Genre: Brawler
Developer: Iron Galaxy Studios
Publisher: Capcom

There are no shortage of Capcom-made, pretty, midevil-themed brawlers-- Knights of the Round and The King of Dragons to name two-- but probably the two most impressive are the D&D-licensed duo featured in this collection: Tower of Doom and Shadow over Mystara. The sprites are absolutely massive, and incredibly well-animated. Backgrounds are richly painted tapestries that really set the stages for the action.

When it comes to noisy arcades, the audio requirements are a bit different: sound effects should positively pop, while music is sometimes de-emphasized, since it can't really be heard anyway. Both conditions are met with these two games: the soundtrack is some forgettable light synth stuff that's essentially just filler, while the sound effects-- sword clashes and war shouts-- take the center stage.

There are other brawlers with more sophisticated core mechanics-- the latter two Streets of Rage titles, or the Saturn's Guardian Heroes for instance-- but where these two D&D bralwers games truly shine is when it comes to coop play. You essentially form a balanced party, MMORPG-style, and approach the fights in a pseudo-tactical manner, with the melee characters protecting the spell casters and so on. The games really fill a nice niche in the genre.

Tower of Doom feels like a D&D scenario brought to life in brawler form; characters enter the stages with their weapons sheathed, and the levels are paced so that there are moments of tension between encounters. Its sequel is a more conventional, action-oriented affair, with looser mechanics and more enemies on screen. Both are fantastic games, and it is nice to see them brought to a new audience, with a proprietary achievement system, online multiplayer, and a plethora of emulation options to boot.