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E3 2011: VanillaWare tries on Dragon's Crown for PS3, Vita

Brendan Sinclair
By Brendan Sinclair, Senior Editor

UTV Ignition publishing side-scrolling fantasy brawler, the first HD game from the developer behind Muramasa: The Demon Blade.

LOS ANGELES--Developer VanillaWare has made a name for itself with the award-winning graphics of games like Muramasa: The Demon Blade and Odin Sphere, but the studio has yet to showcase its talents on an HD system. That's going to change soon, as UTV Ignition Games has announced that it will publish VanillaWare's next game, Dragon's Crown, on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita.

VanillaWare games are known for their graphics.

VanillaWare games are known for their graphics.

Dragon's Crown is a fantasy side-scrolling beat-'em-up featuring six different classes of character (fighter, amazon, dwarf, wizard, sorceress, elf) showcasing some exaggerated physical proportions. The game will allow up to four adventurers to play together online, hacking their way through a variety of dungeons on a quest to accumulate riches and confront an ancient dragon.

Ignition has said that the Vita version of the game won't be scaled back from its PS3 counterpart in any way. Additionally, the two versions will feature some sort of interoperability that Ignition won't be revealing until a bit closer to the game's slated spring 2012 release.

For more on VanillaWare, check out GameSpot's review of the studio's previous game, Muramasa: The Demon Blade.

Brendan Sinclair
By Brendan Sinclair, Senior Editor

Brendan Sinclair has been a games journalist since 1999. His tastes are eclectic, though he has a definite affinity for games with arcade roots. He's Canadian, but has also been at home in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, and San Francisco.

19 Comments

  • tgwolf

    Posted Mar 26, 2012 12:14 pm GMT

    ...OH BOY, I hope that wacko 'Lawmaker' mentioned in the side bar doesn't send the FBI my way! 'The Man' ain't gettin' my games!

  • tgwolf

    Posted Mar 26, 2012 12:10 pm GMT

    ...WHOA! A new game for the Vita or PS3 that ISN'T M rated??...You mean there are still people out there with healthy stomachs thus-rated by virtue of their appropriate response to gut-wrenching and mind-warping material such as 75% of screen view running with blood, more-visceral-than-reality butchering and other disturbing images? Well I guess I'm back to watching cable tv for my entertainment needs...

  • soulless4now

    Posted Jun 9, 2011 2:46 pm GMT

    Looks interesting.

  • painpas

    Posted Jun 9, 2011 8:36 am GMT

    Really excited to play this game. Love the art style but what else is new from these devs.

  • MATERAZZI_23

    Posted Jun 8, 2011 7:37 pm GMT

    Sounds good, bet it looks good too.

  • riariases

    Posted Jun 8, 2011 4:27 pm GMT

    Beauty right there.

  • iRaInOnPaRaDeS

    Posted Jun 8, 2011 4:27 pm GMT

    Been following these guys since Odin Sphere & I enjoyed both it & Muramasa so I'm definitely getting this. Can't wait.

  • gazza_gamerNZ

    Posted Jun 8, 2011 4:25 pm GMT

    Reminds me of the Dungeon's and Dragon's games by Capcom (HD re-release where?) VanillaWare are masters of 2D visuals so I'm looking forward to this.

  • varunvikram1

    Posted Jun 8, 2011 4:17 pm GMT

    What i want to know is if you own ps3 version of the game do u have to buy a vita version as well, cause that makes no sense at all. Cause if i they do make me buy the same copy for both consoles i might as well give up on getting ps vita(this name is too wierd to use)

  • Sigil-otaku

    Posted Jun 8, 2011 3:45 pm GMT

    Well that's one less reason for me to buy a PS Vita I guess (the game being on PS3 so I'll just get it on that). I'm not saying anything against Vita as I want one, just not right now because there's literally no announced games I want. Excellent specs for a handheld, beautiful screen, enough power to do some pretty impressive games but I'm not an Uncharted fan, LBP is cool but I don't need a third game and am I the only one who thought Ruin looked kind of slow with the floaty bodies, hanging in the air during combos and lack of many moves to use etc? Down the line I'll get a Vita but right now this was the biggest game I wanted and I'll just play it on PS3 because I'm not waiting for a Vanilla Ware game, they're usually pretty awesome. Muramasa Demon Blade was my goty when it released so I don't want to wait for there games.
    lol at vita fanboys voting me down for not buying the system for a multi plat game (obviously can't be accused of being anti sony when I am getting it on PS3).

  • Yamaneko22

    Posted Jun 8, 2011 3:32 pm GMT

    So it's Grand Knights History for good old PSP and Dragon's Crown for PS3 and Vita! Wonderful xD I guess those rumors about Vanillaware working on game based on Greek mythology weren't true...Or maybe Vanillaware still has something nice to surprise us?

  • kazumashadow

    Posted Jun 8, 2011 2:46 pm GMT

    Looks good, will it be PS store or full retail price?

  • HollowNinja

    Posted Jun 8, 2011 2:36 pm GMT

    This looks really nice.

  • KillerJuan77

    Posted Jun 8, 2011 2:18 pm GMT

    That looks amazing!

  • good_sk8er7

    Posted Jun 8, 2011 1:40 pm GMT

    @Cartr1dgeBased

    You said it best.

  • Cartr1dgeBased

    Posted Jun 8, 2011 1:00 pm GMT

    If you own sony products, you sure have a lot to look forward to over the next 2 years

  • bL4Ck84

    Posted Jun 8, 2011 12:27 pm GMT

    Can't wait to have this game, it's since Odin Sphere that i'm waiting for a new vanillaware game on a sony console i played a bit with muramasa on a friends wii but on hd tv it looks so bad, it's a shame.

  • pooyanh

    Posted Jun 8, 2011 12:13 pm GMT

    Great. Vita keeps looking better and better.

  • homelesstrees

    Posted Jun 8, 2011 12:10 pm GMT

    I'm so happy this is coming to PS3/Vita (would be happy to see it on other consoles too) Vanillaware is awesome and their games practically beg to be in HD.