If you’re a fan of solid hack and slash action, there’s no doubt that the Switch eShop gives you plenty of options to choose from. Whether you’re into old-school retro vibes, more traditional play with modern graphics, or with included roguelike elements to spice things up further, there are titles that will suit almost any taste. In the case of Dragon Is Dead it actually feels more traditional in its general simplicity, typically sticking with pretty standard side-scrolling action with multiple platforms, but then including roguelike variability and a reasonably deep skill tree as well to help make things more interesting. 

On a typical run, I absolutely get older-school arcade action vibes. In each zone you enter you’ll be challenged to take on a variety of enemies, trying to carefully prioritize your threats and take everything out while trying to hold onto all the health you can. You’ll really need to focus on removing ranged enemies from the board the quickest, since in the midst of things their attacks can be easier to miss, but depending on which enemy types spawn, when, and in what combinations, you’ll need to pick your battles. Even when fighting typical mobs the action tends to be pretty hectic and intense, and when you’ve got multiple ranged enemy types casting, shooting, or throwing at you on top of enemies that will warp around to stay on top of you, it can be easy to get overwhelmed. Understanding which skill tree options will work best to suit your style can be very helpful, in particular early on, so be sure to review your options and carefully decide how you’ll want to proceed.

Even as a big fan of roguelikes and games that throw a solid challenge your way, the formula here just feels a bit off. It isn’t unusual for healing to be hard to come by, but I think in this case the game seems more doggedly determined to whittle your health down than usual, so limited opportunities to then heal can lead to disappointing runs that are effectively dead, long before you finally succumb to failure. The bosses tend to be tough enough in their own right not to have the added benefit of you showing up as a wounded warrior on his last legs. That in itself isn’t a killer though, I’ve gritted through difficulties like that before and then come back for more. The problem is more that the siren’s call to continue to try to persevere feels weaker than average. Whatever the reasons may be, whether the lack of some aspect of play that feels fresh and innovative, exciting and varied combat that’s consistently satisfying, or just some combination of subtle factors, Dragon Is Dead just lacks the addictive pull to raise it up to the level of its competition.