Category: 
PC Version
Release Date US: August 20, 1999
Developed by: Surreal Software
Genre: Adventure
Minimum Requirements: P166 MHz
32 MB RAM, 320 MB Hard Drive Space
4MB Direct3D Compatible 3D Card
Drakan: Order of the Flame
Drakan is unique in that it is a universally loved game. There are few games that you can cruise the web looking at reviews and fansites and find one that is as beloved as Drakan. Try to buy copies of it used. It isn’t easy. The original Drakan was a PC game.
Drakan: Order of the Flame took 3D action-adventure gaming to new heights. It had a one of a kind seamless blend of both on foot and on dragon gameplay. You played as Rynn female a warrior. Rynn is a dragon rider a la Dragon Riders of Pern. She is rides with a wise and powerful red dragon named Arokh. They are soul bonded. In the first game Rynn and Arokh embark on an epic quest to rescue Rynn’s younger brother from the clutches of an evil sorcerer. The combination of careful attention to details makes Drakan so entertaining.
The first mission is to find Arokh who has been in slumber for centuries. It’s the beginning of a beautiful adventure. The game gives gamers full freedom of exploration throughout the world. Solving puzzle like quests are fairly linear and events are tied to specific sections of the map. The action unfolds at a steady pace. You seek for clues and items in caves, corridors, and stone-crops in each area.
Weapons are of the hack and slash type of course. There are swords axes and bows. Special items like the Ice Sword have the addition of spells attached to them. Arokh can special attack with spells such as lightning. He can auto target enemies. Rynn’s weapons have a limited amount of damage they can take and they can wear out. You have to decide what to keep with you for future use and what to chuck or sell.
Once Rynn has met her dragon the adventure becomes more expansive, though just as easy to control. The jump and crouch buttons allow you to climb and drop vertically, and the mouse allows you to rotate Arokh easily to create flips, spins, and barrel rolls easily. On dragon back you can rise up hundred of feet in the air, travel to the far ends of the earth, and then glide down.
Rynn has the addition of an inventory interface for weapons and armor. The magic system is done intuitively. The maps are easily accessible and all of it is on one interface. Wartoks are humorous enemies, some of them run for cover and cower behind rocks. Occasionally they get stuck in walls and make easy targets.
The Graphics
Each map is filled with incredible detail. There are individual blades of grass, and different colored flowers. The skylines that you can see when riding Arok or climbing mountains are incredible. This game has some of the best outdoor graphics to date. Beautifully detailed character models and textures, the graphics in Drakan are pretty, as well as solid. There are dark and dank swamps, icy northlands, and lush green valleys surrounded by mountains. Bushes rustle and shake as you brush past them there’s heat distortion above the numerous torches. All of this adds to the realism and immersiveness. On a hot summer day I swear I could feel the cool breeze from the snow capped mountain levels.
The PC game was a success and the game was brought to the PS2. Then the legendary game continued on to make many more fans. Drakan: The Ancients’ Gates was the sequel.
Adventure (PS2)
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
Developer: Surreal Software
Release Date: January 28, 02
Theme(s): Fantasy
Perspective(s): Third Person
Genre : Action / Adventure
ESRB Rating : E - (Everyone)
The story in Drakan: The Ancients’ Gates is a quest to re-awaken ancient dragons. The land and its mythology are deep and engrossing. Drakan seems like a real world, filled with real people that you can empathize with. A great deal of thought went into the game as a first offering from Surreal.
Gameplay
The best part about of Drakan truly is the gameplay. Rynn moves so well that the controls are fluid and she has the poise and grace you’d expect from a warrior woman. Her battle moves are intuitively designed. I have to say that I wish more games had bought the engine behind Rynn. Controlling other fem characters such as Lara or Rayne seem clumsy after playing Drakan.
The game is an action RPG. The world of Drakan admittedly is huge. There are numerous regions each with its own weather and geography. Battling enemies earns experience points and when the experience gauge is fills up you get an experience point to put in any of the three categories you choose. Which are melee, archery, or magic. I enjoyed having the ability to use both Rynn’s magic using and melee skills. Often in games you can only specialize in one thing and it feels limiting.
As you level up you get to use stronger magical weapons, more protective armor, and gain access to stronger spells. While in the air with Arokh your dragon gets you to places that would be inaccessible otherwise. You fight enemies in the air and on the ground from dragon back. It’s much easier to take out a camp full of Wartok’s with Arokh’s breath attacks from the air than it is to fight them hand-to-hand on the ground.
Drakan has a multitude of quests. There are many main quest objectives that must be done in order to advance the plot. Side quests in Drakan never felt like a grind. I wanted to see what rare items I would find. You can save anywhere at any time. I sincerely wish that every game had this feature. Other types of save functions are annoying.
Sound
Drakan’s music is majestic. There are darker pieces for the more serious parts of the game. The desert theme was my favorite. The game has terrific voice acting. Rynn has a sexy British accent .Arokh is a talking dragon with a deep voice that sounds reassuring as some should who has lived for aeons. The people from different regions even have different accents. When Rynn walks on snow, it sounds like someone walking on snow. The surfaces even have their own unique sounds. Sword fighting makes different sounds as well. There’s a metallic clang for shields, a distinct wooden thuwp when you hit barrels, and there’s also a sound effect for splintering the wood. This game shows what developers can do when they take the time and have the passion to do it.
Conclusion
Ultimately, Drakan: The Ancients’ Gates is the best action RPG I have ever played. It has a tremendous battle system, exquisite graphics, and top shelf sound. My only complaint is that Surreal has been sold and likely disbanded making a sequel to this superb franchise perhaps only a dream. And dream you will, of dragons flying into a surrealistic sunset if you are lucky enough to play any version of this game. Nothing has been done before or since that compares to this game. I give Drakan: The Ancients’ Gates not only the coveted 10, but a 10+.
The story of how Drakan was developed at Gamasutra http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20000418/denman_pfv.htm
G-V Replay Factor (Replayability): Excellent. Still great after all these years.
Girls Point of View (Graphics): Amazing.
Girl Power (Are girls going to want to play it?): Yes, one of the best renderings of a warrior woman in gaming history.
Purse (Value for money): US About $14.99 on ebay
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