Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire review

Best-selling fantasy author Richard A. Knaak reportedly developed Dragon Blade's narrative, but you have to wonder if he merely affixed his name to a rough outline before cashing his check. It's not that the narrative doesn't have potential - it's just nonexistent. Dragon Blade is purely an action game, and its rare attempts to further the storyline are poorly executed with clumsy, unlabeled subtitles, occasional C-grade CG scenes, and a dud of a main character. Protagonist Dal is perhaps the least compelling action hero in recent memory, lacking any sort of personality, style, or reason for being a featured player in any game. As the descendant of the lone king who supported the heroic dragon, Valthorian (who later transformed into the sword), Dal travels the land, defeating corrupt dragons and monstrous rulers to regain the powers of the blade.

Unfortunately, the in-game visuals won't keep you going either, making the game look years older than it is. Typically poor textures are painted over jagged, simplistic architecture, with level designs that rarely offer more than a straightforward path littered with carbon copies of eight or so common enemy types. Aside from the aforementioned dragon powers, which light up the screen and provide Dragon Blade its only legitimate hook, this is a game that appears to lack charm or charisma in nearly every decipherable way. It's like a textbook on how to design action/adventure titles - from 1998.