NES Don Bluth's Dragon's Lair

Never felt so safe with a bat my entire life.

Staring at the cover art is the best part of this "game"

Dragon's Lair (ドラゴンズレア) is a side-scrolling platform game for the NES released in 1991 loosely based onthe 1983 arcade classic of the same name. Being a side-scroller inspired by game of quick-time events, the movements of the main character were designed to be executed in slow motion, as if the player had to make a decision about which action he should do in order to progress in the game. As a result, anyone new to the game is bound to die a frustratingly high number of times to the point that it becomes almost anti-ethic to make a game whose protagonist can be killed anytime at a wink. By the way, the main character's name is Dirk the Daring. Not that it matters. Actually, it does matter in that his primary means of attack involves throwing daggers, and dirk is a kind of dagger. He can also upgrade his weapon to a forward-flying axe and fireballs, but these require finding a hidden powerup which only appear by using the candle. The controls are reversed from mainstream NES games. Not that a game this orthodox had anything to do remotely close to mainstream to begin with. This is quite a weird game, but weird in a negative way, as if it doesn't arouse curiosity from the wretched souls playing it at all. Again, as soon as you start playing this game you'll feel like you just want to get the whole thing over as quickly as possible. Every virtual centimetre in the game is fraught with hazards that all instantly kill. You won't ever see a game in which the hero si so effortelessly killed off. This makes the enemies seem badass in comparison with the dolt you play as. The game does have a sluggish pace, but the stage enemies and threats wherein wind up moving slightly faster than the plodding hero, whom often has no time to fashion an effective course of action to survive the many ordeals. Coupled with the fact that the game offers no checkpoints, only five lives with no way to replenish them, neither continues nor passwords or a saving feature, the game becomes unbeatable unless you're thick enough to play it enough times to commit practically the whole thing to memory. You literally need to memorise every step you take through the whole thing. Go ahead and try it while overlooking this game's glaring flaws. You're in for some deep-level, soul-slashing frustration that will leave you scarred for good.

Levels

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