Sure, being a Dragon Princess sounds easy. You get all the cushy benefits of being a princess, such as elegant balls, a stunning wardrobe, an excellent assortment of handsome men throwing yourself at your feet, with all the awesome perks of dragonhood, like an epic stash of treasure and enough fireballs to make any of those princess-napping dark-lord types think twice. But then someone breaks into your hoard and steals your most powerful magical artifact, and of course those lazy guards can't be bothered to do their darn jobs and retrieve it. It's up to you to embark on a quest to get back your treasure in this action shooter game from apanda! Choose from [WASD] and mouse controls, or mouse-only, then set off on your journey! You'll be blasting through waves of monsters, collecting allies, and even defending a tower or two through 16 levels of fiery, dragon-y action. And... be on the lookout for a snarky, pink-haired girl. Just trust us on this one.
Right from the get-go, Dragon Princess snares your attention with its lovely graphics. The two principal (or would that be princess-ipal?) characters have gorgeous and detailed portraits for when they square off during cutscenes, and the game itself features cutesy and chibi-styled sprites that are sure to elicit a smile. But beneath its pretty, princessly makeup, the game features a surprising amount of variety to hook you in. The game starts from a basic shooter format, where you simply move, aim, and fire, and expands that through several different mission types, from collecting keys to free prisoners to activating (and then protecting) towers. The stages' layouts are randomized, but they're all filled with both power-ups and interactive set-pieces to make them interesting. As the game goes on, you can find and collect additional party members on the stages to give yourself cool new attacks. You can even purchase upgrades between levels so you can give your favorite allies MOAR POWERZ! It's a lot to sink your teeth into, but the game still feels pick-up-and-play simple thanks to its underlying shooter template. And the story, while mostly there for looks, still manages to have a cute enough resolution. The one big disappointment is that the mouse-only controls are far jerkier and more awkward to use than their [WASD]-based counterpart. You can switch over in the "options" menu, though. It's also a little short, but that does help the game's more simplistic aspects from outstaying their welcome. Dragon Princess is a bite-sized morsel of fantasy, shootery goodness that even pink-haired villainesses will approve of.
Update