Anyone who's been gaming for as long as I have has fond memories of the Dragon's Lair games. Back in college it was Dragon's Lair or Might and Magic that would cause us to skip class, stay up well beyond when we should have been sleeping, and generally cause hours of time to disappear unnoticed. Because of these fond memories, when I had the chance to play Dragon's Lair 3D I was very excited. Unfortunately with age (mine, not the games) some of the fun factor has worn off and the game has left me with a feeling that my reflexes just will never be what they once were. The game feels much “twitchier” to me than I remember it being, and I don't do well at “twitch” games. This is a fault of mine, not the game's. The game stays very true to the arcade-like feel that I remember it being, only in 3D obviously.Dragon's Lair 3D is a third-person action adventure game with cartoon style graphics that I'd expected to be a fun, short romp down memory lane. I remember the storyline being rather simple, what dialogue there was in the game would often make us chuckle, and the only hard parts of the game being when to turn it off. Sure, they were always very linear games where you had to do things as the developers designed them with no real deviation possible, but that was ok because you knew that you weren't missing anything that way. The controls were very simple, and you basically hacked your way through the game. Some of the timing required you to jump at just the right moment, or be ready to swing your sword because you'd just wandered in to a room full of baddies, but for some reason back then these sorts of challenges were fun.
Something has changed in the years since I last played a Dragon's Lair game, though. I've been frustrated with how hard it is to get through the game due to the controls. If I don't have precise timing on a jump, or dodge, or even a sword swing, the game is quickly displaying that “dead hero” image and I'm back to the start of the level. For example, the point I'm currently stuck at is a room that when you enter you can see the fireballs flying toward your hero, one set coming from the left, another from the right, with a series of pillars and “safe” spots up the middle. I've figured out that they fly in a specific pattern. If I time it just right, I can run him past the first, tuck into the middle while the second lands, slip past where the second landed, and sidestep while the third falls. Then a quick scoot forward and I've done it. Well, not quite. You see, when I get past that third fireball, our hero standing on a very narrow ledge with three chains dangling over it. The best I can figure is that move forward, jump and catch one of the chains to start it swinging so I can get across to the other side. So far I've either overshot or undershot every jump I've tried, which quickly leads to another death. And this is not the first instance of this type of “twitch control” frustration that I've faced. It leaves me with a feeling of “I'm getting too old for this”.
But the reason for playing a Dragon's Lair game has been the storyline, right? To read the little quips of dialogue that the writers put in to reward you, right? Remember that? Because I do. At least, I think I do. I think those came from the developers, not my boyfriend who looked over my shoulder while I played. Well, in either case, thus far those are missing too, unfortunately. The storyline so far has been very flat. “Save the princess from the evil wizard and you'll live happily ever after.” That's about it, folks. Every now and then you'll see the princess, Daphne by name, and the wizard who's captured her, in a cut scene that develops the storyline, but the cut scenes really haven't been worth watching, so I don't see her for long. I remember Daphne as being the typical blonde brainless, helpless princess who didn't even really realize how much trouble she was in. And Dirk being the bumbling, often times foolish, hero rushing in to save her, his head so thick that he didn't get it when he was being insulted by the wizard. You wanted to play to the next encounter with the wizard, or moment with Daphne, because you knew a chuckle was coming. And the game is still very linear in how you progress through. It's not like I can go any further in the game until I somehow manage to get past the fireball room, in other words. Which leads to even more frustration.
Looking at the game manual, I know I've not gone far in the game overall. I've seen Singe (the dragon) early on in a scene, but not encountered him at all since. I don't have any of Dirk's special moves talked about in the manual yet. If I've gotten a crossbow, which I don't think I have, then I haven't figured out how to use it. And I haven't yet collected the dragon essences talked about in the manual either. So while I hate to admit it, I haven't played all the way through the game before starting this review. But the reason I haven't is because I doubt I ever will. It has just been too... well, I know I keep using this word, but... frustrating for me.
Now what is good about the game is that you have infinite lives. And trust me when I say you're going to need them. Trial and error is a must through most of the rooms that you'll encounter. Like the one mentioned above, I had died many times before I figured out exactly the timing on the fireballs and where to stand between each one. Now I can get through that part of the room pretty easily, but am still trying to figure out how to get to the chain. And there have been MANY times when I swear I've made it, that Dirk should have caught the chain, but instead falls to his death, so I'm not totally sure it is all me that is making this room difficult. And the other good thing about the game is that you will get a feeling of nostalgia because of the great job that the designers have done of recreating the original look and feel of the game.
I will say this much for Dragon's Lair 3D, if you liked the original games for their trial and error, time that jump just right, sort of requirement, then you'll like this one. They've done a nice job of recreating some decent puzzles, there is a lot of action in fighting the enemies you encounter, and the look of the game is exactly what I remember it to be. If, however, you're like me and have aged somewhat in the last 20 years, you probably want to steer clear of this game. Perhaps if you have a younger son or daughter that you want to walk down memory lane with, this might be appropriate. Though I'd suggest he/she be a bit older so that any suggestive commentary made in the game be ok for them to see (though I honestly can't think of any, I have noticed that the game is rated “T” for some reason, so I felt I should throw that caution in there.) For me, the game will probably stay installed somewhere, though rarely played, until I need the hard drive space for something else. It just isn't what I remember the originals being. And if you take out the memories and I were to just consider the game on its own, then I know for sure I'd never play it again because I'm just not good at PC games where I have to be that precise.
I’ve played computer games since college, addicted first to story type games like Might and Magic. I have 3 children who also love computer games. My oldest son is a typical kid who loves the challenge of pressing the right combination of buttons and levers on a joystick in just the right way to make something happens, and frequently gets frustrated with mom’s slow fingers. ;) We use computers for both education and entertainment, and sometimes even bribery for good behavior.
The “glory days” of computer gaming for me were when games like Spectre Supreme, Pirate’s Gold, the Might and Magic series, the original Prince of Persia… those sorts of games were coming out on a regular basis. Back then I owned a Macintosh and was a die hard Mac fan. I was one of the first in my area to buy an iMac and on it learned the joy of playing games on the internet like daily crossword puzzle and “mind bender” type puzzles. My first online RPG was given to me for Christmas the year EQ was released, and I was hooked from day one. I played EQ for about a year. I started playing DaoC during late alpha testing, and was hooked on it.. well, to be honest I still am. I’ve tried pretty much every MMORPG I can get my hands on, from big names like EQ, to more obscure ones such as Underlight. I’ve been writing for IMGS since the first DaoC guide, and find I love the challenge of learning a game and presenting what I’ve learned (and sometimes my opinions), to other players.
I’m not a very strong player as far as learning PvE or quick reaction times, so I tend to stay away from games where I’m pitted against someone else in a way that requires physical (rather than mental) response. I still enjoy story and puzzle games, and in a way that’s how I still approach online games. I would much rather spend hours working through a quest than 5 minutes in combat against another player. I still get lost in simulation type games, obsessing over them until I’ve gotten them beaten. And I like being able to sit down at the computer when I’ve got less than half an hour and playing through a few levels of a puzzle game. I tend not to like first-person shooter type games, or anything with person to person violence, so I steer away from them unless they are fantasy based settings. All in all, I enjoy computer gaming so much that my life feels incomplete somehow when my computer is down.
