Is Dragon's Crown Sexist?

With Dragon's Crown as one of this month's Vita Instant Game Collection offerings, I briefly weigh in on its notoriously unsophisticated portrayal of women.


Dragon's Crown courted a fair amount of controversy when it reached Western shores last Autumn. Although the game's high fantasy Streets of Rage-style 2D pugilism received many a critical nod of approval, the otherwise exquisite art direction was sullied by some truly crass, shall we say, 'creative license' taken with its representation of the female form. 

We're not talking a subtle suggestion of sexuality here, but ridiculous balloon-like breasts, unfeasibly wide hips and injured warrior-nuns splayed improbably for your approval. Dragon's Crown's creators are apparently surprised that the game didn't slip under the radar and pass the gaming press by entirely as it did in its native Japan, going on to argue that it was made exclusively for the Japanese 'otaku' market and never intended to stand up to mainstream moral scrutiny. To elaborate, otaku is an extremely derogatory term used to pour scorn on shut-in gamers. In fact, 'taku' is actually Japanese for home. 

But what's on show here can't be justified by simply writing it off as the product of supply and demand. In unleashing a creative endevour upon the world, you submit it for the approval of individuals from all over the social and cultural spectrum, not just its target audience. It wouldn't be fair to assume the game's creators are slobbering perverts, but criticism of their design choices are clearly appropriate and justified.

So yes, Dragon's Crown not only crosses the fine and intangible line between typical gaming sexual bias and more overt objectification, but leaves it miles back in the rear-view mirror. Whether the Western gaming audience at large's disapproval has a tangible affect on any potential follow-up remains to be seen, however.