Drakkhen

Infogrames both published and developed this interesting hybrid video game, which saw the markets for the first time in the early nineties. It was developed for many different formats, and features elements of adventure, arcade action, and role playing games. The entire game is in the third person perspective.
The theme of Drakkhen revolves around the loss of magic in the world. A paladin killed the last of the great dragons, effectively drying up all of the world’s magic. This human ignored the word of the gods when he destroyed the last dragon.

The gods, in recompense, made a new world for the half dragon/half human hybrids and divided it into four parts, one for each element, ruled by the Drakkhen themselves. These hybrids threaten the world of humans. The gods have allowed the people a final chance at redemption. They have left behind a mystery of the Dragon Tears, and it is up to the user and his three friends to solve the mystery and restore balance to the world. There are eight tears on the hostile island ruled by the Drakkhen for the user and his band of adventurers to find.
The story, while a good one, is not particularly well integrated into the story as the user plays. After the back story is revealed in the introduction…or more detail is read in the manual, the story sort of falls off and becomes an afterthought, despite its potential for being very good and further engaging the user.
The characters in the story are also pretty mundane. There are a few nonplaying characters that offer hints and clues to the mystery of the Dragon Tears, but there are no side plots or quests to distract the user away from a very linear plot in the search for the eight tears. These characters are undeveloped and really don’t lend much to the story except for the little bits of information they reveal in their bland conversations.
Play continues in a fairly standard RPG format. The characters need to be equipped with the right weapons and items to make them formidable. They gain experience and advance as they advance in their quest for the Dragon Tears. There are a few puzzles to solve, and the battles with enemies are fought in a real time attack mode and utilize spells and appropriate weaponry. Outfitting is very crucial to the success of battles.
In short, Drakkhen is a game that had a lot of potential that fell somewhat short of its mark. This is not to say it is a bad game, it just has so much obvious potential to be more than it was, that it has to be classified as somewhat disappointing. Yes, it is still good and has merit and great gaming moments. It should still be downloaded. But one can’t help but wonder what it could have been.