Dragon View: Wayback Wednesday Vol. 23, Part 2

Dragon View has a loose connection to Drakkhen, one of the earliest RPGs released for the SNES. Arriving three years later in 1994, Dragon View benefited from the experience of many of the same developers. They appear to have listened intently to feedback and criticisms of Drakkhen because Dragon View makes improvements in nearly every aspect and, as a result, is all the better for it, with more polish.

Like its predecessor, the overworld map of Dragon View is in 3D and much easier to navigate around, but with even more secret locations and items for the savvy gamer.

Enemies on the world map are represented by little white clouds, and the only downfall is slowdown when many of them appear on screen at the same time. This is unlikely to happen, however, and it is both possible to outrun these enemies with ease and to go a long time without seeing them.

The world map is humongous by the standards of the time, with many unique areas to explore, the desert being, perhaps, one of the largest and most overwhelming. You will also traverse across swamps, hot fiery infernos, vast arctic tundras, and more. It almost feels like this game was a precursor to open-world exploration, of course, in an SNES package.

Dungeons are where players are likely to see the most improvement over the prequel. Alex, the hero, appears as a giant sprite, much larger than nearly any other RPG on the SNES. Dungeons are side-scrolling, and there are many obstacles you have to watch out for, jump over, and navigate around.

Battles are action-packed and quick, and you can utilize several special skills you get along the way, as well as using two different types of weapons to vanquish enemies: a sword and a boomerang/ax hybrid. Honestly, I mostly used the sword, but the boomerang is not without its uses. Levels increase strength and defense, but heart containers, similar to the ones you find in Zelda, increase your HP and MP stars allow you to cast more magic. Hearts and MP stars can be very difficult to find, and, likely, someone playing this game without a walkthrough will miss several of each. Controls are tight, and players can expect to have them down, for memory, very quickly. However, Alex moves a little too slowly for my tastes.

The story is much less cryptic than Drakkhen but also seems more basic. Basically, without giving too much away, the player is treated to a romantic scene at the start of the game before everything turns sour. The story is very similar to what you might find in Mario, save the girl!

Character development is quite limited for the majority of the game; it is just Alex by himself. How much you find out depends on how often you talk to the NPCs from various towns, as not much is said about his background. You will get occasional looks into what Argos, the main villain, is up to, but his motivations and history remain largely unclear for much of the game, and even when they are explained, it’s basic, so don’t expect much.

As far as the soundtrack, gone are the more ambient noises that took up most of Drakkhen, replaced by a very competent soundtrack. Depending on the region you are exploring on the world map, the music will change to suitably match the terrain. The music in the desert makes you feel like you are on an endless trek under the burning sun. Battle music is imposing, fitting the fast-paced nature of the fight. Boss fights, on the other hand, leave something to be desired, and, unlike normal battles, the music does not quite create the tension you would expect from such important battles. The sound effects are okay, but some of them are pretty funny, especially the laughing of the 2nd boss.

The graphics, in general, are a huge step up over Drakkhen while still looking a little bland for a late 1994 SNES game, though towns at least include a lot of detail and are presented in 2D.

The game is not very hard, providing an average level of difficulty with only a limited amount of grinding required. You do not have to grind nearly as much as in Drakkhen, and what grinding is needed is not nearly as tedious. One of the few places you might need to increase some levels is the first room of the last dungeon, and that goes by rapidly. Overall, the learning curve is less steep than Drakkhen's, and Dragon View is a lot more forgiving. There is some replay value in this game if you play without a guide, as there are likely to be a lot of secrets missed if you play blind.

Overall, Dragon View is a criminally underrated gem that, while not free of flaws, still deserves attention from games even in 2026.

Wayback Wednesday Volume 1: Final Fantasy 7 and Chrono Trigger.

Wayback Wednesday Volume 2: Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

Wayback Wednesday Volume 3: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete

Wayback Wednesday Volume 4: Secret of Mana and Wild Arms

Wayback Wednesday Volume 5: Illusion of Gaia and Grandia

Wayback Wednesday Volume 6: Breath of Fire 3 and X-Men Legends

Wayback Wednesday Volume 7: Star Ocean: The Second Story and Super Mario RPG

Wayback Wednesday Volume 8: Demon's Crest and Dragon Quest VI

Wayback Wednesday Volume 9: Suikoden I and Jeanne d'Arc

Wayback Wednesday Volume 10: Ranking the first 6 Final Fantasy games

Wayback Wednesday Volume 11: Earthbound and Valkyrie Profile