Geekscape Games Reviews Dragon’s Lair (Xbox 360)

Long before God of War invented quick time events, games like Dragon’s Lair put them on the map. Imagine a time back in the 80’s, when there were these crazy things called arcades. These wonderous machines would feature games that were way more detailed than what consoles could offer at home and were the place to be when gamers wanted to experience the newest tech. Even amongst such classics, Dragon’s Lair was unique due to it playing out like an interactive Saturday morning cartoon. If you need any proof of how popular it was, just take a look at how many times its been re-released! It’s on DVD, Blu Ray, mobile devices and home consoles… but never before have YOU been able to become Dirk the Daring. That is, until Dragon’s Lair met Kinect.

This port of Dirk’s most famous adventure plays almost exactly like it did in the 80’s. An animated film taking players through the obsticals standing in the way of rescuing the princess runs on screen while lightning quick prompts show players which directions and buttons to press. Yes… if you’ve played this before, the game is almost competely unchanged. Unlike the quarter eating days of the past when the slightest mistake meant walking away in shame or sinking in another 50 cents, new features include difficulty levels that allow multiple mistakes per life, clearer on screen prompts that act more like modern day QTE games, leaderboards, achievements and avatar items. Even if you want to just sit back and enjoy the animation, (with the skill and charm of Don Bluth, animator of numerous films such as An American Tale, All Dogs Go to Heaven and Disney’s Robin Hood,) you can just head into the options and just watch the game play itself!

But these features aren’t the selling points of this version… this download is all about the Kinect compatibility. This optional way to control the game makes it feel like much more of an interactive experience rather than just tapping a button when prompted. Jumping forward, backward, left or right controls directions, a swipe of the arm swings Dirk’s sword and reaching up grabs ropes. After ten minutes, you start getting an idea of what it would really be like to fight through the lair, since buyers will get a nice workout from all the jumping around. The Kinect mode even allows a second player to get in on the fun with co-op, but considering it’s not a true team experience and just has players swapping places from scene to scene, you’re better off just sticking with single player to avoid the load times. Overall, I was impressed with how much Kinect added to the classic Dragon’s Lair experience… that is, when it works.

Playing hands free will make you glad that the default setting allows multiple mistakes per life. As with most Kinect games, the camera has some issues with registering your movements at the most random times, so there were plenty of times where the exact same movement that worked minutes ago wouldn’t work later. Aside from these control issues, this download is more about nostalgia than anything, because with unlimited continues that won’t drain your laundry money, Dragon’s Lair is only about 15-20 minutes long. Even if you collect all of the achievements and play a perfect run, the game wouldn’t take more than a few hours to memorize for most. However, the most off-putting part is the price. $10, (or 800 Microsoft happy points in gamernese,) is far too much for what you get, especially when Dragon’s Lair Trilogy on Wii has three games for only five dollars more. Sure, you won’t get Kinect support that way, so gamers with the camera and an itch for nostalgia are going to have to consider if hands free controls alone are worth it. As far as the game itself, like most kids, I got my ass HANDED to me at the arcades and would have had to spend a small fortune to make it to the end. So I never knew that about half way through, many of the rooms repeat in reverse. If anyone out there knew this from the arcades, kudos, (and let me borrow a couple thousand dollars. I’m good for it, I swear!)

Almost 30 years later, Dragon’s Lair is still as humorous, charming and challenging as it used to be. It’s play style has stood the test of time through games like Shenmue, God of War and most notably, Heavy Rain, and deserves its legendary status in gaming history. With that said, games are much different today than in the age of arcades, so as a stand alone game, its a tough sell for today’s generation with the length and repetition considered. Even with Kinect support that freshens up the experience, its unreliability and novelty will wear off after no time at all. Unless you really want the Kinect experience or are a Dragon’s Lair fanatic, there are cheaper alternatives if you want to experience Dirk’s classic adventure.