Dragon Force - Sega Saturn Review
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- It's my favorite game on the Saturn. Here's why.
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Opening 3D Logo By:
Jan Neves
UA-cam Page - / jan3d
Opening 2D Animation By:
Kevin Bhall
Facebook - / kevin.bhall.14
Episode Notes:
1. All footage from real hardware.
2. Sound capture from real hardware.
3. Dragon Force used software CyberSound for its music. This was a MIDI type software for making music that had a full instrument table. It allowed the Saturn to create non redbook music that wasn't taxing to the hardware.
4. Dragon Force was also released on the Playstation 2 and 3. It has updated graphics and a new art design.
5. In typical Working Designs fashion, multiple discs were released for this game with different art in the US.
6. This game still has numerous audio bugs still present. Every so often you get sound effects caught in loops that will not stop until the game loads again.
7. Starting with King Wein is advisable. His mission is fairly easy to get going and you don't have enemies attacking you at every turn.
8. The last enemy is far too easy. I really wish he was a bit more, let's say, dynamic in his execution.
9. Dragon Force II allows you to mix unit types. For example you can have both Calvary and Soldiers with the same general. An upgrade I quite enjoyed.
10. Despite Dragon Force going for under $100 5 years ago, it has now ballooned up to $200-$300 or more regularly. At the rate of its climb, it will soon be another US Sega Saturn game in excess of $500.
I remember back in the day, my Dad and I were going to Toys r' us to get a new game. I was so excited. We get there and this dude was trying to sell or trade in a stack of about 10 used Saturn games. The girl behind the counter offered him $150 bucks, he laughed and said "no way" then walked out. My Dad followed him out and offered to buy them all for $200 and the guy said "sure!". This was one of those games and I was hooked. Still have it, still play it. Thanks Dad, rip.
@Alakazzam09
Good story, thanks for sharing.
Your dad was awesome! 👍
shout out to your dad.
what a great dad..
cheers to him
Dad was a legend! RIP
Dragon Force is the game that gave me my first ever gaming marathon. I played it for 11 hours straight one Saturday when I was 16 years old. I had never played any game for that long, uninterrupted. "I'll just finish this battle and then save, quit, and go meet up with my friends. Ok, I just need to take over one more castle. I'll just handle these domestic affairs, and then I'm done." I just couldn't put it down! For me to stay home on a Saturday night when I was 16 years old, I had to be playing one hell of a video game, and Dragon Force was it!
Oh, I bought the game in late '97 at Babbage's, used but in immaculate condition, for $30. I only bought it because it was published by Working Designs, and it seemed RPG-ish. It was one of the best purchases I ever made.
Similar stories with my crew and I ...
Even group sessions!
Incredible, right? Three to five friends sitting around one screen for several, even dozens of hours at a time! Not to mention with merely one controller, passed along no quicker than a half hour each time ... Wow ...
Nearly impossible, since it seems perhaps only Dragon Force could pull this feat off, eh?!
Me too! I spent 10/11 hours on a friday night. Went to bed Saturday at 9 am.
Same here. It was also a Saturday for me. I vividly remember it as being the first time I truly lost track of time while playing a game. Very few games have managed that for me since.
Amazing how we all had basically the same experience with this game. There was something really special about Dragon Force.
@@michaeloffgrid It has that classic "just one more turn" quality to it. Except one turn in this game can quickly become a massive time sink once things start intensifying. Then the turn is done and you think "well I guess I have to handle the admin stuff before stopping." And so on.
It's also special to me for how it manages to be so chill but then suddenly be epic or intense without losing its chill.
This is my single favorite Sega developed title ever. I'm glad to see it getting it's recognition
Almost every general has unique texts, powers, stories etc. There are like 160 different generals. When I say unique , there are like 10 different categories and each category has at least 100 different uniqueness with some characters have like 60,000 lines of text.
I remember back in the day, I was so engrossed with this game, i actually dreamt about coming up with strategies which I immediately tried first thing after waking up.
All 8 main characters have a different storyline. There are a ton of easter eggs and the story lines are epic. Each one being different.
But not really though.
