As with any Wii-exclusive design, the real make-or-break aspects lie in the control. With Dragon Blade, it's all about using the Wii remote and nunchuk as your two hands, teamed with the B button for lock-on and the traditional jump and dash actions intertwined. Basic sword control (your main form of combat) is handled with specific motion swipes, so attacking left or right is as simple as swinging left or right, and uppercuts or slams are done with a simple stroke up or down. Also included is a thrust attack similar to Twilight Princess, executed with a simple jab forward.
Where the game earns its stripes, however, is in the actual dragon attacks, unlocked after each boss has been defeated. Included in the list are dragon head, arm, tail, and double arm. Each of these attacks - activated by d-pad - engage huge fire powers in their specific body area. When dragon head is activated, a gigantic fire-breathing noggin appears above your fighter. A simple jab forward fires one (or multiple, if powered up) fireball projectile. In the case of arm and double arm, your hands become gigantic fire claws, and either the Wii remote or combination of nunchuk and remote (in double arm) is used to pull off gigantic, sweeping attacks. Clap the two controllers together and your character smashes his arms out in front of him. Lift up and slam down with your arms and you'll pull off a gigantic fire slam.
As for the dragon tail - our favorite of the power-ups by a long shot - your character's sword actually engulfs in flames and drops lazily to his side, acting as a Castlevania-like whip. Large sweeping movements and overhead slams make for intricate spinning and flailing attacks as the hero literally rips through enemies from remarkable distances. Of course any of these attacks can be made into a custom combo by switching powers on the fly and using precise Wii-mote actions, and by the end of the 21 level adventure you can pull off some simply stunning attacks on enemies.
