Published by: Digital Leisure Inc
Developed by:
Digital Leisure Inc
Release Date: June 2, 2009
INTRO: Assume the role of Dirk the Daring
once again in this arcade classic as you try to rescue Princess Daphne from
The evil wizard Mordok.
GAMEPLAY:
I admit, this has been
sitting on my desk for awhile. If you’re wondering why, it’s because this
game isn’t really like any other game I’ve played before. When I was a kid,
I was truly amazed by the Dragon’s Lair games whenever I saw them in an
arcade. They were actually playable cartoons! I’d walk to the cabinet, put
in my quarter, watch the opening scene, press the red glowing button and
then immediately die, wondering what the hell I was supposed to do. I didn’t
play the game again for some time.
Created by former Disney animator
Don Bluth, this damn game still haunts me and I didn’t want to review it
until I’d beaten it, and let me tell you this- I absolutely hate it. I
never, ever want to play this game again. I still think the concept is cool
as a piece of animation history and I’ll always remember being in awe of it
as a kid, but I really disliked playing it.
There really isn’t much to it, to be
honest. You press a button, and if you pressed it at the right time, you
move on- if you don’t, you die and start over at the beginning of the level.
You press the correct button when something glows (like a door glowing on
the right side of the screen, and then you press right).
In order to play
this game, you must memorize things because id you don’t, you will die. And
not only that, you have to time it just right. Without exaggeration, it will
likely take you 5 tries to get past the first area of the game. How did
anyone play this in the arcade?
With all this said and done, I finally beat the game,
and it’s pretty rewarding to say that I’ve done it. I stick by my stance of
hating the gameplay, but I think that it’s always been that way- there are
no casual Dragon’s Lair players, you either love it or hate it and how can
you judge a product so unique? The disc contains a ‘watch mode’ so you can
just watch the whole cartoon, which is cool, as well as developer commentary
which is a fan’s dream.
The rating here is pretty arbitrary, because you likely
either love this game or hate it. I can appreciate what it is, but at the
same time I don’t exactly want to play it again. Ever.
Gameplay: 6/10
GRAPHICS:
The graphics in this game are in a class of their own because this is quite
literally a playable animated movie. The quality of the picture on Blu-Ray
is very sharp and vibrant, with minimal grain. I doubt that this material
has ever looked better, especially in 1080p.
Graphics: 10/10
AUDIO:
Sound is also excellent, with a rich cast of voice actors, great music and
sound effects. Again, this is really a movie where you get to press buttons
while watching. The surround track is excellent, although lacked a little
oomph in the subwoofer department.
Audio: 9/10
FINAL VERDICT:
This game is a classic, and there’s no doubting that. It still has an appeal
after all of these years, and the difficulty level may attract some new
hardcore gamers who like wondering just what in the hell is going on after
all these years. It’s not perfect, but this one has been a great Blu-Ray
treatment and fans likely already own it. if you don’t own it and you’re up
for a long, long challenge and some great animation, I suggest you give it a
shot.
Final Score:
7/10