DreamWorks Dragons: Legends of The Nine Realms game review

GIFTED

Gamers take flight and fire up the fun in this new fiery adventure -  DreamWorks Dragons: Legends of The Nine Realms

Set in the world of the critically acclaimed DreamWorks How to Train Your Dragon franchise, this brand-new, action-adventure video game is available now.

 

Outright Games, the leading publisher of family-friendly interactive entertainment, in collaboration with Universal Games and Digital Platforms, has released DreamWorks Dragons: Legends of The Nine Realms, on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Stadia and PC.

Inspired by the DreamWorks Animation original series DreamWorks Dragons: The Nine Realms, fans of the iconic franchise will take control of a new generation of dragons in a fiery adventure to save Thunder’s family and rescue dragonkind.

 

Set 1,300 years after the events of How to Train Your Dragon, fans can play as the courageous Night Light, Thunder, and friends Plowhorn, Feathers, and Wu & Wei, as they join together to unleash their unique, upgradeable abilities and defeat gigantic dragon bosses as they soar across the realm to discover what has disrupted the peaceful realms of dragons.

The action doesn’t stop there as experienced players can put themselves to the ultimate test in ‘Challenge Mode’ where levels can be replayed with increased difficulty modifiers. While swooping and diving around the fantastical realms, players will also be accompanied by the distinctive music of acclaimed composer, Chris Whiter, who has created the orchestral score for the game.

 

“We’re thrilled that we’re finally able to share DreamWorks Dragons: Legends of The Nine Realms with everyone,” said Terry Malham, CEO of Outright Games. "Working with our close collaborators at Universal has been a fantastic experience and we’ve loved taking these characters from the series and adapting them for a one-of-a-kind video game experience. Fans can expect an action-packed adventure with amazing characters and battles. We hope everyone loves it!”

 

“The How to Train Your Dragon franchise continues to entertain and push boundaries as the story evolves to a modern-day world,” said Jim Molinets, SVP of Production, Universal Games and Digital Platforms. “DreamWorks Dragons: Legends of The Nine Realms takes the fantastic storytelling and characters that the franchise is known for and transports them into a new world filled with fiery action and nonstop adventure that will continue to enthral audiences worldwide.’’

 

Set 1,300 years after the events of How to Train Your Dragon, DreamWorks Dragons: The Nine Realms is available on Peacock and Hulu in the U.S. and BBC iPlayer in the U.K. In the EU, the series is broadcast on Rai Gulp in Italy, Clan in Spain, Super RTL/TOGGO in Germany and Viaplay in Benelux, Poland and Norway. The latest season is streaming now.   

Game play

DreamWorks Dragons: The Nine Realms is a fun game for younger DreamWorks Dragons fans.

Fans of the franchise can enjoy playing as Night Light dragons from the show. The dragons look great and are recognisable. Unfortunately for most of the time, due to the bird’s eye view game play you do not get to fully enjoy seeing the dragons as you play which is a shame as they look awesome and are super cute.

When you first play the game you start off playing as Thunder. Adding fun and variety for Dreamworks Dragons fans, other dragons including Plowhorn, Wu & Wei, and Feathers can be unlocked as you progress through the game and unlock new levels. Once a dragon is unlocked, gamers can freely switch between different dragons. 

Playing as different dragons in the game adds an element of variety and having to unlock them provides a challenge. Plus having a few different dragons from the hit show that fans can recognise makes the game more enjoyable for fans. 

Dragons can also be upgraded. Starting the game Thunder has basic skills that you can improve as you work through the game. As you traverse the dragon lands you collect different coloured crystals - green, blue, purple and yellow - that you can use to increase your dragon’s skills, speed, strength and knowledge. Upgrading dragons with new skills such as Thunder’s Uppercut powerful backflip attack or Electric Camouflage makes the game more interesting and battles more fun. Collecting crystals to use to upgrade your dragon gives the young gamers an achievable goal with a fun reward of a new skill for the dragon.

The game is made up of 5 different realms with a number of levels in each realm that you must complete. The game is not a sandbox, free roam game instead dragons have to follow a particular path to get to the end of levels. Crystal Beacons are scattered across the levels for dragons to use as beacons on long journeys. As gamers send their dragons on adventures across the lands they come across foe dragons such as the Crimson Gembreaker that they must battle to progress further in the game. Other obstacles include blocked pathways and wind tunnels that can be at times helpful and other times a hindrance. 

This game is a family friendly game suited for younger gamers which is evident by features such as hint icons telling gamers which way to go if they get lost. Another example of the game being family friendly is that the dragons do not kill the enemy dragons but instead battle them until they are scared off.

The game is a tad repetitive and older gamers are likely to find this annoying, however the repetitive nature is good for young gamers new to gaming to get used to the world of gaming in a fun way with challenges that they can easily accomplish for a sense of achievement, which in turn will help them fall in love with the joy of gaming. The background at times could be more detailed and crisper but it is vibrant and eye catching which appeals to my youngest gamer. 

DreamWorks Dragons: Legends of The Nine Realms is an easy, fun game ideal for younger fans of the DreamWorks Dragons franchise. 

DreamWorks Dragons: Legends of The Nine Realms is available now on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Stadia and PC.