@@jackrussell3084 bow to your sensei
Man I love this game. I’m so glad u did a review of this game. Dragonforce is the biggest reason why I have a Sega Saturn today
Only discovered this game a few years ago and it's easily my favourite games of all time
I don't think I have ever seen a game like this! It feels like you're not just selecting commands but also leading your troops. A true gem of a game!
Each main general has 4 "main generals" that are all apart of the storyline and extra special.
Man, just hearing that music again gives me goosebumps!
My favorite Saturn game period! Being able to play Goldark after beating the game was amazingly satisfying! PDS is great as well, but doesn't have nearly as much replay value IMO.
I forgot about that! Dragon Force is one of the best game on the Saturn. I still own my copy from when it was brand new.
@@Sinn0100 Never, EVER make the mistake of getting rid of it like I did years ago!
@@TheGemini5
Oh my friend I feel your pain...I stupidly sold Panzer Dragoon Saga in 2004 for 100 bucks thinking I made out like a bandit. I thought "When will I want to play this again?! I have an Xbox, PlayStation 2, and a Gamecube...that game is so old, sucker." I wound up getting it back when it was going for 400 bucks....now whose the sucker? That was a very painful experience that I learned from. :)
Never understood why it's not an ages title now.
It was a Sega Ages title in 2004/2005 for the PS2. WHat surprises me is that Sega never ported it to other platforms afterwards. It would be a terrific Switch or even PC game.
@@zanon__ There's a ton of text required, and just re-using and reinserting the Working Designs translation would alone be a huge effort. Not impossible but if it happened an English localization might be more effort than it would be worth to Sega
@@fthetm Well considering Sega allowed 3rd Parties to work on Streets of Rage for a new game, as well as allowed a 3rd Party studio to remake/remaster Panzer Dragoon Saga, the only effort Sega would've had would be counting the money of all purchases coming it from an IP they haven't touched in over a decade.
@@zanon__
That's the thing Sega doesn't do anything but license out it's properties these days. This would be such an easy win for them if they knew what they were doing.
@@JohnDoe-wq5eu Yep. We can hope things change. The game turns 25 this next Monday, so we can (unrealistically) hope they had something planned for us, long time Sega fans.
(wishful thinking, I know but one can dream :) )
The castle/domestic affairs music makes me cry from nostalgia. What a game
Thats how awesome the game is.
You rang? :)
I have been waiting for so long for this. I knew there was a dedicated Dragon Force video coming from you. Excellent. Thank you.
I remember being so excited when I got this game so long ago. I ended up beating the game with every character. I loved Ogre battle on the SNES and this game is very similar.
Thanks for the video and bringing attention to such a beloved game.
BEHOLD!!! THE VAST LAND OF LEGENDRA!
This bountiful land...
Damn I feel like crying the nostalgia is so strong with this one.
Dear god I miss this game. Its so unique and fun.
This is my favorite game of all time. I go back to it frequently!
My favorite game of all time!
Same here!!! Others may attempt to come close, but all around and each category individually - nothing had, has, or will have ever make a claim to top this masterpiece!!!
@@briantaylorcloe7725 a Ps5 DF3 would be awesome. Lets cross our fingers.
@@jgs1703 sawrie ... I'd have to go with thee Super Switch version 😼
@@jgs1703 but, y'know, if they did the SoR, TMNT, WBiML treatment, they could get all platforms like that!!!
@@briantaylorcloe7725 The game would be far superior on the PS5 lol
My favorite Saturn game.
When Junon removed the mask was a damn surprise :D
This is interesting. I've never had a chance to play Dragon Force and I've never been able to work out from videos how the battles actually worked, so the breakdown is interesting.
Dragon Force had so much replay value. EAch kingdom had specialty fighting forces with strengths and weaknesses. All were viable in some way. It was pretty well balanced.
Right on time for the 25th anniversary of the game next Monday!
Such an epic game! Wish we had seen more games use the processors to their fullest potential like this...
Most of the probably 50 castles are unique with battles occuring everywhere across the map in every element out there which adds different elements to the game. There is a beautiful randomness to the game.
