Dragon Blaze
Dragon Blaze is a vertical scrolling shoot 'em up arcade game released in 2000 by Psikyo. It was ported in 2004 to the PlayStation 2 as part of the Psikyo Shooting Collection Vol. 3:Sol Divide & Dragon Blaze compilation. The game was later also released on its own for the PS2 in Europe by 505 Games.
SCREENSHOTS
PHYSICAL
HISTORY
Dragon Blaze is a shoot 'em up arcade game developed and published in 2000 by Psikyo. It was ported to the PlayStation 2 as part of Taito's Psikyo Shooting Collection Vol. 3: Sol Divide & Dragon Blaze compilation in 2005. The game was later also released on its own as a budget range title for the PlayStation 2 in Europe by 505 Games on 2006. In 2018 the game was ported to the Nintendo Switch by Zerodiv as part of their series of re-releases of classic Psikyo games. The game was later ported to Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Gameplay
Dragon Blaze plays like many typical 2D vertically scrolling shooters by Psikyo, although this game is closer to the bullet hell genre than most of the company's other output and the color of the enemies' bullets has been changed from Psikyo's trademark orange to a neon purple. The game gives each character (Quaid, Sonia, Ian, Rob) the standard normal shot, charged shot, and magic bomb, but each character also rides a dragon, which can be dismounted and be used as a weapon itself. The dismounted dragon initially acts as a piercing weapon, and then remains stationary shooting until the player calls it back using the same button. It can also be used to collect items.
Reception
In Japan, Game Machine listed Dragon Blaze on their November 1, 2000 issue as being the fourth best-performing arcade game at the time.
1CC RUNS
One-credit clears we point to as the benchmark for this game.
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STORES best right now: Nintendo eShop −70%
Prices are cached from each storefront and may be out of date. Last checked 24 Sept 2026. We checked Steam and found no way to buy it there right now.
PRICE HISTORY
Every price change we know of, per shop. Flat means the price held; PC shops reach back through IsThereAnyDeal's archive, console shops start when this site started watching.
Nintendo eShop low: $2.39 (10 Sep 2026) , Fanatical low: $9.99 (7 Sep 2026) , PlayStation Store low: $2.99 (10 Sep 2026) , Xbox low: $2.99 (17 Sep 2026)
REVIEWS
Published elsewhere, collected here. Every score is the outlet's own, on the outlet's own scale. Follow the link for the full review.
“You may be able to clear the whole game loop in under 30 minutes, but we very much doubt you will play it once and never touch it again. It's quite simply brilliant, addictive and another must-have shmup you need to add to your growing digital arcade Switch collection.”
“Simply put, Dragon Blaze is one of Psikyo's best shmups.”
“Overall, Dragon Blaze offers classic arcade shooting with plenty of action and a high level of difficulty to test even the most adept players. The dragon aspect adds a new spin on the genre, and, despite the short play time, there's plenty of score chasing to do if you're looking to scratch that shooter itch. Check it out.”
“Dragon Blaze is a nice-looking, decently fun 23-year-old arcade port. It’s overpriced and the achievements are a real p.i.t.a. to get. If you have a co-op partner and a vertical monitor though there are worse ways to spend your money.”
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