Porter's World

Drakojan Skies Acolytes

As many of my readers and friends may know, I’m a huge fan of RaidenX, a fan made flash tribute to the Raiden series.  There is however, another great game of it’s type, one that I enjoy just as much, if not more than RaidenX, that game is Drakojan Skies Acolytes.

Drakojan Skies Acolytes is a horizontal arcade shooter that rivals even the best of which arcades have seen. It has amazing graphics, an upbeat soundtrack, and very challenging, yet enjoyable gameplay. The game offers many characters and ships to choose from, and has 7 missions to play through. The game offers a Star Fox 64 style level layout, meaning you can beat mission one and go to either 2 or 3, and then branch again from there, ultimately ending up at mission 7. The missions range in difficulty greatly, and there is enough challenge for even the most hardcore arcade shooter fans out there, believe me, I just died on mission 6 after playing for a half hour. As you encounter enemies within the fast paced action, you can attack with your primary weapon, your secondary weapon which is a small bomb that explodes mid air below you when dropped, and lastly your special weapon. Both your primary and secondary weapon can be upgraded during gameplay as you encounter power-ups, and your special weapon can be upgraded between stages in the workshop using the points you’ve earned by defeating enemies. On top of all these great features, the game even comes complete with a few unlockables such as a new character, new ship, and some extra modes to play your favorite levels.

This game is admittedly not entirely suited for the flash game audience, that however means nothing on the quality of the game. It is significantly too hard for the average flash gamer out there, but I believe the developers simply stayed true to their original image and never eased on the difficulty just to please the majority. This is perhaps what hurt the game from becoming the next big flash hit on the internet, on the other hand those who appreciate it for what it is truly enjoy every moment of it.

The game excels in a number of ways, graphics definitely being one of those. Drakojan Skies Acolytes has some of the most impressive flash game graphics I’ve encountered to date. The characters are beautifully drawn, the textures and images professionally done, and the effects look spectacular. With very little additional work the graphics could definitely be suitable for an arcade cabinet launch. Aside from graphics, the game is very action oriented. There is never a slow moment or dull boss battle you can let your guard down on, the entire game is fast paced and loaded with activity. In addition to the great graphics and fast paced action, the music is definitely a plus as well. The music although scarce at times, is very suiting. The genres range from epic, to metal, which may sound odd at first, but amidst the action it certainly plays it’s role.

If you are in any way a fan of arcade shooters and haven’t played this yet, I strongly encourage you to give it a fair play through. If you happen to like the game enough, you can play Drakojan Skies Missions 1-3 for a bit more of the same great action. Overall I can’t really see anything to improve upon in this game, it’s perfect for what it is and has everything I look for when trying to go back and get the feeling that great arcade shooters have to offer.