Dragon Fantasy: The Black Tome of Ice

Genre: Turn-Based JRPG

Players: 1

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Review:

Dragon Fantasy: The Black Tome of Ice, elsewhere known as Dragon Fantasy Book II, is a Turn-Based JRPG released on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in 2013, then in 2015 ported to mobile devices, then in 2016 ported to PC, PlayStation 4, Wii U, and Nintendo 3DS. This game picks up right where the first Dragon Fantasy left off, following the first game’s past-his-prime hero Ogden and his allies as they go on a new adventure.

While the second Dragon Fantasy game once again is clearly modeled off of JRPGs of the 16-bit era, the presentation has evolved beyond what was seen in the first game, and now features more detailed visuals, some of the “Mode 7”-style faux-3D effects that RPGs of the era like Final Fantasy VI used, and improved music that, while still not quite what I would consider memorable, is still pretty good. This game does drop the “8-bit mode” of the first Dragon Fantasy, but if that’s what it takes to get this improvement in the presentation, I think it’s a good trade to make. The writing and humor in this game is still excellent too, clearly following in the footsteps of the first game’s refusal to take itself too seriously.

There’s a bit more nuance to the combat this time too, as Dragon Fantasy: The Black Tome of Ice ditches the first-person combat styled after Dragon Quest in favor of combat that takes place on the same screen you encounter monsters, with attacks that do damage based on the location of enemies, much as in Chrono Trigger. The combat isn’t quite as nuanced as what was in Chrono Trigger, but even so, this is a huge improvement over the previous game in the series.

Overall, Dragon Fantasy: The Black Tome of Ice really helps to bring the Dragon Fantasy series into its own, though it’s still clearly pulling all its ideas from classic JRPGs rather than bringing anything of its own to the table. However, what’s here plays well, looks good, is presented well, and has a good sense of humor. If you’re a JRPG fan, this is definitely a game you should strongly consider picking up.

tl;dr – Dragon Fantasy: The Black Tome of Ice is a Turn-Based JRPG that greatly improves on the previous game in the series, with a better presentation and more nuanced combat, all while still having the same winning sense of humor as the first game. This game still feels somewhat derivative by nature, but even so it’s worth seeking out for fans of JRPGs.

Grade: B-

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