Dragon: Marked for Death

Dragon Marked for Death is an eye-catching action platformer that is excellent with friends but can be frustrating alone.

Despite being in development for eight or more years, Dragon Marked for Death could have actually used more time in the oven. I'm sure there is a great game buried somewhere in there but between its lack of balance, less-than-ideal controls, boring levels, and unfortunate co-op requirements, the end product isn't nearly up to the level of the rest of Inti Creates's catalog.

Given the high standard of gameplay that Inti Creates has shown in many other titles it's released over the last several years, it's hard not to be disappointed by Dragon: Marked for Death.

Dragon Marked for Death is a game that I'm sure many people will have an easier time getting into now, than if they had attempted to at launch. It's in a much more playable state, and is undoubtedly all the better for it.

Dragon Marked for Death captivates with its agile and fast-paced 2D action. Completing missions in control of six different heroes is exciting and mastering their skills and peculiarities is one of the highlights of the title. The adventure can be explored alone, but it is in multiplayer that the potential is best explored: players need to coordinate their movements to be able to win, and it is fun when the strategies work. Even so, the game has some notable limitations, such as low-impact RPG aspects, uninspired level design and recycled content, characteristics that can bring a sense of repetition. In the end, Dragon Marked for Death is a reasonable experience, but it is necessary to ignore its problems in order to better enjoy it.

This is a type of game that, while experimental for the studio, really represents missed opportunities. Ranging from the extremely limited move set of the characters, lack of any new skills/moves, and a bit too much repetition, it leaves a strong feeling of how much better it could be. A heavy reliance on multiplayer likely dooms this, as the online population is relatively small, and the match-making is atrocious. Sad, as the graphics are great, and it could have been really fun with even a little bit more depth.

Definitely keep Dragon Marked for Death on your radar if you’d like a game to play with friends that’s outside the norm.

Dragon Marked for Death is one of the most rewarding sidescrolling games I have played ever, and it’s easily recommended due to its immense polish.

To the average gamer, the game’s repetitive nature in the face of its overall lack of multiplayer alternatives will spell anathema.

Dragon Marked for Death is a decent Action-Platformer that is held back by baffling design choices, but aims to please fans of the genre, especially fans of Mega Man Zero.