Drakan: The Ancients' Gates Critic Reviews

If you like a good story, mixed in with breathtaking visuals, magnificent audio, and extraordinary game play you’d be a fool to miss out on this sleeper hit of the year.

The finest 3D medieval action-adventure game to grace any console.

A rich, polished game from a developer obviously intent on improving the credibility of its franchise with a focus on solid gameplay, and not just pushing the same tired character into different locations year after year. Right Lara?

While it won’t hold up to the likes of Zelda, it provides an entertaining romp while the game lasts. Air combat is a blast to get involved in, and the humongous worlds are amazing to fly through.

Drakan had me rejoicing when acquiring a new longbow or a bitchin' set of chainmail armor.

A fantastic game to gaze at, with wonderfully detailed graphics, enormous environments, above average lighting effects, and smooth looking characters.

It was the sound that really sets Drakan: The Ancients Gates apart from other action/adventures.

Continues in the tradition of it's origins; providing a quick to get into and unique game with plenty of monster slaying, an ultra-cool heroine, a feisty but noble dragon, open character development, and plenty of foot and aerial combat to indulge in.

The attention to detail, the story, the action, the graphics—everything about the game is solid and well thought out. Anyone who likes fantasy adventure games is likely to be happy with their purchase.

It is extremely long and will have you up for a lot of long nights, trying to get to that next phase of the game...about 25 to 30 hours.

A refreshing 30-hour interactive fantasy novel that, thankfully, offers much more than just virtual cleavage.

Wonderful and genuinely absorbing.

The game is beautiful. Textures all look good and the game uses the right color and landscaping to make it feel perfect.

For every flaw Drakan delivers an equal and opposite measure of magnificence.

It's far more addictive that I expected. I spent several nights in a row playing until 2 in the morning, unable to just simply stop, without settling just one more quest.

The dialogue is intelligent, the side quests actually help thicken up the feel of a fantasy world, and the graphics and sound have a subtle way of reeling you in without knowing.

The controls are solid and versatile, and the whole experience seems appropriately majestic.

Delivers an exceptional experience...The graphics are top-notch, the controls are easy to manipulate, and the combat is quick and intense on both foot and dragon back.

Drakan tries - and sometimes succeeds - in being better than average, but it eventually gets Drakan'd right back to a formulaic adventure game.

It's not incredibly original, either, with a big debt to Diablo-style gameplay, for instance. Then again, it has some great things that the Diablo games don't, like huge 3D environments and a fire-breathing dragon you can ride.