Dragon Lore: The Legend Begins
| Dragon Lore | |
|---|---|
 3DO Cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Cryo Interactive |
| Publisher(s) | Mindscape |
| Composer(s) | Stéphane Picq |
| Platform(s) | DOS, 3DO |
| Release |
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| Genre(s) | Adventure game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Dragon Lore is a point-and-click adventure game released in 1994 by Cryo Interactive for MS-DOS CD-ROM, and later ported to the 3DO game console. The hero plays 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.
Characters
- Werner Von Wallenrod The hero of this game who is on a quest to become a Dragon Knight.
- Chen Lai The cousin of Fujitomo.
- Formar Thain of Hav'shal A Dragon Knight who gives Werner advice once he arrives by raft.
- Tanatyha Hyrenapth A Dragon Knight who likes someone that sheds with blood.
- Cheldyra She is a friend of the Toadstools.
- Arthus of Erwyndyll He advises Werner about the flowers.
- Kuru A Dragon Knight who is a Military leader.
- Klaus Von Straupzig A Dragon Knight who almost looks like Arthus.
- Herg Nach Drakhonen Who is obsessed with the Jewel of the Duck Dragon.
- Hellayena D'Article Who gives Werner to throw down a weapon with honor.
- Alexandre of Egregalionne & Sylvan of Sygill A double human in a same person who is seeking a vase that was stolen from two thieves.
- Haggen Von Diakkonov The main villain of this game who murdered Axel Von Wallenrod.
- Fujitomo A Dragon Knight who is dead and his ring was above his coffin.
- The Archmage is the wizard of Castle Von Wallenrod.
Technical issues and release information
The PC version had a relatively high conventional memory requirement 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. The game was bundled with multimedia kits such as those by Reveal. At that 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. The Reveal 4x CD-ROM kit featured the 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.
Reception
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Dragon Lore was a commercial success, with sales of 300,000 units by 1997.[4]
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.[3]
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."[5]
References
- ↑ Peter Olafson (January 1995). "Computer Gaming World - Issue 126" (PDF) (126): 150. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
- ↑ Ward, Trent (May 1995). "Dragon Lore". PC Gamer US. Archived from the original on November 12, 1999.
- 1 2 "Dragon Lore". Next Generation. Imagine Media (6): 107. June 1995.
- ↑ Ichbiah, Daniel (1997). La saga des jeux vidéo. Pocket. p. 324. ISBN 2-266-08763-0.
- ↑ "Quick Hits: Dragon Lore". GamePro. No. 92. IDG. May 1996. p. 72.
External links