in the arcade. Unfortunately arcades were disappearing in the mid to late 90s so there release was not as wide spread. Chronicles of Mystara packages the two games along with a number of cool extras to make them more accessible.
The Mystara games are brawlers but have more in common with Golden Axe than Streets of Rage. You will not find elaborate combos or unique throwing moves and such. But what the game does have is the Dungeons and Dragons license. This means access to character classes with unique skills, a leveling system, spells, and inventory items. Truthfully it feels more like an action RPG than a brawler. Tower of Doom is simplistic compared to its sequel. Despite access to the entire D & D bestiary enemy variety is limited and combat outside of spellcasters is repetitive. Shadow over Mystara is a significant improvement in almost every category. It adds two more classes, SF II style special moves per character and streamlines the interface for ease of use. The game is also longer and more varied and the epitome of what a sequel should be.
While I find Shadow over Mystara to be the better game it is less story driven than its predecessor. The plot guids your journey in Tower of Doom and the cutscenes make it feel like a D & D campaign. The narration makes it feel like a dungeon master is overseeing the journey and adds to the D & D feel. That touch is missing in the sequel as it leans more in to the brawler side of the equation. There is nothing wrong with that approach of course. But man what I wouldn’t give to have the gameplay of the second title with the scope of the original. That….would actually be Dragon’s Crown. Oh shit.
Two games for the price of one is a good value on its own. Both games have a lot of replay value for a brawler with their branching paths, secrets and endings. This means you would have to play both games multiple times to see all of their content. Chronicles of Mystara adds a host of features for extra longevity. As you play you earn vault coins by completing myriad optional challenges. These coins are currency for the vault to buy a number of features. There is a decent size gallery of artwork although a lot of it is low quality scans unfortunately. Most importantly you can buy extra modes like Time Attack and House Rules that alter the gameplay. Unbreakable gives equippable items infinite durability while get rich quick makes enemies drop tons of gold. My personal favorite is Vampirism which returns a little health with every attack.
As good as the Steam version is the Japanese PS3 release is better. This version was ported internally by Capcom and features more accurate emulation of the arcade games. The online code is also better with almost no disconnects and less lag. More importantly it has a number of exclusive extras not available anywhere else. The art gallery is different and higher quality, you can hotkey special moves, choose the same character in multiplayer and it has a behind the scenes interview with the developers. The Japanese PS3 version also had a physical release which makes it all the more desirable too.
There are a wealth of graphic options to tailor your experience. Smoothed-out, cleaned-up visuals are on by default and honestly I think it looks hideous but I digress. You can do everything from toggling full widescreen to turning on artificial scan lines, simulating the interlacing of the coin-op cabinet’s CRT monitor. There is even an off-center view, as if you were physically in the arcade standing in front of the machine. This is awesome and something I wish more arcade ports would incorporate.
In Closing
Dungeons & Dragons: The Chronicles of Mystara is a solid choice for fans of classic arcade action and Dungeons & Dragons enthusiasts. It offers an enjoyable blend of nostalgia and modern convenience. Although they are not the first beat em ups I would go to they remain an entertaining option for fans of the genre even today. Considering the game is frequently on sale for $5 or less there really is no excuse not to purchase this otherwise excellent bundle.
