1988 · Eutechnyx · Metroidvania · Platformer

Draconus

The player assumes the role of the hero, Frognum, whose task it is to reclaim his kingdom from the Tyrant beast. The game style is principally a platformer which finds the player running and jumping through various screens (numbering around a hundred and extending in all four directions). During this the player will encounter bats, balls or giant rats which general follow fixed paths but may also swarm and chase the player. There are two primary weapons at your disposal to eliminate these enemies; you may punch and claw them, or you may incinerate them with your fire breath.

Released: 1988
Platforms: Atari 8-bit Commodore 64 Commodore C64/128/MAX ZX Spectrum
Genres: Metroidvania Platformer
Developers: Eutechnyx
Publishers: Eutechnyx
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Side view
Themes: Fantasy
Country: United Kingdom
Composers: Adam Gilmore

About

Draconus is an action-adventure platform game developed and published by Zeppelin Games in 1988. It was released for the Atari 8-bit computers, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum. Draconus is similar to Metroid.

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The player assumes the role of the hero, Frognum, whose task it is to reclaim his kingdom from the Tyrant beast. The game style is principally a platformer which finds the player running and jumping through various screens, numbering around a hundred. Many of the rooms include enemies, which generally follow fixed paths but may also swarm and chase the player. The player starts the game with two weapons: fire breath which is limited but may be replenished by collecting items, and a punch which is unlimited.

Once destroyed, enemies do not respawn except in the C64 version, where they can respawn if a room that was only partly cleared is revisited. The main task is to find four special abilities and then face the final battle.