"Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair" is a video game that was released in 2002. It only came out for PC, Xbox, GameCube, and PlayStation 2, although the PS2 version was only released in Europe. This was the first 3D version of the series which was was preceded by various 2D ports on older systems. The original games were CD-based arcade games that were full animations by Don Bluth based around quick time events (pressing an input at just the right time rather than controlling anyone on screen.)
Now that we got all the info stuff out of the way, let me just say that I freaking love this game. It did not get the greatest press at the time it came out, and much of this was because of the jankiness of the controls, but if that bothers you then you might not understand what Dragon's Lair is all about.
The series has always starred Dirk the Daring who is a bumbling knight always trying to save Princess Daphne from various villains. The guy is so bad at being a knight that it is amazing he can do anything right. The problems with the controls, at least to me, has to do more with who he is rather than with a mistake made by the developers. I'm not saying they did not screw up, but I actually prefer this particular game to be janky because of who I am playing as.
I mean... if you just look at how he uses his sword. The silly man just swings it around wildly like he has not had even one day of training. Dirk is not knight material, but if he was, the game would lack the character it needed to forgive all of its shortcomings. With Dirk at the helm, those shortcomings actually make sense. Every time I fail because of the terrible controls, I don't blame myself or the developers; I blame Dirk!
And there is something magical about actually finishing and winning this game as Dirk. The word "hero" used to mean that someone was touched or favored by the gods. If that be true, then Dirk is a bonafide hero. He defeats odds that are well against him, and it warms my heart every time I finish this game.
And to be fair, the game isn't totally broken. The camera controls are perfectly serviceable. The jumping mechanics are flimsy but functional. Although I don't like that you have to scroll through all your skills in only one direction, it does kind of feel like Dirk is rummaging through his backpack at the most inopportune of times. There is a lock-on mechanic that almost never works reliably, but that's another thing I attribute to Dirk. Everything works, but just barely enough for Dirk to make it through.
On top of all this, I do actually think the team that made it was proud of this game. The game came with a number of documentaries to promote it, and they made it seem like it was the most momentous thing they ever produced. The world might not think so, as this game seems to have fallen out of time, but I kind of love the joy this game gave them. And I agree with it! I think this may be my favorite in the series!
They even included a wonderful song during the credits sung by Princess Daphne herself called "He's My Guy." It's actually pretty brilliant, and I encourage you to look it up sometime. They really put a lot of love into this game, and it is one of my favorites.
The version I had was the GameCube version, and it played very well. I do recommend "Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair" if you can get yourself a copy. Don't let the game frustrate you. Remember that it's not you that's messing up... it's Dirk!
This blog was written on February 28, 2022.
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Cute how Dirk's clumsy heroics are consistent with the clumsy game play. Yeah, it seems you really are playing as Dirk in this one!
ReplyDeleteI mean... I never felt like it was the developer's fault. It always seemed like it was either me... or Dirk.
DeleteI enjoyed the game even though I wasn't good at it. The Dragon's Lair series is wonderful (not counting the nes / snes), even with the difficulty I don't find them frustrating because of the excellent animation and experience. They are games I actually have as much fun watching as I do playing myself.
ReplyDeleteI don't think anybody is actually good at it, but that's part of its charm. The NES one is absolute trash, and... I guess the SNES one is passable. I had a little fun with it, but it's still hard as nails.
DeletePlaying the original was like being in a cartoon. You were the main character, struggling all the way through. The difficulties made victory sweeter.
ReplyDeleteNo, it wasn't like being in a cartoon. It was like watching one you can interact with. THIS game is more like being in a cartoon because it is a third-person, cell-shaded interactive video game.
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