Dragon's Lair is a video game franchise created by Rick Dyer. The series is notable for its film-quality animation by ex-Disney animator Don Bluth, and complex decades-long history of being ported to many platforms. It has also been adapted into television and comic books.
The first game in the series, Dragon's Lair, was originally released for arcades in 1983 by Cinematronics.[1] It leveraged LaserDisc technology, offering greatly superior graphics compared to other contemporary video games.[2] While many home ports were released in the following years, developers often had to make severe compromises to make the game work on the target platforms of the era, such as splitting it into two halves.[3] A sequel, Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp, had started development as early as 1984, but would only see release in arcades in 1991. While its graphics were once again praised, its limited interactivity compared to the newer generation of arcade games was considered outdated, and kept it from reaching the same popularity of the original.[4]
The two first games in the series are considered gaming classics,[5] and are frequently re-released on each new generation of consoles, often bundled alongside the 1984 LaserDisc game Space Ace.[6]
The franchise has since expanded into other media, including a short lived animated series that aired on ABC in 1984 and a comic-book miniseries released in 2003. Plans for a feature-length film have existed since the 1980s and resurfaced in 2015, when Bluth launched two crowd-funding campaigns.[7] While the Kickstarter campaign was unsuccessful,[8] the Indiegogo campaign reached its target in early 2016.[9]
Gameplay
Most games in the Dragon's Lair series are interactive films where the player controls Dirk the Daring, in a quest to save Princess Daphne. The game presents predetermined animated scenes, and the player must select a direction on the joystick or press the action button in order to clear each quick time event, with different full motion video segments showing the outcome.[10] A perfect run of the 1983 arcade game with no deaths lasts no more than 12 minutes. In total, the game has 22 minutes or 50,000 frames of animated footage, including individual death scenes and game over screens.[11]
Characters
Dirk the Daring
Dirk the Daring is the main protagonist of the first game and subsequent franchise. As a knight of the kingdom, Dirk was entrusted with the rescue of Princess Daphne from Mordroc and Singe because all other knights were killed. He becomes heir to the throne upon saving Princess Daphne; following her rescue, Dirk and Daphne are married. In both games, Dirk is voiced by sound editor Dan Molina. Retro Gamer included Dirk on their list of top 50 game characters in the category "Top Ten Forces of Good" and called him "without a doubt, the epitome of the heroic knight".[12]
Vera Lanpher (Dragon's Lair, Dragon's Lair II) Ellen Gerstell (television series) Darcy Harvier (Dragon's Lair 3D)
In the games, Princess Daphne is the beautiful daughter of King Aethelred and an unnamed queen. She serves as the series' damsel in distress. A beautiful maiden coveted by many princes and knights, her heart belongs to the kingdom's champion, Dirk the Daring.[13][14]
Design and portrayal
Princess Daphne was originally created by Rick Dyer's Advanced Microcomputer Systems (AMS, later RDI Video Systems) team, then completely redesigned by the ex-Disney artist and animator Don Bluth. Bluth took his inspiration from photographs from the producer Gary Goldman's collection of old issues of Playboy magazine, ultimately putting Daphne "in a very-revealing one piece 'thong' bathing suit with a sheer veil that partially covered her".[15] Due to the limited budget's constraints, Daphne's in-game vocals were supplied by the head of AMS' Clean-up Department, Vera Lanpher.[16]
For Dragon's Lair II, where Daphne has experienced more than a dozen births, Bluth said "he thought it would be interesting if Daphne looked just as beautiful as ever; there's absolutely no sign she's been through anything".[17] Professional voice actress Ellen Gerstell voiced the character in the cartoon, wherein her attire is a less-revealing dress.
Reception
Princess Daphne was met with mostly positive reception and greatly contributed to the success of the game, which was then ported to various home platforms and followed by several sequels, remakes and spin-offs. She has been cited by multiple publications as one of the most attractive characters in video game history.[18][19][20][21][22]UGO included her on their 2010 list of top 50 "video game hotties": "When the game was released, Daphne was the best-looking video game heroine around, so we still have a bit of a soft spot for her today".[23] Including her at the 14th place on a similar list in 2012, Larry Hester of Complex opined Daphne "might be the finest damsel in distress ever. Sorry, Peach, Disney-style cel animation wins again".[24]
Back in 1983, JoyStik's Joe Mendsky wrote "Daphne may look like the closest thing to a porn star in the annals of the video game, but she's not dumb. She's seen the line of quarters across the floor at the Denver arcade".[25] Nearly three decades later, Complex said of her that there has "only ever really been one reason to play Dragon's Lair",[26] and stated: "Never mind that the gameplay was nothing more than a quarter-sucking game of trial-and-error and memorization. And, oh, God: Princess Daphne and her little sheer black dress. Jesus Christ. She was way too sexy. Our little brains exploded".[27] Ranking her as the 14th "hottest video game girl of all time" in 2013, Steve Jenkins of CheatCodes.com wrote: "Don Bluth's animated portrayal of Daphne, the princess who just can't seem to keep out of trouble, was the real attraction in this game… and attractive she was. (...) Princess Daphne's love of shear(sic!) clothing, plunging necklines, and her eternal 'damsel in distress' neediness made 50 cents a bargain to spend some quality time with her".[28] Writing about the reason Dragon's Lair became so popular, Nikola Suprak of Hardcore Gamer stated: "Years of playing video games has made me very familiar with the 'save the princess' motif, which makes me extremely suspicious about Daphne's princess credentials. There is a far greater chance that she is just a stripper with the stage name Princess than an actual princess, because if actual princesses dressed like she did the royal weddings wouldn't be so boring to watch".[29]
