Dragon Lore

Dragon Lore: The Legend Begins is a point-and-click adventure game released in 1994 by Cryo Interactive for MS-DOS, and later ported to the 3DO video game console.[1][2] The game was a commercial success, with sales of 300,000 units by 1997.[3] An emulated version was released for Microsoft Windows and macOS in 2013.[4]

Dragon Lore: The Legend Begins
European DOS cover art
Developer(s)Cryo Interactive
Publisher(s)Mindscape
Director(s)Fabrice Bernard
Designer(s)Fabrice Bernard
François Marcela Froideval
Johan K. Robson
Programmer(s)Fabrice Bernard
Composer(s)Stéphane Picq
SeriesDragon Lore
Platform(s)DOS, 3DO
ReleaseDOS
  • EU: 1994
  • NA: December 1994
3DO
Genre(s)Adventure game
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay

Dragon Lore is a point and click adventure game seen from the first person perspective, with static backgrounds and a few animated objects. The inventory system and general atmosphere of the whole game feels very much like an RPG, despite the fact that character progression of any kind is almost non-existent. Fighting with enemies depends largely on equipment found and some enemies are not defeated in face to face confrontation, but by solving puzzles.[5][6]

Plot

The player character is Werner Von Wallenrod, a farm boy who must interact with various characters in a fantasy atmosphere, solve puzzles, and fight enemies. Eventually the protagonist uncovers that he is the orphaned son of the late Axel von Wallenrod, a "Dragon Knight." Werner sets out to uncover his past and reclaim his heritage. Werner's ultimate goal is to earn the favor of enough of the current Dragon Knights so as to be voted into their order. He also has to deal with his rival, Haggen Von Diakkonov.[7]

Release

The game was bundled with multimedia kits such as the Reveal kit that featured a SC400 sound card, speakers, and a large bundle of multimedia software, including games and educational titles. Besides Dragon Lore, this kit featured another Cryo Interactive game, MegaRace. At the time, many personal computers were not equipped with CD-ROMs and sound cards out of the box, and users wanting these features may have chosen their kit based on the pack-in software.

In Spain, it was originally marketed in an edition with Spanish texts and English voices. In 1996 it was re-released by Planeta DeAgostini as part of the Juegos CD-ROM collection together with Cyclemania, in a new Spanish dubbed edition.

GOG.com released an emulated version for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X in 2013.[8]

Technical issues

The PC version had relatively high memory requirements, which made the game difficult to run unless the user first edited the AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files and/or created a boot disk.

Reception

Dragon Lore was a commercial success, with sales of 300,000 units by 1997.[3]

A reviewer for Next Generation applauded the game for its fast-moving rendered graphics, captivating plot, and gratifyingly difficult puzzles in its later sections. He added that the inclusion of fighting segments, in addition to being satisfying of themselves, serve to break up the monotony that puzzle adventure games sometimes suffer from.[10]

Computer Gaming World praised the game for its "tremendous graphics" and "meaningful game options" but criticized how the game world appeared "too empty and non-interactive"[12]

GamePro's brief review of the 3DO version stated, "Smooth, rendered 3D animation and voice clips accompany the great mythological storyline to make up a well-rounded game. RPG fans will enjoy the attention to detail as well as the intuitive motions and menus ... slow access time is one of the few setbacks."[13]

Legacy

Cryo Interactive released a sequel named Dragon Lore II: The Heart of the Dragon in 1996.[14]

See also

References
  1. "Dragon Lore: The Legend Begins (1994)". MobyGames. Archived from the original on 2005-04-03. Retrieved 2021-08-07.
  2. "Dragon Lore: The Legend Begins". IGDB.com. Retrieved 2021-08-07.
  3. Ichbiah, Daniel (1997). La saga des jeux vidéo. Pocket. p. 324. ISBN 2-266-08763-0.
  4. "Dragon Lore: The Legend Begins". GOG.com. Archived from the original on 2013-11-17. Retrieved 2021-08-07.
  5. "Dragon Lore: The Legend Begins (Game)". Giant Bomb. Archived from the original on 2020-06-03. Retrieved 2021-08-07.
  6. "Dragon Lore: The Legend Begins - Review". adventureclassicgaming.com. Archived from the original on 2006-03-13. Retrieved 2021-08-07.
  7. "Dragon Lore – Hardcore Gaming 101". Retrieved 2021-08-07.
  8. "Release: Dragon Lore: The Legend Begins". GOG.com. CD Projekt. November 14, 2013. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  9. Peter Olafson (January 1995). "Computer Gaming World - Issue 126" (PDF) (126): 150. Retrieved October 29, 2015. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. "Dragon Lore". Next Generation. Imagine Media (6): 107. June 1995.
  11. Ward, Trent (May 1995). "Dragon Lore". PC Gamer US. Archived from the original on November 12, 1999. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  12. Olafson, Peter (1995-01-01). "When Men Were Men And Dragons Were Dragons" (PDF). Computer Gaming World. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2013-05-12. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  13. "Quick Hits: Dragon Lore". GamePro. No. 92. IDG. May 1996. p. 72.
  14. "Dragon Lore II: The Heart of the Dragon Man (1996)". MobyGames. Archived from the original on 2005-05-04. Retrieved 2021-08-07.
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