Courtesy of Electronic Arts
All iPhone owners who lived in the arcades in th 1980s were undoubtedly excited to see the epic arcade game Dragon's Lair enter the App Store last week. Back then, the crisp cartoon animation in a videogame was a sight to behold, and there really isn't anything else like it to this day, despite all the cel-shaded games available.
EA did a great job cleaning up the animation in this reincarnation to keep it looking fresh and not as dated as it easily could have. They also included two game modes, Arcade and Home, so players could experience the game as it was originally depicted and in its later laserdisc version. Gameplay is essentially the same--players have to time Dirk the Daring's reflexes properly in order to get him through each stage--but how each mode presents them is slightly different. In the Arcade mode, if you fail a reaction sequence, you push through to the next one, although you have to eventually successfully complete them all in order to save Princess Daphne. In Home mode, there is no push through, so in order to progress you must complete each sequence as presented. (I personally liked this mode better, because there were no repeats.)
In addition, Home mode included all of the scenes that never made the final cut for the arcade game, so there are plenty of extras for the arcade veterans.
As exciting as it was for me and undoubtedly several arcade fans to see this game come to the iPhone, this is definitely one of those times when nostalgia clouds judgment on a game. There are really no other games like Dragon's Lair, so for that it will always stand on a certain pedestal. However, that doesn't take away from the fact that the game is a bit boring and it's actually very short. For example, if you complete all of the reaction sequences in the Arcade mode quickly, it sends you on a seemingly infinite loop where you have to do them all again and again. As funny as it is watching Dirk die horrific deaths, once you successfully complete his reactions and leave the room, you really don't want to have to do the same thing all over again, particularly if you've removed the unlimited lives setting from the options menu.
Dragon's Lair retained fond memories in most of our hearts, but once it's in your hands again 20 years later, you'll either relive those memories or wonder why you thought this game was so great. As such, this game can only be recommended to those who remember its glory days in the arcades. Newcomers will most likely not understand the hype and drop the game on the same day they pick it up.
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