Dragons of Elanthia adds a fantasy twist to a multiplayer shooter

Simutronics' upcoming free-to-play aerial shooter, Dragons of Elanthia, was created to fill a very dragon-lacking space, developer Brett Sweeney told us during a recent interview.

We spoke with Sweeney at PAX Prime 2013, where the developer had its game on-hand at the Indie Megabooth. Dragons of Elanthia is a multiplayer-based title where players select a rider and saddle up on a dragon of their choice. According to Sweeney, the fantasy twist was added because dragons are underused in shooters, and the developer wanted to use them "if no one else was going to."

"We haven't seen a dragon game even made in long time," Sweeney said. "We wanted to make a dragon game that could capture acrobatic, draconic combat. But instead of just having dragons along — we're big fantasy people — let's put in paladins and pirates and mages, too. And eventually we got to this concept that was, let's marry the two so we can have a large cast of characters."

Dragons of Elanthia currently features six riders and five dragons, a number that will grow over time. Each has a different set of skills and specialities. The paladin, for example, can heal, while the behemoth dragon is built for heavy damage. The game will support matches of two-on-two up to 16-on-16 in modes such as death match or capture point (similar to capture the flag).

Although Dragons of Elanthia doesn't have a release date yet, Simutronics will begin closed beta testing soon. You can register for a chance to participate on the games' website.