Dragon's Lair



""Dragon's Lair: The fantasy adventure where you become a valiant knight, on a quest to rescue the fair princess from the clutches of an evil dragon. You control the actions of a daring adventurer, finding his way through the castle of a dark wizard, who has enchanted it with treacherous monsters and obstacles. In the mysterious caverns below the castle, your odyssey continues against the awesome forces that oppose your efforts to reach the Dragon's Lair. Lead on, adventurer. Your quest awaits!""

- Attract mode from Dragon's Lair.

Still known as a classic to this day, Dragon's Lair was the first arcade game that utilized Laser Disc technology to provide an entirely new gaming experience... back in 1983, at least. Rick Dyer and Don Bluth basically created an entire animated world that was placed on a LaserDisc, and animated progress screens, death scenes and the like played according to what direction you, as the player, moved via the joystick and "Sword" button.

Your role was Dirk the Daring, a brave yet still reluctant knight in medieval England whose goal was to save Princess Daphne from the clutches of Singe the Dragon. Although Bluth played it straight for the most part in order to give it the feel of games of the era, the characters all were somewhat on the cartoony side, as Dirk had the look of a gallant knight, but was somewhat of an average joe Comedic Hero who would get freaked out upon seeing the random Nightmare Fuel-type creatures and enemies he'd encounter within the castle in order to save the Playboy Bunny-esque Daphne (she was modeled from Playboy pin-ups) from Singe.

The game itself has garnered a place in the Smithsonian Institution, and has had umpteen versions of home consoles, PC systems, smartphones and even homemade hacks adding further scenes and adventures. It also had an Animated Adaptation on ABC, courtesy of Ruby-Spears.

The game (along with its sequels) was well-known for dozens of death scenes, all of which were unique to a given scenario and many of which verged on Nightmare Fuel. The cartoon included a variation by offering Dirk a choice of actions before each commercial, and showing what would have happened to him if he had made the wrong one in the next scene.

Even though it is the Trope Maker for Action Commands and Press X to Not Die, its common place among gamers may set them off. This is still probably better than every other FMV game ever made, though - save for those that followed this gameplay formula (like Space Ace and Time Gal).

A movie was announced (and even storyboarded), but has languished in Development Hell for years. Bluth and Goldman are still trying to raise funds for it to this day. There's also a six-issue comic that's based on the game, but also incorporates elements from the cartoon series (such as Dirk's horse, Bertram).


