Drakkhen (1989). Play online

Summary

Drakkhen throws you into a world that mixes a flat vector‑based horizon with bitmap rooms, an early hybrid between 3‑D and 2‑D that feels wild for a 1991 SNES title. The engine, later reused in Eternam, lets you glide over a 360° landscape while interiors stay classic 2‑D.

An animated day‑night cycle runs in real time, and the game encourages unfettered wandering—a rarity back then. Combat unfolds in real time, automatically resolving unless you dip a stick into the status windows to micromanage your scout, wizard, fighter, or priest. You can even flee battles by tapping L and R, making many encounters optional.

More than 150 unique monsters stalk the fields and over 200 spells pepper your arsenal, rewarding every type of playstyle. Items are bought from wandering merchants or tavern barkeepers, and each castle functions as a self‑contained level you can revisit.

The SNES port by Kemco‑Seika added an expanded soundtrack, a visual compass and an elegant text‑adventure log, but omitted Gary Gygax’s accompanying short‑storybook. It moved over 350 000 copies, earning mixed scores—Nintendo Power gave 3.1/5, while Super Gamer rated it 84%.

Storyline

Drakkhen throws you onto a mist‑shrouded island where the power of dragons once held the world together. Long ago the final dragon was slain, and with it the magic of the world faded, leaving humanity on the brink of extinction. The island is now ruled by the four elemental dragon gods and their offspring, who have stolen eight of the nine magical blue artifacts known as the Tears.

An emperor dispatches four heroes – two warriors and two magicians – to retrieve the stolen Tears from the eight dragon princes and princesses scattered across the land. Their task is to solve the puzzle of the Tears, recover each gem, and use them to summon the great dragon god.

If the party succeeds, the great dragon is revived, the Nine Tears are restored, and the island’s magic returns, sparing the doomed Drakkonian people. Failure means the dragon gods and their lizard‑people armies will wipe out the survivors.