Well, guess I gotta hook the saturn up and jump back into this game, cuz this review gave me ALL of the nostalgia
Revolution Death Squad 🤘 -- Oh Sorry wrong DragonForce 😅 - Another great Working Designs product. I sure do miss that studio.
the music starts -> instand goosebumps
My brother got his dragon force logo tattoo, I still need to get mine, but this game is a huge part of me and my brothers childhood, the instruction booklet was freaking amazing.
Working Designs was a class act, weren't they?
Had Sega Flash disc vol 5 that had this game on video demo back then i was 9 years old. Now when im over 30 i finaly bought it on ebay and damn, was it an super nostalgic experience. Took me about 2 weeks to finish. Worth every penny.
Love the content SLX, especially the Saturn coverage, I'm in the market for one finally and your buying guides have helped significantly. Thanks man!
Love it all! I remember playing this game at a college and people just not knowing how to react to it because they had never seen so many characters animated in a plane like that.
I definitely got a few people into this series'lol
This is the only Saturn game I still possess the disk for, though I do have the box for Shining Force 3.
Loved Dragon Force. And yeah, despite its appearances as a strategy game, it really is more of an rpg. There haven't been many games like this, closest I guess would be Brigindine, but Dragon Force is still to this day kind of unique.
And I remember when kid me finally figured out how to recruit Vlad and I got him. This was when gamefaqs was barely a thing and didn't have a tenth of the info it has now.
What a wonderful game. I just started playing my original copy this week. Gaming is sadly missing these types of games.
Music is epic.
Can you also review Dark Wizard for the Sega CD? Need more member berries like this.
This was the first game I’ve got when I brought the sega saturn.
El juego perfecto !! Hi from Venezuela !!
The more I watch these videos the more I want a Saturn. Gonna get a MODE and a Saturn so I can play these games. The 2D artstyle holds up a hell of a lot better than the blocky 3D of other platforms.
I remember seeing this game reviewed well on Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine, convincing me to get this title. What really grabbed my interest was seeing the battles. It reminded me a little of the Genesis game called Warsong, which was a port of one of the Langrisser games from Japan. Dragon Force was a quite unique game for its time.
Top Saturn game,that is not only great and unique as a game,but also is perharps the best example of Saturn's 2d capabilities without an extra ram cart.
The amount of sprites on battles is just amazing.
The only game pushed a lot of sprites on screen
I briefly forgot English when I was very little (learning other languages from where I lived), and this is what I relearned English playing. Fond memories.
I like this game and even more the second dragon force ( artwork aren’t as good as the first one but the gameplay with 2 kind of army is insane!)
I am going to play DF2 after I beat DF completely. Ive beaten DF 4/8 characters.
Best game on the Saturn!
I was soooooo stuck on this game as a kid! Absolutely Loved it. One of my all time favorites from any console. With all these damn remakes releasing, I been waiting for this to get remade, no luck yet. Thank you for showing love to a forgotten classic!
love dragon force, i play it still on the mednafen emulator, i like to keep my original 5 generals and level them up and get their troop counts up before getting or capturing any others, if i do capture i just send a general to an enemy with them to hand them over, as your main 5 level up and gain troops so do all other generals in the game, saves the trouble of having to level up all the others as you go, and allows a build up of awards for when you get the other chosen and give them new types of unit types that you want them to have
I literally just started my first playthrough of this classic this week. Very happy to see this review and the tips you've shared. Loving it all so far!
my fav game of all time. i was 11 when this came out and i remember lputting hundreds of hours into this across multiple playthroughs
One of the best games of my childhood. Rushing home from school and getting lost in being a general to unite the world! Wish Sega or an indie redo remake something similar. Closest has been Symphony of War.
In 2002 I was working in a game shop when this got traded in. It was one of those Saturn games I had not got around to buying, but knew I really wanted, so quickly snapped it up when it was traded in. I played it an absolute ton once I got it and it instantly became one of my favourite Saturn games. You have to push past the initial difficulty and understanding of the game, but once you do, man, the battles can be amazing and the strategy element is fantastic. Great game.
