Who needs a king, though, when the land is littered with adventurers like you? This is your story as well, told in the second person by a would-be Dungeon Master, with the goodly narrator keeping you up to date as you go. Unfortunately, the king never returned from his quest. That legendary piece of headgear is said to let the behatted order around the vicious dragons that destroyed civilizations ages ago, a handy force for fighting off orcs. All the monstrous baddies wouldn’t be such a problem if the king was still around to command his armies, but he disappeared ages ago after trying to track down the Dragon’s Crown. Demon-worshippers, pirates, and armies of orcs are encroaching on the placid principality in ever-increasing numbers. The Kingdom of Hydeland’s seen better days. A game that seems simple but develops deep, subtle flavors as it cooks this is Vanillaware’s crowning achievement. There’s no mistaking Dragon’s Crown as Kamitani’s cuisine no other game designer and artist has that same painterly style that mixes Lucian Freud-style detail with Akira Toriyama-style bombast (not to mention perviness.) Kamitani, like any great gourmand allowed making whatever he wants, makes Dragon’s Crown a feast.

Crown is a mix European fantasy - that thick mélange of elves, fairies, swords, and sorcery - with basic Dungeon’s & Dragons role-playing elements and the creator’s trademark impressionist art. All of Kamitani’s games, from the lost ’97 classic Princess Crown to Muramasa: The Demon Blade, recently reborn for PlayStation Vita, share some hearty basics. Dragon’s Crown, his latest game made for Vanillaware, is a soup of his very favorite ingredients.

George Kamitani is video games’ most distinctive chef.

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