Dragon Raiders Review

Dragon Raiders by Team Chaos is a level-based flying/action game. In it, dragons are deployed to handle a potentially world-destroying threat. That's good: if a planet-wrecking evil ever casts its shadow over Earth, it certainly won't hurt to have a few dragons on our side.

While it's generally fun to try and save the world with Dragon Raiders' spunky team of flying reptiles, its ambitious graphics lead to some difficulties with perspective. Persistence pays off, but expect to smash up a dragon or two on the quest to save the mystical realm of Landslandia.

Dragon Raiders takes place in the same universe as Dragon Academy, but whereas the latter is a match-three game, Dragon Raiders challenges the player to fly through several levels scattered across varying terrain. From the word "Go," players swipe the screen to send their dragon up, down, and around hazards. It's technically not an endless runner since each stage has an end, but the potential dangers should seem familiar for fans of 3D running games. There are plumes of red-hot smoke to contend with, as well as walls, trees, and rocks. Oh, and the nefarious "Wobblins" from Dragon Academy are back, and this time they're launching sheep.

The dragons can snag power-ups to help them complete stages. There are icons for super-speed, coin-attracting magnets, and invincibility shards. Players can also grab coins that let them upgrade power-ups or continue flying after a death - though it's more fun to use the coins on personalization items. There's no point in hanging out with a dragon if that dragon isn't wearing a bomber jacket.

Despite its cute touches, Dragon Raiders is a pretty familiar flying/action game. That's not necessarily a terrible thing: flying with dragons is cool. Period. Even if the scenery looks a bit familiar. However, players may find the game's perspective problematic at times. It can be hard to tell exactly where items are positioned, especially when the path turns to the side. Expect plenty of casualties until patterns have been memorized.

Luckily, the stages are decently-sized so starting over again isn't too frustrating - and there's always the option to pay for a continue using coins. Each track comes with a load time though, which isn't a fun thing to wait through for anyone who's itching to get back into the action.

Dragon Raiders isn't wildly innovative, but neither is it a struggle to enjoy. It helps serve as scientific proof that everything is better with dragons.