You definitely need to check out its sequel! There's a great fan translation out there, and I've played the heck out of it! Definitely check out some footage to see what it's all about!
😁👍
You just put another Saturn game on my "to buy" list. If I can find it cheap enough, I'd like to buy it.
Just buy it. Look at the comments. Almost every comment is saying its the best game of all time. Its priceless.
I was definitely overwhelmed in the opening part of DragonForce. There was so many complicated systems thrown at you from the onset that I had no idea what I was doing.
I felt the same way at first, having always been quick to give up on any sort of strategy game when I was young. I tried the game once and gave up pretty quickly. I came back a few months later and started a campaign as Teiris and just sent all her generals to assault the nearest castle (there's only one road into/out of her castle). They took it over easily, there was a story cutscene, and I was hooked!
That's why you need to read through the manual before playing it.
@@Mitjitsu If the game requires external material to understand before operation, it’s too convoluted. I never needed a manual for Herzog Zwei or Shining Force.
There's a fan translation of a game called Bahamut Senkai on the Genesis that is somewhat similar to Dragon Force. Its turn based but it has a very similar map and over world system of moving armies to different regions to wage battle. I think there were quite a few games like that which Dragon Force took inspiration from, but like you said no other game pulled it off the same way Dragon Force did. I've got DF2 sitting on a hard drive right now, but i've heard people say its not as good as DF1, hope you'll make a video on it some time.
I don't wanna spoil this awesome game too much. Definitely on the top of my backlog for my lovely Saturn.
Quit everything you are doing in life and play this game. No game on the saturn comes close.
@@jgs1703 Shining the Holy Ark and Shining Force 3 are also on par or even better.
@@vasileios6301 if you like rpgs like all the other hundreds of rpgs out there. Im sure.
@@jgs1703 I used to love them,now I hate them all except the YS series were are somewhat having the old good flavour.
@@jgs1703 wow ok. And I thought PDS was a perfect game
The fact this is 2D makes it far more timeless than anything 3D of the time. (which has aged like milk from the time) It is definitely at the top of the list of games from the Saturn that should be brought to anything and everything possible. It deserves more eyes and recognition.
It is a fantastic game and also think it is among the very best games on the Saturn. I believe I've beaten it with everyone but Reinhart. I have never been a big RPG or strategy guy, and I didn't really know what this game was about, but I knew that several people whose opinions I valued recommended it highly. I was in a position to be able to buy two Saturn games right at the start of a week off from high school. Plus, I was staying home with my grandparents who lived downstairs while my parents and brother went on a trip I had no interest in. Those two games were Dragon Force and an import copy of Fighters Megamix. I chose well that day and had an amazing week of gaming. I stayed up really late playing Dragon Force. The only reason I went to sleep was because I knew I could resume immediately after waking up. Anyway, I actually enjoy the game more using the pause exploit, as well as blitzing castles with multiple groups, but I did figure those things out for myself, so I can't find issue with your recommendations. I will say, not everyone is up for figuring everything out, and if some guidance helps people enjoy this game more, then that's a good thing. However, I wouldn't tell any rookies about the pause exploit either right away, since they need to focus on the fundamentals of battle and the importance of administration stuff like searching and fortifying castles and keeping their generals happy. There's so much to love about the game, and among those are the wonderful character designs of so many generals. I was so disappointed to know Dragon Force 2 existed but was never localized officially. I believe I learned from this channel that there was finally a translation, and it's why I picked up a used desktop computer to finally have something that could properly handle Saturn. I haven't gotten to play DF2 yet because I know it will be a massive time sink if it's anything like the first oone.
I love this game! I played it so much in the past, it's about time to play it again!
By the way, can you do a review of Dark Savior sometime? I bought it at roughly the same time as Dragon Force and that is also one of my favorite saturn games!
My favorite Saturn game. I got this game when it came out at Toy's R Us and started with Junon with became my favorite character. Awesome review
One of the best games on the Saturn and easily one of my all-time favorite games ever. I played this so much; 25 years later and the soundtrack still pops in my head from time-to-time. The fact that we never received another game like this, aside from the sequel that never made it to the US is ridiculous.
