Dragon's Lair
Dragon's Lair was the first arcade game on laserdisc. It featured polished Disney-like animation (created by former Disney animator Don Bluth), for the first time allowing players to control an engaging character, as opposed to a sprite composed of blocks. It created a sensation when it appeared in June 1983 and was played so heavily that many machines often broke due to the strain of overuse. It was also arguably the most successful game on this media and is aggressively sought after by collectors.
Overview
Dragon's Lair features the hero, "Dirk the Daring", attempting to rescue "Princess Daphne" from the evil dragon Singe holed up in a wizard's castle. The screen shows animated cartoon-like scenes, and the player chooses the next scene by selecting a direction and/or sword-action with correct timing.
The game has often been criticized for its lack of interactivity, because it is based entirely around full-motion video (FMV). However, it has still endured as a classic of gaming due to its importance in gaming history by introducing FMV into games. Despite criticisms, it is one of the most successful arcade games in history.
A quote from a Newsweek article (August 8 1983) best captures the level of excitement displayed over the game during that time:
- "Dragon's Lair is this summer's hottest new toy: the first arcade game in the United States with a movie-quality image to go along with the action... The game has been devouring kids' coins at top speed since it appeared early in July," said Robert Romano, 10, who waited all day in the crush at Castle Park without getting to play, "It's the most awesome game I've ever seen in my life."
Development
The game was animated by veteran Disney animator Don Bluth and his studio. Development was done on a shoestring budget, cost US$1 million dollars and took six years to complete. Since the studio couldn't afford to hire any models, the animators used photos from Playboy magazines for inspiration for the character Princess Daphne. The animators also used their own voices for all the characters instead of hiring actors in order to keep costs down.
Due to her translucent costume, curvaceous figure and impossibly erect nipples, Daphne became somewhat of an object of fixation for pubescent male fans of the game.
Technical
The original laserdisc players shipped with the game (Pioneer LD-V1000 or PR-7820) often broke under the strain imposed by the game (the game skipped tracks to display what happened based on the players actions). Though the Pioneer players were fine in quality, laserdisc players just weren't built to undergo the strain Dragon's Lair imposed. The fact that the game was immensely popular and almost continuously played didn't help matters. As a result, the player often had to be repaired or replaced.
It is rare to find a Dragon's Lair game intact with the original player. A kit is available that allows replacement of the rather fragile Pioneer player with a modern Sony LDP series laserdisc player. Collectors describe this player as "rock solid."
Legacy
The game inspired a sequel, 1991. It also led to the creation of 1984's Space Ace, another game animated by Don Bluth and his crew.
The Dragon's Lair Deluxe Pack was released for home computers containing all the FMV for all three games. Though it contains all the video including some scenes cut from the North American version of the game, the gameplay was reported as lackluster.
The game led to the creation of a short-lived television cartoon series and the creation of numerous video games for home systems.
Recently, development of 3D interpretation of the game for Microsoft Windows, Xbox and GameCube.
