Microsoft announced today that a new spin off title to Crimson Dragon called Crimson Dragon: Side Story would be released for Windows Phone. The game will be coming out on September the 12th… less than a week away!
The game is a side scrolling shooter than utilises the phone’s touch screen, allowing players to control their dragon and target enemies. In story mode, players will assume the role of Sana and her dragon White Reaver, sent on a mission relating to a mysterious pandemic called “Crimonscale Disease”. There will also be a Mission Mode in which “the player faces a variety of situations such as high difficulty stages and continuous boss battles, competing for high scores while collecting powerful skills”. In addition, there will be a skill system, with new skills being unlocked by obtaining jewels. These jewels can be obtained in gameplay, but also through a location service based on the distance the player has travelled per day in the real world, and through purchases (presumably with real money).
Although I speculated yesterday that Crimson Dragon might be coming to Windows in order to push the new Microsoft platform, I hadn’t anticipated Windows Phone as a possibility. Microsoft states in the linked article that “The Crimson Dragon franchise is important to us and we’re doubling down on the series”. It’s good to know that they’re interested in pushing the franchise with more than one game. I can’t help feeling disappointed that many fans won’t get to play Crimson Dragon: Side Story due to its exclusivity though, especially if they already own an iOS or Android device. However, Crimson Dragon: Side Story may not have have been developed at all if not for Windows Phone, so I’m not complaining.