Atomic Battle Dragons
Atomic Battle Dragons is an unique platformer role playing game for the PC. Grab your lance and jump on your dragon and joust to protect the kingdom and defeat the evil dragons!
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Developer: Isotope 244 Publisher: Isotope 244 Release Date: January 2006 Platforms: PC JustRPG Score: 70% Pros: +Simple gameplay. +Unique game mechanics. Cons: -Out of date graphics. -Boring storyline. -Clunky controls. |
Atomic Battle Dragons Overview
Atomic Battle Dragons for the PC is an action oriented platforming role playing game that puts the player in the role of a lancer on top of their own ride-able dragon. This game utilizes unique mechanics such as the ability to knock off other dragon riders from their mounts, and the ability to have your dragon pick up enemy units and eat them! While the mechanics are different the game suffers in the graphics department displaying something you would expect to see on the Super Nintendo. Fans of old school games have much to enjoy, while new gamers most likely will be unable to play due to the sub par visuals.
Atomic Battle Dragons Screenshots
Atomic Battle Dragons Featured Video
Atomic Battle Dragons Review
By, Jason Ferguson
| Despite the silly name, Atomic Battle Dragons is a pretty fun action/RPG. It might not have the depth that hardcore RPGers are looking for, but it’s sure to provide some action-packed entertainment! |
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The story isn’t overly complex or engaging, but it’ll provide some hints to the gameplay as well as give you some motivation to move on. The evil dragon, Belzom, has been a threat to the kingdom for too long. After his brother was killed by Belzom, the mighty knight Cain has sworn vengeance! With the aid of magical items from the elf, Briannah, and riding atop his trusty dragon, you will lead Cain on a journey to defeat Belzom and free the kingdom from his tyranny! First off, you’ll have to go in search of three magical items that can be used to defeat Belzom, but your adventure will only grow more intense from there! |
| Story tidbits are given between stages as Briannah and Cain converse and strategize. One of the highlights of the game for me was the humor. Listening to Briannah taunt you when you die by saying stuff like “ye sucks and hath died” made me laugh. It’s nice to see an RPG that doesn’t take itself too seriously. |
| During your adventure, you’ll ride atop a dragon. Armed with your mighty lance, you’ll slay enemies by the dozens. In order to kill them you simply need to run into them while above them. The results may not be horribly deep, and realistically, the levels are pretty small and the gameplay can be repetitive. So, if you’re looking for depth and complexity, you might want to look elsewhere. But if you’re looking for a game that anyone can pick up and enjoy, then this game is for you. |
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The game features all sorts of different obstacles, including dragon riders, giant insects, boiling-hot magma and razor-sharp stalactites. There is a good variety of enemies and each has different stats, so their attack patterns, strength, and the number of hits it takes to kill them will differ. Hitting enemies will reduce their life and eventually kill them. Some enemies ride on mounts, and hitting them will dismount them rather than kill them. Once dismounted, you have to be quick to kill them or they’ll find another mount! |
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| Your character works much the same – take enough hits and you’ll fall off your dragon! Traveling on foot can be really difficult, and it only takes a single hit to lead to your demise, so be careful!!! Fortunately, you aren’t completely helpless. As you kill enemies you’ll gain experience, and once you’ve gained enough you’ll level up. Upon leveling, you can distribute skill points among Cain’s stats to increase his HP, Speed, Strength or Attack. You’ll also find all sorts of magical items throughout the game that briefly boost your stats or grant you temporary abilities, such as the Elixir of Haste, which increases your speed, or Reznor’s Inferno, which grants your dragon the ability to breathe fire. |
| There’s actually a bit more depth to leveling up than there might appear to be. You’ll gain more experience if you manage to take down multiple enemies in a row without getting hit. You can also gain more if you manage to hit them very quickly. On top of that, you’ll find lance upgrades to add a major boost to your attack. If you find you’re STILL not strong enough, there are precious stones scattered throughout the game that you can collect to gain bonus skill points. |
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Your dragon has some abilities that make it even more formidable, like the ability to pick up unmounted foes. This can come in handy if there are objects, like spikes or lava around to drop them on. Also, if your dragon has recently eaten an enemy, you can drop the foe’s bones on any enemies you are flying above to deal that extra bit of damage. |
| In most levels, your goal will be to slay enough foes to progress to the next stage. However, there’s enough variety to keep things interesting. Some stages you’ll need to travel on foot, defeat powerful bosses, or even control a ballista! |
| The controls can take a little bit of time to get used to, but they’re really simple, so learning the concept of the game is a breeze, but playing can be frustrating at times. The directional pad moves your dragon around, and you can hit spacebar to jump. Holding the spacebar down results in your dragon flapping his wings, and you’ll take to the skies! While flying, your dragon can actually be a bit tough to control, so use your flight wisely. Trying to control the ballista is even more troublesome! However, the controls are fully customizable, though, so you can fix things up however you want. You can also use a joypad to make things easier. At least the interface is easy to navigate. There’s a handy character screen that you can pop up to see your current weapon and stats, and to level up! |
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Atomic Battle Dragons features four levels of difficulty for gamers with different skills. There are also over 100 levels in the arcade mode, and 40 in the story mode. Needless to say, this is a game you can go back and play again and again, so you’ll surely get some use out of it if you enjoy it. Best of all, you can have all of this for the low price of $19.95! |
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| The game’s graphics are actually pretty good, but they aren’t going to awe you. Unfortunately, backgrounds and environments are really repetitive, so you’ll constantly be scrolling through the same environments. Still, the overall level design is good, and although everything looks the same once you enter a level, each level is fairly different. Characters move convincingly, and the world is filled with bright colors and nice illustrations. The music in the game is much the same – although it won’t amaze you, it does the job. You’ll sometimes find yourself bobbing your head along with the music, while other times the music is drowned out by the fast-paced action. |
| If you’re able to appreciate Atomic Battle Dragons for what it is, a jousting game with RPG elements, then you’ll probably have a lot of fun playing it. It’s certainly not going to lead to any breakthroughs in gaming, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the ride! If you like straightforward action/RPGs, I suggest you give this game a shot. If you’re not sure, check the link below for a free demo of the game. |
| Final Grade: 70% |
Atomic Battle Dragons Screenshots