Dragon's Lair 2
Dragon’s Lair 2: Time Warp is a complete grab at nostalgia. The lasting legacy of Dragon’s Lair has been the quicktime event: pressing a series of buttons or directions to make something cinematic happen. Among others, Shenmue did it, God of War does it, and Resident Evil does it. If God of War was only ordered and deliberate button presses, it would be boring – maybe cinematically exciting, but boring. And that mechanic just can’t be separated from Dragon’s Lair. Taking Dirk into a modern sensibility – giving the player complete control over Dirk’s actions – hasn’t worked. A slightly interactive cartoon is what anchors Dirk to the gaming subconscious.
Dragon’s Lair II is packed with great animation and very whimsical themes that make the whole game – all 20 minutes of it (on a perfect play-through) – interesting to watch for the uninitiated or those that lack any nostalgic attachment, unlike the old school full version pc games or even to Dirk the Daring and Daphne. There’s no technique or nuance involved and the threadbare story doesn’t offer much more than an excuse to put Dirk in some interesting environments.