Dragon's Lair (Nintendo Entertainment System)

Dragon's Lair
Developer(s)	MotiveTime
Publisher(s)	NA CSG Imagesoft JP Epic/Sony Records EU Elite Systems
Platform(s)	NES
Release date(s)	NA December 1990 JP September 20, 1991 EU January 3, 1992[1]
Genre(s)	Action-platformer
Mode(s)	Up to 2 players taking turns
Media/distribution	Cartridge

First screen of Dragon's Lair (NES)

Dragon's Lair, based on the laserdisc game of the same name, is a 1990 platformer released for the Nintendo Entertainment System and developed by the MotiveTime group. Plotwise, the game is identical to the original.

Gameplay

The game is a side-scroller with the character's walking pace being relaxed by comparison to other such titles.^{[citation needed]} Dirk can walk, crawl, or jump forward, and he has an array of weapons that he can discover and use to dispose of enemies. The controller layout is reversed from other mainstream NES titles, with Select functioning as the Pause-button while Start is used for the Candle object (which helps reveal hidden weapons). Also, B is used for jumping, and A for attacking (the input of the A & B buttons is almost always the opposite in similar NES games).

Difficulty

Due to the game's sluggish pace and the fact that most enemies are able to instantly kill Dirk with one touch (only the smallest enemies, such as bats, drain Dirk's life bar instead of killing him outright), the game is universally criticized for its high difficulty level (Dirk even dies from walking against a door). Indeed, many find themselves incapable of beating the first section (screen) of the game,^{[citation needed]} a battle with a monster on the drawbridge outside the castle. The game is not unbeatable, but requires the player to learn the timing of the game, which many find tiresome and makes the game almost impossible for novice gamers.

Another factor adding to the game's immense difficulty is the fact that the player can only lose five lives before being forced to start the entire game over. Also- in between levels- the player is taken to an elevator that travels between different floors. If the player gets off at the correct floor, they can continue the game. If the player gets off at the wrong floor, they are forced to replay a previous level.

Regional differences

Japanese and PAL releases of the game have a more advanced Memory Management Controller than the North American version, allowing for smoother frame rate. The jump button has also been changed from B to Up in the Japanese release.

Levels

• The Drawbridge
• The Dungeon
• The Elevator
• The Mines
• The Reaper's Domain
• The Dragon's Lair
• The Lizard King's Throne Room (bonus level)

After the Dungeon section the player must go through an elevator stage where the player dodges falling rocks and must jump out at the appropriate floor to enter the next level. The player can not explore freely, but instead jumping on the wrong floor forces him to replay the previous level. The Lizard King's throne room is located at the bottom and can be entered any time to recover all the gold that the Lizard King has stolen from the player. Unlike everywhere else, here, touching the Lizard King leads to an instant death. Art work for the game was provided by Don Bluth, animator of the original Dragon's Lair laserdisc game.

References

1. ^ Dragon's Lair Release Data at gamefaqs.com. Retrieved 2010-09-01.