Great review! But I thought you were going to mention how we can play it. I believe only options are 1. The original game on the Saturn. 2. Emulators/ROMS.
Dragon Force was on the PS2 as well.
I love their album Inhuman Rampage!
Is that Ghaleon's English voice actor as the Narrator?
John Truitt. You bet. He does theater performance in California to this day. He's on Facebook.
@@1georgekitchen That is amazing, I play in English just for him, wish he still did video game voice acting.
Oh yes I had this game, I still remember staying the mountain dew and doritos while being up till 4am playing this, for sure it was a fun and addictive game.
Dragon Force is such a wonderful game, and you're completely correct on all fronts on how to play the game. Discovering things is part of the fun.
It is for sure in my top 5 Sega Saturn games of all time. Thanks for covering this game, and give it the love and attention it deserves.
Shining force 3 was my 1st rpg ever! I wasted hours trying to keep my party alive. I didnt knew they would revive later 😅 i was so happy to play part 2 years later.
One underappreciated aspect about this game is that it has some pretty amazing looking FMV cutscenes for a game running on a stock Sega Saturn without an MPEG card.
really enjoyed it after finding it a few years ago reminded me of my favorite growing up Ogre battle 64.
Hey, this is my favorite game as a kid! I used Debug menu to make it harder though, i did everything in this gameeee.
Such an awesome game! Just can’t understand why Sega hasn’t re-released this! And the Japan-only sequel that has a fan translation. (I’m sure if Sega threw them some money they could use that translation and tweak as needs be).
As a Gamer/Artist and Animator I have to say this is one beautiful looking game! I love the game play as well! Awesome story and mechanics is what makes this game stand out! Another Awesome Video X!
Working Designs was KILLING it on the Saturn and PS1. My favorite was Vanguard Bandits.
Dragon force is a fantastic game but what made it so memorable was working designs translation - really added depth and flavour to the characters and the story.
Sunk a lot of hours into this!
I played this game when I was kid, over and over. My all-time favorite game on Saturn.
I don't ever replay games once I beat them, but I played this to completion with all 8 generals at least 3 times back in the day. The battles NEVER GOT OLD! Still have my original copy even though I don't have a Saturn anymore.
One of my favourite Saturn Games, thank you for adding this game to the UA-cam Library of videos. What an awesome game. Harpies are the best troops to have.
Man,i used to draw the dragon crest in my hand with marker. I loved that game. Pain,Agony. The 1st time i saw gigs and the dragons. 🤩 katmandu! 🤩🤩🤩 i remember there was a debug secret menu. And 1 cheat. I had lots of fun at the time. Thanks dad 🙇♂️🙇♂️🙇♂️
Playing this back in the day was an amazing experience. I’m surprised dragon force didn’t develop its own, new popular genre
I wanted to play this game so bad back in the day. I was into Guardian Heros and I wanted more and this looked like what I was after!
This man is doing the (Sega) Lord's work. Thank you for giving this incredible game all the love it deserves.
Great Sega Saturn game 👍
Hell yes!! Haven’t watched yet but already hit the like button. So glad you are going to single this one out finally, love this game! This game has some intense moments, great tactical elements, and amazing visuals.
Atomic Wedgie!
Truly one of the best games ever made. I still play this now and its still has a high fun factor!!!
Tips for experienced players who finds the game too easy:
1- Don't inspect enemy castles or troops. Always go prepared for the worst case scenario;
2- Only give awards for generals who deserved it by winning a battle. Castle conquer awards can be distributed freely;
3- Only recruit Generals after 2 or 3 weeks of them being captives;
4- Never use the pause button during the map session of the game;
5- In battle, if you're attacking a castle, always use offensive formations, never standby. Unless you have mages or archers.
I started a run with those "rules" and the game became a lot more interesting for an experienced player like myself. If you have any suggestion of more of these "rules", please comment!
I wouldn't call pausing the game after a battle an exploit, let alone a new discovery. I figured it out on my first playthrough forever ago and used it early in the campaign. Past a certain point it's simply not worth the time or effort needed since you already have enough good generals and good castles are scarce without investing in fortifying.
