I don't know what to say... I'm just glad to have played this game on Sega-CD with the checkpoints instead of discovering it on Arcade in 1983. I would have lost so much money on that game.

We all know the game is awfully hard and that without this level of difficulty, the game takes like 11 minutes to complete. But, let's remember it was the way Arcade games were working... the objective was to make us pay. We can hate that as much as we want, but all the games were basically using a similar system.

Let's just remember that Dragon's Lair invented the Quick Time Event and just for that, it deserves much more than a 1 star rate. Of course it could have been easier, but it would have not became such a legend without this difficulty.

Also, with some practice, you can do it in a few hours.

Okay, two obvious observations - the animation of this game is great and the gameplay of this game... meh. It's a great idea and a truly technical achievement for '83, but playing it now will undoubtedly leave you feeling frustrated for the rest of the day. I tried to run the arcade version on the computer, but realized that it was not at all easy and switched to the Dragon's Lair Trilogy bundle (which, for lack of other options, is generally okay), which, like a gift from heaven, included the display of the buttons required to press on a separate panel. Without this, my experience would undoubtedly have been much more frustrating, as segments of the game strangely range from fairly well visually guiding (and fortunately this is most of the game) to moments that are too fast, not obvious and literally distract you on purpose a couple of times (which is quite funny though). I understand that this is a game for an arcade machine, and it cannot be built differently, but this does not make it much more enjoyable. The structure of the game itself is quite interesting, and could be developed further by adding (for example) items or significant forks (which may be in the sequel). However, the visuals, outstanding for its time, undoubtedly save this game, and it is still very pleasant to look at (although most of the time I was still looking at the button panel).

And with that being said, who was actually enjoying this game in '83 - the player suffering (and getting poorer) trying to save the princess, or the mere observers standing at the arcade and just watching the amazing animation without having to press any buttons?

While Shenmue was the one to finally give it a name 16 years later, Dragon's Lair is the true inventor of the Quick Time Event. Of course, the entire game is a massive series of them. Due to this game's gorgeous animation by legendary animator Don Bluth, this was essential however as while a Cuphead type game with Bluth animation would be spectacular, it simply was not feasible with the tech in 1983 so the interactive movie will have to do. However the animation alone makes this game worth playing on Modern Platforms, if you just want to see the beauty of the visuals without having to be a QTE master. Failing ain't so bad either, as you can see the many, many ways Dirk the Daring becomes Dirk the Dying. Deaths aren't the only funny thing as I got a few chuckles out of the creatures and the water ride section. Some sections tend to repeat (albeit mirrored) though which feels like padding, but the game is so short it's a minor eye roll at worst except when you get a few of them at once, then it's a slightly bigger one. Everyone remembers Princess Daphne though and I'm surprised a game was allowed to be that horny.

All in all, whether you're an animation fan, have some interest in video game history, have an odd QTE fetish, or looking for a unique way to kill an hour, I think Dragon's Lair is an essential game in those specific categories. For the first timer, I recommend the settings where you can use continues but have to clear all the QTEs in a section before you can move on to the next, just so you can see the game, and then later decide if you're up for the true QTE challenge!

Dragon's Lair, a vintage piece from the crypt of arcade horrors. Imagine the agony of trial and error, akin to trying to comprehend the chaos of a Discord server with too many bots. The game's unique selling point? You get to experience a multitude of spectacular deaths in gorgeous animation. It's like playing a twisted version of "Choose Your Own Death Adventure." The controls are about as reliable as a $5 psychic reading. While some may revel in the nostalgia, it's more of a "look, but don't touch" affair. A generous 4/10 for the pain-soaked journey through Dragon's Lair.

I think the problem with Dragon's Lair is that even if Don Bluth's animation is frenetic and charismatic (even on the Sega CD with its limited color pallete on FMVs), his team was not experienced enough to handle the dynamism of a videogame and as such it results in a lot of continuity errors between cuts (objects disappearing or behaving differently after the scene continues if you input correctly) that end up being quite distracting and it gives off too much visual information to process.

Yes, reaction times are very short and there's a lot of logical jumps due to trial and error and mischevous elements which are an annoyance of Arcade design to munch coins, but I'm more thinking of the moments where you are supposed to press a direction with an akward camera angle and you end up repeating the same scene over and over again just guessing what you are supposed to press (and often times the character moves diagonally in the animation, which makes me frustrated that my first try in that general direction didn't register)

As a cartoon, this is phenomenal. Don Bluth knocked it out of the ball park with production beginning right after wrapping up The Secret of NIMH. And that comes with animation that looks straight out of a feature film.

However, as a game, Dragon's Lair leaves much to be desired. I'll admit there was only so much one could do with a interactive cartoon. But when all there is is quick-time event after quick-time event, it can be quite irritating. Made worse by the fact that a lot of these have an incredibly short window to perform and can be cryptic on what input you are being asked to make.

If you are familiar with animation, you probably have heard the name "Don Bluth" thrown around once or twice. Back in the day, he was one of the greatest animators who didn't come from Disney, who made such classic films like The Land Before Time, The Secret of NIMH, and An American Tail. However, he wasn't just known for making movies, but he also dabbled into the world of video games several times, with this game being the most note-worthy game he has helped make.

As per usual with Don Bluth's products, the animation in this game is beautifully crafted. There are so many different scenes that were made for this game, ranging from the regular game sections, the death scenes, and the outcomes, and they are all wonderfully animated, incredibly fast with the movements, and it keeps your attention with all the events and details you can spot. Not to mention, the music and voice acting is also very well done.

The gameplay on the other hand... it is basically one giant, glorified quick-time event. Throughout the entire game, there will be points where you will need to hit a specific direction in order to cause an event to happen, and if you don't hit the button in time, or you hit the wrong direction, you die. This is basically the only thing you do through the whole game, and while it is unique for the time, and it does keep you on your toes, it isn't really all that fun, and it gets really annoying after a while. That's not to say it is bad, but it does get tiresome, especially with all the times you will die.

Overall, while the animation is fantastic, the game itself isn't the kind that I would go back to for multiple playthroughs, and it can be a little frustrating at times, but not enough to where you wanna give up. Having said that though, it definitely does deserve a playthrough by anyone at least once in their lives.

Game #22

Eu consigo entender o impacto que Dragon's Lair causou com sua qualidade incrível de animação, que impressiona até hoje. Não vejo problemas no conceito do jogo em ser uma série de eventos jogáveis via QTE (antes mesmo do termo existir), mas a execução é péssima. Várias cenas não dão sequer uma dica de qual botão deve ser apertado, e mesmo quando se sabe o que fazer, o timing é ridiculamente rigoroso. É muita frustração mesmo considerando se tratar de um Arcade que só tem como objetivo sugar o máximo de fichas do jogador. Ao menos as animações únicas de morte combinadas com os gritos do protagonista Dick the Daring são engraçadas.

I know the point of the game is supposed to be the charm of the animation, and the way it sticks out amongst every other game in an arcade, and while the animation is gorgeous, it really is the only positive aspect of this “game”.

I’ve never been a huge fan of how Dragon’s Lair works. The beautiful art style always drags me in, but then I remember that I’m supposed to fail (ie. put more quarters in) in order to learn the exact moves to make. It’s not really a game, more so just a movie you have to spend money throughout in order to see more of the story. While I greatly appreciate how unique and beautiful the game is, it’s just not what I look for in a video game.