- John Bush
Game Review #394: DreamWorks Dragons Dawn of New Riders (Nintendo Switch)
Reviewed By: The Waffinator
Developer: Climax Studios
Publisher: Outright Games
Genre: Adventure
Release Date: 02.15.2019
Price (At Time of Review): $39.99
Buy DreamWorks Dragons Dawn of New Riders from the Nintendo Switch eShop here.
Buy DreamWorks Dragons Dawn of New Riders from Amazon here.
Welcome New Rider
The inner child in me loves DreamWorks and all the great movie titles they have bestowed upon us all. I honestly can’t even pick a favorite movie from them. But what gets me even more excited is when video games based off the movies come out because it hits my inner child even harder. Recently (well, back in February of this year) OG (Outright Games) and Climax Studios released a game based off of a very popular and newer series from DreamWorks and that game is DreamWorks Dragons Dawn of New Riders which is not entirely based off the movie itself but instead the overall series. You have some very familiar characters and - like the title hints - newer ones.
When I was told I was going to be the one reviewing the game like I said my inner child was pumped! I love the How to Train Your Dragon movies and was even told I could have the kid play with me, but that didn’t happen! I grabbed my viking gear - okay maybe not literally (I wish though) – then grabbed my favorite Switch controller and fired this bad boy up and have been playing it heavily to see if the game could live up to the movies. So exactly how did OG and Climax do with this title? Did they deliver an exceptional game tied to an excellent franchise? Well grab your best shield, your finest weapon, and get ready to saddle up your new dragon in Dragons Dawn of New Riders.
In Dawn of New Riders you are playing as some new characters adding to an already amazing cast of characters from the series. But don’t fret! There are some familiar faces along the journey. You play as a character named Scribbler who is a scholar that seems to have lost his memories and a new dragon named Patch who is a Chineragon which is an unique type of dragon with powers and abilities that no one fully understands. Along the way of trying to regain your memories of your past you are trying to stop the enemy who destroys the dragon sanctuary that Hiccup and the others have built. They also have found a way to take control of dragons and use them for evil and you need to stop them!
When I first started playing this game I knew it would be fun and I would like it but I thought it would be very plain and lack some things to truly make it a fun experience. Hear me out; I am not trying to say anything bad I just thought you would have one set of gear and have to stick to a script. That is not the case at all. Along your journey you can find different types of gear, in fact without finding certain weapons you wont be able to proceed and will need to find them to continue your journey. Also you will run into Astrid who runs an item shop and will sell you items to help make your journey a little easier. She carries items like stat buffs (attack and defense) or potions for when battles are a little tougher and you need that health regeneration.
How To Control Your Dragon
The controls in this game have two different layouts but both are very user friendly and easy to grasp – after all this is child's game right? I mean my inner child counts right? Anyways the reason there are two different controller layouts is because you have controls for when you are running out and about on the ground and controls for when you are flying - that's right flying! In Dawn of New Riders you get to fly Patch and I was suprised how fluid and smooth flying was. If there's usually anything or any type of game I am awful at it is flying. Eveything from battling to basic movements to flying is very user friendly and easy for anyone to grasp and overall well executed.
Really Close to a Dream Work
This is really what sold me on the game and at same time kind of made me a little heartbroken. I'll start with the heartbreak because I always like to go from bad and end with the good. The reason I was a little heartbroken (actually the only reason I was slightly heartbroken) is because I really enjoy the movies and how well they express the characters and their feelings in the movies. Well, in the game it is all dialogue that you have to read with an occasional grunt or other sound effects from the characters. There is no talking. The only reason I could think of was to keep costs down by not having to pay the voice actors. Whatever the reason, it slightly left me heartbroken and discouraged but that’s something that can easily be overcome. But if you’re a kid that can read but maybe not all the words you will miss some of the story. There should have been at least a narrative for the main story part or at least a voice behind the new kid and had it all from his point of view. Other than that all the other sounds and music soundtracks they use really do help set the overall feel and sell the game’s story.
As for the graphics, the game looked great! I loved that the graphics were very close to the movies themselves and helped make it feel like you were a part of the series. Being a big fan of the series made feeling like you were a part of the franchise with a new story bloody fantastic.
Final Thoughts
I havent completed the game fully but I have invested a good amount of play into it. I purposely avoided beating it because I played enough to get the overall feel and vibes of them game without being a spoiler spitter. The game has its own story and needs to be experienced by all on their own. I highly recommend this game to all people who are big fans of DreamWorks and this is definitely a great game to add to maybe family game night. Between the sword and shield battling with the help of your helpful companion to taking to the skies as a dynamic duo this game is a blast and I can’t wait to see how it ends myself.
Score 8.5/10
Buy DreamWorks Dragons Dawn of New Riders from the Nintendo Switch eShop here.
Buy DreamWorks Dragons Dawn of New Riders from Amazon here.
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*Review Code Provided by Outright Games