Overall, this is a good review that covers many of the basics well. I was hoping you'd give a shoutout to Hundred Swords on the Dreamcast as it's probably the next best thing to a Dragon Force 3, but perhaps that's for a later episode. I would love to see this series revived as I think there is more of an audience for something like this today than in the 90s. If a game as esoteric as Langrisser can find a following in today's market outside of Japan, there's no reason a game like Dragon Force can't do the same.
Well I never said it was new but I most certainly consider it an exploit. It's not how the game was meant to be played and makes it super easy. The overall experience is lesser if you use it IMO.
@@SegaLordX I agree that the game is better off without it, but it really doesn't do much after you've captured your first few nations. It mostly serves as a waste of time and resources to maintain generals that you aren't even using most of the time.
I played and completed this game with no help from walkthroughs and it was a better experience. No Idea where I bought it from but it proudly sits in my collection.
The narrator of the prologue, that sounds like the same voice actor that was Ghaleon from Lunar.
Great game! I remember there was a blooper reel at the end of the game for voice acting
I could only admire screenshots in the magazines at the time, as I had the PlayStation and couldn't afford both systems. Have been wanting to play it ever since.
This is THE game for Sega Saturn. I devoted so many hours to this and I adore Dragon Force (as you can tell by my profile pic). I really wish I could get this in another platform (PC, perhaps) a I have lost my copy of this game and my Saturn many years ago.🥺
5:08 that voice! It's Galleon!
As far as I know there are no other strategie jrpg games quite like this one on any other console the first time I played this game as a kid I was blown away by the hand drawn 100 vs 100 battles please sega revisit this series again some day
This and Panter Dragoon Saga is the best Saturn titles ever.
Wish Sega can bring this back by making a sequel or even a 2-pack remake with both this and Dragon force 2
It's funny, because I don't enjoy traditional strategy games, but this is one of just a couple that I love to pieces. I first played it in 1998, as one of my other friends and I were both just in love with our Saturns, and were scrounging up all of the system exclusives we could. A co-worker at FuncoLand recommended it to my buddy, and we both got copies. The combat is so simple, but incredibly nuanced, and it's just so streamlined and colorful. It's not a game where you have to micromanage character sheets and spend more time looking at tables than playing.
I loved its sequel as well. Being able to use two different types of troops simultaneously was a huge game changer, and the generals who could revive troops were nuts when you managed to get them. Mages felt pretty overpowered in that one, though.
Funny thing for me, though, is that this game is the reason I love Langrisser Millennium on the Dreamcast. Traditional Langrisser fans hate that game. I love it, though, as it's the closest thing to Dragon Force I've ever played. You only get three soldiers to command and direct control of your commander, but the core concept and map function remarkably similarly. Its only real broken thing was that you could try to recruit enemies at the beginning of each battle, and it worked way more often that I'dve expected. Dragon Force fans should give it a look. Langrisser fans should play the Wonderswan version instead, as it's a traditional grid-based Langrisser.
I like Shmups,Strategy RPG’s and Fighting games I might have to get a Saturn
Wow Excellent game. Finished that game only with Mikhail because is the easiest path when you are in the final part of the game. Samurai > Dragons, but my fav is Junon. Thanks for the nostalgic review. I wish SEGA releases a nostalgic pack for next gen consoles and pc with Dragon Force 1 and 2 ( but for the 1st one, the remake for the PS2 under the sega ages label, and the second would be the first time, officially, to come to America)
Great Video Sega Lord X! I have this game and have yet to play it. I feel like this game needs a lot of my time, which is why I haven't started it. I am currently playing Albert Odyssey, but I think this will be my next game to play through. Thanks again for the video, I love your passion for the Saturn and it really shows in the videos you do regarding it. I am a late adopter of the Saturn since I was and still am a Playstation guy, but there is no denying that Sega of America just did not do right by the Saturn.
Love your Love for this, sLx 😻
When you go on about Saturn, more specifically Working Designs, and MOST especially Dragon Force , you are untouchable at the peak of the mountain, Sure! 😼
Keep it up ~
Excellent review. I commend you for introducing the characters of the game. Great job!