Dragon’s Crown’s action outpunches its controversial art (review)

One tragic Google search can completely ruin Dragon’s Crown for you. Women characters have exaggerated, inhuman proportions, and some wear virtually no clothing at all. Indeed, if you focus all your attention on the fact that the Amazon is going on an epic quest in a thong, then it’s totally understandable that you may dismiss the rest of Dragon’s Crown as exploitative trash.

The lead artist and designer for Dragon’s Crown, developer Vanillaware’s George Kamitani, draws in an identifiable and fantastic style. The trouble with Dragon’s Crown is the emphasis placed on breast animations and grotesque proportions and how they can distract from — and even eclipse — the game you’re playing. Kamitani defends his work by citing Western genre fantasy tropes and designs that influence countless other fantasy games, movies, and books. The most difficult part of accepting Kamitani’s work is balancing his motivation with the modern push to move away from depicting women as scantily clad objects. However, it is possible to look past the art and enjoy the game it illustrates.