 * Action Commands/Press X to Not Die: Pretty much the Trope Maker and Ur Example.
 * Only it didn't even tell you what to press or when.
 * Action Girl: In the comics, Daphne is this. Yes, Singe captures her, but he has to work at it, and she and Dirk were hugely overmatched.
 * Advancing Wall of Doom: Whether they be crumbling bridges, encroaching acid blobs or electrified floors, Dirk is almost always being chased by something.
 * Ambidextrous Sprite: Stages are sometimes mirrored, and Dirk is either right or left handed depending on the mirror.
 * Animated Music Video / Machinima: "He's My Guy," sung by Julie Eisenhower playing Daphne's singing voice.
 * Attack of the Monster Appendage: One of the first rooms you visit is slowly filled by the green tentacles of an unseen monster from upstairs.
 * Bat Out of Hell: The Bat King.
 * Big Bad: Singe the Dragon.
 * Butt Monkey: Dirk.
 * Combat Tentacles: In one room lots of green tentacles will fall from the ceiling in order to trap Dirk.
 * Cowardly Lion: This describes Dirk to a tee, yet it doesn't mean he's any less deadly with that sword.
 * Damsel in Distress: Princess Daphne.
 * Don Bluth: His animation studio did the work for the game, and The Secret of NIMH is often credited as the inspiration for the game's creator to make the game the way he did.
 * Dummied Out: Dragon's Lair didn't initially had the "only one way to beat the scene" scheme (the thing which was averted in Space Ace later then): it indeed included more exits and versions of the same scene. Not even that, it included completely different revival and game over scenes! Of course, all that was redummied back into the game with the release of 20th Anniversary Edition, yet in a really, really VHSish quality compared to the main game.
 * Everything Trying to Kill You: In the NES port, you die if you walk into a door, A FREAKIN' DOOR. Dirk doesn't just die, he changes to a pile of bones, from a door.
 * Fake Difficulty: Ooooh boy… the NES version is probably the worst. Every single subtrope can be listed. This episode of the Attic Gamer (in French) shows large portions of the pain the player has to endure.
 * Fate Worse Than Death: If he makes the wrong moves, Dirk can be shut into a sarcophagus by ghosts or locked into a tiny alcove by a gate (in both cases, he probably dies slowly of starvation).
 * Giant Spider: One appears in a room where he tries to jump on Dick's face to bite his neck.
 * Gory Discretion Shot: Some of the death animations cut to Dirk's sword or helmet hitting the ground rather than showing what actually happened.
 * Heroic Mime: Other than grunting and yelling in pain, Dirk never actually talks in the games.
 * For the most part. Dirk says three words, two in the first game and one is the second. In Dragon's Lair he says, "Uh oh!" during the flaming ropes scene, and "Wooooooooooooooooooooow!" upon seeing Daphne, and "Daphne!!" when finally rescuing her in Dragon's Lair II.
 * Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Dirk defeats Singe by hurling his sword into its chest.
 * Infinity+1 Sword: The magic sword which can kill Singe.
 * Magma Man: In the Lethal Lava Land section some fat, humming... humanoids made of red lava will jump out of the craters and go after Dirk. If they catch him they jump with him in a nearby crater, turning him into one of them.
 * The Many Deaths of You: Indeed so much so you actually will purposely kill Dirk just to see how he'll bite it. Wanna see?
 * The Movie: Don Bluth is making an upcoming hand-drawn movie prequel that is currently in Development Hell.
 * Nintendo Hard
 * One-Hit-Point Wonder: Excluding NES version. Unless Dirk catches fire, which will kill him in just one touch, of course.
 * Averted in the 3D remake; Dirk actually has a health bar in that game.
 * It's also played straight by the enemies: Almost all of them, including the big bad Black Knight, the giant Bat King and the skeletal Crypt Keepers will get vanquished in a single sword strike.
 * Press Start to Game Over: You could lose all your lives in a hurry.
 * Schmuck Bait: One room is nothing but a table with a potion on it labeled "Drink Me". In a castle where every single inanimate object has been magically enchanted to kill you.
 * Interesting fact: if you lose all your lives on this scene, the board will say "Eat Me". Which still counts as a Schmuck Bait.
 * Stripped to the Bone: In the NES version, many enemies and obstacles (and DOORS!) do this to Dirk regardless of the HP meter.
 * Stripperiffic: Daphne.
 * Lampshaded in the comic: Singe has a legion of maidens he's transformed into vain bubbleheads who all dress like that, and Daphne just happens to be his latest acquisition. She does seem embarrassed about it and as they ride away at the end she's wearing a robe over it.
 * Trial and Error Gameplay: When an action doesn't have a preceding cue. Also applies to the Commodore 64 port.
 * Updated Rerelease: Oh boy, where to begin... Considerably, EVERY "direct-to-video" port was superior to arcade in a way they had new scenes. Of course, it can't be compared with Dragon's Lair 20th Anniversary Edition which not only does includes loads and loads of bonus material, but also loads and loads of Dummied Out scenes. Escape From Singe's Castle for Amiga also has completely new scenes which are... Oh come ON, may anyone trace these for the new release already?!
 * Yet Another Stupid Death: The direct-to-arcade versions indeed do qualify, but the NES port takes it to ridiculous heights. The castle door that kills Dirk instantly should only he contact with it? Everything's trying to kill you indeed.
 * In the PAL Super NES version, you can even die in the password screen.

Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp contains examples of the following:

 * Abhorrent Admirer: A section of The Garden of Eden involves escaping an morbidly obese Eve who thinks Dirk is Adam.
 * Alice in Wonderland: The third stage.
 * Artifact of Doom: The Death Ring, the one inside The Casket of Doom.
 * The Atoner: Mordroc's brother, aka the voice you hear when you try to activate the time machine. He acts as a sort of ghost advisor in order to make up for his brother's mischiefs.
 * Band Land: The second half of the Beethoven level.
 * Big Bad: Mordroc the wizard.
 * Boss Banter: Mordroc seems to enjoy calling you "Fool" at every chance he gets.
 * Brawn Hilda: Daphne's mother. She even wears a Viking helmet.
 * Cats Are Mean: One is Cheshire Cat. Another is Beethoven's cat. Both wanna eat Dirk badly and do a sweet, sweet crunch when they do.
 * Well, this was made by Don Bluth, after all.
 * The Cheshire Cat, though, is eaten by the Jabberwock.
 * Continuity Nod: During the first level you run in the old castle from the first game and in the treasure room you can see Singe's skeleton and even his golden key.
 * Darker and Edgier: Even the attract mode clearly shows us that, well, the landscapes' brightness of the sequel has been decreased compared to the original Dragon's Lair. Still, it manages to couple it with purely insane things going on the screen. Can you say it isn't Tim Burton-esque at some points?
 * Dinner Deformation: The giant snakes and a huge spider near the beginning.
 * Disney Acid Sequence: Ehrm, just let's say the entire game is it and leave the discussion at that.
 * Dummied Out: The Pirate Ship.
 * Everything Trying to Kill You: In the first game, it made sense due to every creature in the castle being a murderous demonic thing, but in the sequel, even the characters that are not overtly malicious can still take you to your grave.
 * Extreme Omnivore: Eve attempts to eat Dirk and then contentedly eats the flower Dirk puts in front of her.
 * Though if you fail that, she instead gives you a WAY TOO HARD hug...and given her size it causes Dirk to be hugged to death.
 * Gag Nose: Mordroc, so long that it has even a sort of tiny tree branch protruding from it.
 * Giant Spider: Again, several in the Egyptian level, including humongous beetles.
 * God Save Us From the Queen: The Queen of Hearts, of course, and logically, Daphne's mother.
 * High Altitude Battle: Dirk spends about half the game hanging onto or falling off things.
 * Hot Mom: Daphne.
 * Also, she must be made of rubber. Look at the number of children they had. Look at Daphne's figure. The woman makes babies like popcorn (justified, given her looks and lack of birth control) and never loses it. She (and Dirk, granted) doesn't age a year, despite some of the kids looking like they're 6-8. It's good to be a toon.
 * Six to eight? Heck, one of those kids looks to be around 12 or 13!
 * In fact, she looks better in the second game than the first.
 * Absurdly Youthful Mother: Again, Daphne.
 * Incredible Shrinking Man: For some reason Dirk is the size of a mouse in the Beethoven level.
 * Kaizo Trap: Even after Dirk has defeated the Big Bad, there are still some monsters to fight, some crumbling floors to evade.
 * Well, naturally, Kaizoness begins a bit earlier, on the sixth level. After hours of attempting to beat this game, you find out that.
 * Lean and Mean: Mordroc is absolutely skeletric.
 * The Many Deaths of You: And they all got batshit crazy.
 * The death scenes, in case you can't find them, are located here.
 * There is also a Director's Cut death scene in Level 7, which looks similar to the first death scene in Level 1.
 * Mind Screw: Any level starting from the third, but Beethoven level specifically. Let's see. First, we have Mordroc and Dirk shrinked to the size of the mouse. Second, starting from the 30th second of the game, the piano flies into the air, breaks the roof of Beethoven's house and flies SO freaking high its' actually went a bit farther than hemisphere. Next, Band Land sequence, where not only the instruments get maximally freaky, but Beethoven himself starts looking like Elton John, while his kitty becomes a fire-breathing devil. And it's not even the end of the level... yet.
 * Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: In the Eden level you actually have to listen to the snake and give the apple to Eve, who proceeds to devour it and cause the fall of Eden. Complete with thunderbolts and thorns everywhere. Bravo....
 * Obnoxious In-Laws: The whole first level is escaping Daphne's angry mother.
 * "YOU! BETTER! FIND! MY! DAUGHTER! OR! EEEEEEELSE!!!!!"
 * She can't seem to decide whether she wants to make Dirk find Daphne or murder him.
 * She warms up considerably when she sees Daphne safe and sound in the ending.
 * Offhand Backhand: Dirk does this a few times -- a snake tries to attack from behind, and he gives is a quick bop with his sword in such a way that it looks like it was on accident -- but it's a player command, and you die if you don't. Dirk even does this while GRIEVING when he thinks Daphne is dead, his head buried in despair... but when an imp moves in to attack -- smack! -- and Dirk doesn't even acknowledge it.
 * Off-Model: When Daphne wakes up and is reunited with Dirk she knocks off his helmet and loses both her shoes, they randomly regain and lose both items in the final scenes at the game ends.
 * Rolling Pin of Doom: Used by Daphne's mother.
 * Screen Shake: When Eve is prancing after Dirk, every time she lands on the ground there's an earthquake.
 * Stripped to the Bone: Dirk, in three death scenes.
 * Sissy Villain: The Angel who watches the Eden. And don't try to deny it!
 * The minions of the Angel are the baby angels, in which if Dirk fails to escape them, they will tickle Dirk as Dirk laughs.
 * If Dirk is, however, caught by the flaming sword, Dirk will be spanked by the flaming sword.
 * Throwing Your Sword Always Works: Dirk does this in the final segment stabbing Mordroc's arm.
 * Time Travel: The whole plot of the game.
 * Transformation Trauma/Tragic Monster: Daphne turns into a horrifying purple behemoth when she wears the Death Ring.
 * Trial and Error Gameplay: Now, taken to the extreme. On your first time playing, you'll spend at least an hour to complete one 90-second scene. Two, when you play a slow reflex port of this game (DVD players port is just one of the instances).
 * Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Apparently Beethoven isn't too concerned about tiny knights and warlocks jumping around his room. His cat on the other hand...
 * Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Apparently Beethoven isn't too concerned about tiny knights and warlocks jumping around his room. His cat on the other hand...
 * Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Apparently Beethoven isn't too concerned about tiny knights and warlocks jumping around his room. His cat on the other hand...