Jon M. Gibson of GameSpy called Daphne "the epitome of a damsel in distress".[30] Rob Mead of ST Format wrote "Daphne has to be the dippiest woman on the planet. She's gone and got herself kidnapped again. Can you believe it? The woman is a victim. She might as well walk around with the words 'Kidnap me' tattooed on her forehead".[31] Charlie Barratt of GamesRadar included her among the seven "damsels you DON'T want to save", arguing that "underneath the skimpy leotard and fluttering eyelashes, Daphne's no deeper than a cardboard cutout. No smarter than a blow-up doll bimbo. Nothing more than salacious and cynical bait for your hard-earned quarters (and Dragon's Lair swallowed a LOT of quarters)".[32] Glamour model Tara Babcock ranked the "beyond beautiful" Daphne as the 16th "hottest video game" and wrote that "her half-naked, yet regal appearance, flowing blonde hair, big eyes with batting lashes and cute, ditzy appearance ... has been the subject of much controversy over 'sexism' in gaming!"[33]
Daphne's voice was described by Earl Green of Classic Gamer Magazine as "a high pitched voice that could cause harm to small pets".[34] Green also wrote that "those of us who were entering adolescence at the time never quite forgave the TV show for covering Princess Daphne up, even though a vast improvement was made in giving her more personality and more intelligence, rather than the original game's helium-voiced ditzy blonde".[35] Reviewing Dragon's Lair 3D in 2002, GameSpot's Ryan Davis wrote Daphne "sounds just as squeaky and ditzy as she did in 1983".[36] Kristan Reed of Eurogamer wrote it "remains as simultaneously amusing and irritating as ever".[37]
Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp is a 1991 LaserDisc video game developed by Sullivan Bluth Interactive. The game once again follows Dirk the Daring attempting to save Princess Daphne, whom he is now married to, from the evil wizard Mordroc. Dirk travels through several dimensions and historical eras searching for Daphne, some inspired by classic stories and fairy tales, such as Alice in Wonderland and Sleeping Beauty.
Dragon's Lair III: The Curse of Mordread is a 1992 video game published by ReadySoft for Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS and Macintosh. The game is composed of levels from the arcade version of Time Warp that were not included in the original home conversions. Additionally, it features a newly produced "Blackbeard the Pirate" stage that was originally intended to be in the arcade game, but was never completed.[44] An Apple IIGS version was released in 2022.[45]
Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair is a 2002 action-adventure game developed by Dragonstone Software for Microsoft Windows, Xbox, GameCube and PlayStation 2. It is a re-imagining of the original Dragon's Lair and follows a similar story, as Dirk must enter Mordroc's castle to rescue Princess Daphne from a dragon. The game features many of the characters and locations from the 1983 arcade game, along with new puzzles, rooms, and enemies. The game uses cel shading to mimic the distinctive style of the original. Don Bluth produced two new animated sequences for the opening and ending of the game. It received mixed reviews upon release.[46]
Dragon's Lair is a 1992 platform game developed by MotiveTime and published by Data East in North America, Elite Systems in Europe and Konami in Japan for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Its plot is identical to that of the original arcade game.
Franky, Joe & Dirk: On the Tiles is a 1993 puzzle game developed by Audio Visual Magic and published by Elite Systems, released exclusively in Europe. It is a sliding block puzzle game featuring characters from previous Elite-published games: Franky from Dr. Franken, Joe from Joe & Mac and Dirk the Daring from Dragon's Lair.
Other media
TV series
The game led to the creation of a short-lived television cartoon series, Dragon's Lair by Ruby-Spears Productions, where Dirk the Daring is voiced by Bob Sarlatte and the unseen storyteller that narrates each episode is voiced by Clive Revill. Changes in the TV series include the originally nameless Dragon being given the name Singe (voiced by Arthur Burghardt), Princess Daphne (voiced by Ellen Gerstell) wears a long pink dress, and includes some exclusive characters like Princess Daphne's father King Ethelred (voiced by Fred Travalena), Dirk the Daring's horse Bertram (vocal effects provided by Peter Cullen), Dirk the Daring's squire Timothy (voiced by Michael Mish), and Dirk the Daring's rival Sir Hubert Blunt (voiced by Peter Cullen). Enemies include the Lizard King, the Phantom Knight, the Giddy Goons, and the Mudmen. Thirteen half-hour episodes were produced and aired on the ABC network from September 8, 1984, to April 27, 1985. It was last aired on the USA Cartoon Express between the late '80s and the early '90s. To keep the show in the spirit of the game, before each commercial break the storyteller asks what the viewer would do to solve the problem facing Dirk. After the commercial break, the outcomes of the various choices are shown before Dirk acts on the correct idea (with the occasional exception) to save the day. Don Bluth had no involvement in the TV series.
Comic books
A comic book miniseries based on the game, but incorporating elements from the cartoon series as well, like Dirk's horse Bertram, was released in 2003 by CrossGen, concurrent with a miniseries based on Space Ace. Arcana Studio published the entire comic book series in 2006, as there are three issues that were previously unpublished.
Film
In the 1980s, a film version of Dragon's Lair was planned, with Alan Dean Foster involved in shaping the story. The project fell apart due to low interest from other studios.[47]
In 2015 and 2016, Bluth and Goldman crowdfundedUS$731,172 for a 10-minute teaser for an animated feature-length Dragon's Lair prequel film, their first feature film since Titan A.E.[8][9][48] Bluth and Goldman have announced that the film will provide more backstory for Dirk and Daphne and that Daphne will show that she is not a "blonde airhead".[49]
