Dragon's Lair (1983)

Dragon's Lair is an interactive film LaserDisc video game developed by Advanced Microcomputer Systems and published by Cinematronics in 1983. The game is animated by the ex-Disney animator Don Bluth.

Plot
The game tells the story of a knight who attempts to rescue Princess Daphne from the evil dragon Singe who has locked the princess in wizard Mordroc's castle. Dirk now has to find his way through the castle that is enchanted with treacherous monsters and obstacles.

Why You'll Become A Valiant Knight

 * 1) The idea of having a game that feels like a typical early animated feature film much like in the ranks of The Secret of NIMH and The Land Before Time sounds interesting.
 * 2) Crisp and colorful graphics that feel like you are watching a hand-drawn animated film. At the time, many games back then relied on sprites. This arcade game however did the opposite whereas you get to see what this arcade game can do like no other. Make it look like a film. Because of the hardware limitations, artists managed to overcome many of the limitations by using the LaserDisc.
 * 3) Breathtaking story. While simple, it does keep the charm that you would expect from a good ol' hand-drawn animated film. Didn't we forget to mention that the story's tone is unpredictable as in you will never know what will happen at the level you are in!
 * 4) Challenging gameplay where it's on rails. The narrative is mostly in cutscenes and the player would need to execute an action at the correct time by selecting a direction or pressing a button in order to clear each quick-time event. In other words, you don't get to control the character's actions directly. Reflexes only.
 * 5) Speaking of cutscenes, there are a handful of them showing that even the earliest arcade games are not afraid to bring in the cutscenes regardless if it's an arcade game or not. You can see the cutscenes in action whether you make the right choice or not.
 * 6) The animation is fluid which is enough for fans of Don Bluth and 2D animation. You can tell that an arcade game can still have animated movie-tier movements.
 * 7) Funny moments in the game are present here. You have a variety of bizarre creatures and many humorous death scenes!
 * 8) Dirk is a silly protagonist. He is a clumsy hero that can eventually rise to the top depending on the actions of the player. If your actions are good, Dirk will become a true hero! Sounds pretty relatable, right?
 * 9) The sequence of the gameplay is randomized to add more challenges. Some scenes are played more than once yet you can still find those who are flipped or mirrored. If you want to ace those randomized sequences, you are gonna have to study each scene!
 * 10) A variety of challenges in this game. You got challenges that involve avoiding obstacles, monsters, and dead ends. Attacking enemies is also there are well. You better make your decision quickly!
 * 11) Sound quality is high in quality. Enough for you to feel a movie experience from a game.
 * 12) Good voice acting. This is one of the earliest video games to have voice acting with human voice actors putting high-quality voices to be used for the characters. Due to budget, the voice acting was supplied by the game's developers and animators instead of professional actors.
 * 13) At the very final level of the game, Daphne appears and Dirk now has the magic sword in hand. Daphne gives Dirk directions to use the sword and slay the dragon.
 * 14) Plesant ending after you complete the game. Once you beat it, you will see Dirk freeing Daphne from a glass globe she is trapped in. Daphne then jumps into Dirk's arms and kisses him.
 * 15) Similar to the original Pac-Man, this game got ported through many different platforms like iOS, Macintosh, Sega CD, Nintendo DSi (As DSiWare), and Home DVD Players of all things.
 * 16) *The DVD box set containing this game, Space Ace, and Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp had scenes that were animated in 1983 yet were not included in any previous Dragon's Lair released.
 * 17) *The Dragon's Lair Trilogy version allows you to play the game in either the Home or the Arcade version.
 * 18) This game is influential due to how the game is presented as well as technology at the time. Back then, the arcade industry gave the game recognition for helping turn around its 1983 financial slump.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) While the gameplay is interesting, it can also be frustrating due to its nature. In fact, if you don't complete a scene successfully in the arcade version, you have to start a new scene.
 * 2) Loading screens have a blackout time.
 * 3) The earlier home versions of the game were more in the mixed to average reception. In fact, not every scene from the original arcade game was included due to high memory consumption.
 * 4) *Some appear to be very different from the arcade versions like a platformer (the NES and SNES) or a game that has almost nothing to do with the source game (the Game Boy). Dragon's Lair Deluxe Pack also had lackluster gameplay.
 * 5) It's very rare to find a Dragon's Lair game intact with the original player. Conversion kits have been made so the units can use more modern players.
 * 6) Stay away from the NES version as much as you can.

Reception
The arcade version has gotten positive reports. Electronic Games and Electronic Fun rated the game as the number one video arcade game in the USA. The game topped the monthly US RePlay charts for upright arcade cabinets from September through November of 1983. By February 1984, Dragon's Lair was reported to have earned over $32 million ($83 million adjusted for inflation) for Cinematronics. In Japan, it was listed on a Game Machine issue that Dragon's Lair is the eleventh most successful arcade unit of the month (that was October 1 of 1984).

Trivia

 * Spawned an animated TV series created by Ruby-Spears Productions. Don Bluth had no involvement.
 * Dan Molina (Dirk's voice actor) provides the voice of Fish Out of Water from Chicken Little.
 * The game appears in the Stranger Things episode "Chapter One: MADMAX".
 * The game took inspiration from the text game Adventure.
 * When Daphne was created, the animators used photos from Playboy magazines to take inspiration for the character. Models were not used due to budget reasons.
 * The only professional actor to be featured in the game was Michael Rye who has been in many different projects for radio, television, animation, and video games.
 * With Pong and Pac-Man, it was one of the three arcade games to be put in storage at the Smithsonian Institution.
 * In the 1980s, a film version of the game was planned with Alan Dean Foster being involved in shaping the story. It was fallen apart due to low interest from other studios. Around 2015 and 2016, Don Bluth and Gary Goldman crowdfunded US$731,172 for a 10-minute teaser for an animated feature-length Dragon's Lair prequel film which would have talked more about Dirk's and Daphne's backstories.
 * Around March 2020, Netflix approved an adaptation of Dragon's Lair with Ryan Reynolds being in the talks of the lead role. Reynolds as well as Roy Lee, Trvor Engelson, Don Blute, Gary Goldman, and John Pomeroy are the producers. Dan and Kevin Hageman are writers.

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