Dragon's Lair

 Xbox 360
Dragon's Lair Image
Metascore
41

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 18 Critics What's this?

User Score
5.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 18 Ratings

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0 out of 10
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  • Summary: Dragon's Lair, one of the most beloved arcade games of all time can now be enjoyed from the comfort of your couch. This fully arcade authentic version is fully playable with Kinect or the Xbox 360 controller so you can really show how well you wield Dirk's sword. Included with this ultimateDragon's Lair, one of the most beloved arcade games of all time can now be enjoyed from the comfort of your couch. This fully arcade authentic version is fully playable with Kinect or the Xbox 360 controller so you can really show how well you wield Dirk's sword. Included with this ultimate edition are bonus Avatar items, Gamerpics and even a full watch feature to sit back and enjoy Don Bluth's stunning animation. In Dragon's Lair, you play the heroic Dirk the Daring, a valiant knight on a quest to rescue the fair princess from the clutches of an evil dragon! Find your way through the castle of a dark wizard, who has enchanted it with treacherous monsters and obstacles. Lead on adventurer. Your quest awaits!… Expand
  • Developer: Digital Leisure Inc., Digital Leisure
  • Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Interactive Movie, General, Arcade, Interactive Movie
  • # of players: 1 Player
  • Cheats: On GameFAQs
  • Rating: E10+
  • Special Controllers: Kinect Compatible
  • More Details and Credits »

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 18
  3. Negative: 11 out of 18
  1. XboxAddict
    Jun 8, 2012
    65
    Dragon's Lair retains its charm, and it's in no way a bad game, but unnecessary Kinect controls make it a hard sell to someone like myself who's already bought the game a dozen times for multiple platforms.
  2. Cheat Code Central
    May 22, 2012
    62
    The game will be delightfully nostalgic to gamers of old, and should be tried by anyone who is too young to remember it. It's an important part of gaming history, one that will make a fine addition to your Xbox LIVE Arcade game collection.
  3. DarkStation
    Jun 8, 2012
    50
    Nostalgia is the sole reason I can fathom someone would want Dragon's Lair at this point and, admittedly, the Xbox Live Arcade version is as solid as a HD release as either the iOS or PSN release. Regardless, Dragon's Lair is a quest best remembered in kind aged memories rather than on your Xbox 360.
  4. GameWatcher
    May 31, 2012
    40
    Without the nostalgia factor, it's just a very short and dated experience with a glimmer of the wonder that once gripped the arcade world. That's really not enough to compete with what's out there now.
  5. Official Xbox Magazine
    May 21, 2012
    35
    Unfortunately, the major addition for its XBLA debut - Kinect integration - is poorly implemented, leaving an otherwise shallow and dated experience.
  6. XGN
    Jul 17, 2012
    30
    Dragon's Lair is not the game you're looking for on Xbox Live. The controls don't work well and you don't need a lot of time to beat the entire game. So leave your sword where it is, because Dragon's Lair doesn't ever make you feel like a knight.
  7. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Aug 12, 2012
    10
    Why punish yourself? [Sept 2012, p.105]
    All this publication's reviews

See all 18 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 7
  3. Negative: 2 out of 7
  1. Xborn74
    Jun 6, 2012
    8
    Dragon's Lair is a classic game of the 80s, which was played in Arcades, is actually an interactive cartoon, where the objective is to controlDragon's Lair is a classic game of the 80s, which was played in Arcades, is actually an interactive cartoon, where the objective is to control the protagonist, a knight named Dirk through various scenarios for the final attempt to rescue Princess Daphne. It was a great success at the time (83) and was known for its difficulty, which is transmitted to the Xbox 360 - the difference is that here, instead of getting lost countless arcade tokens, here you can play until the end. The graphics are the ones of an animation of the time (actually a former Disney animator made â… Expand
  2. Rafa2604
    May 22, 2012
    8
    Dragon's Lair is a forever classic, i recomend for the new and old school gamers! The only bad point is the very short time to finish theDragon's Lair is a forever classic, i recomend for the new and old school gamers! The only bad point is the very short time to finish the history, but is great. Dirky is so nice on the Xbox 360, enjoy!… Expand
  4. TheFourthDoctor
    Nov 22, 2017
    7
    I remembered jamming quarters into this game at the Arcade, when it came onto XBox gold free game My headed exploded. Great looking animation,I remembered jamming quarters into this game at the Arcade, when it came onto XBox gold free game My headed exploded. Great looking animation, playing without the arrow guide is intuitive and challenging. It was nice to finally beat it. It's the experience I had in the arcade. If you don't remember it or didn't enjoy it then, you won't enjoy it now.… Expand
  5. groundbreak
    Jul 3, 2012
    6
    Worth it for the nostalgia. I never got very far on this game when it was out in the arcade - didn't have that many quarters! Came across itWorth it for the nostalgia. I never got very far on this game when it was out in the arcade - didn't have that many quarters! Came across it while perusing the XBOX arcade games with my 6 year old and after playing the trial decided to buy and try to finish it. Love the animation style of Bluth & Co. and it definitely brings back the 80's feel. I didn't realize how often they reused the same animation, many of the sequences are just reversed versions of the animation. We finished the game after a couple of sessions and I was happy to finally know the ending. My 6 year old did enjoy some of the creepier animations and it's definitely something he doesn't see on Nick/Disney today. As for the controls, at first it was a bit difficult but once you start to memorize the sequences and get used to the quick button timing things were fine. I could see someone getting frustrated if they kept getting stuck in a sequence. I was glad to see this game on the XBOX.… Expand
  6. Knightsabez
    Aug 29, 2017
    5
    A really frustrating game, i found myself ripping my hair out when i died at the same spot numerous times. I know this is an old arcade game,A really frustrating game, i found myself ripping my hair out when i died at the same spot numerous times. I know this is an old arcade game, so i will take that into accounting. I took me half an hour to play through the game, but many have spent a whole hour on it, but i just wanted to finish the thing. I could see this game me much better if there where some nostalgia involved, but not in my case.
    The controls where also extremely confusing at times.    … Expand
  7. aadms
    Feb 7, 2013
    3
    Dragon's Lair's game play was designed back in the days when computer graphics were in their infancy. What it did was give you the only wayDragon's Lair's game play was designed back in the days when computer graphics were in their infancy. What it did was give you the only way to have stunning graphics, by hand drawing them out as a cartoon. This left no "free choice" for the game players' movement, but instead relied on timed joystick movement or pushing a single button. If successful in your timing the cut-scenes would play out in a semi- continuous way until the end of the story. When I was growing up, I was always fascinated by this arcade game; however, after dropping in $1.00 and only having thirty seconds of game play, I left it mostly alone, wondering what type of storyline would unfold but forever out of my reach. Well, after just purchasing this game online, I've gone through the whole story and, considering how games have evolved todays, I was left very unimpressed. The cutscenes are poorly edited together, the flashing signals used in front of you, sort of blend into the background leaving you to have to view the game using your peripheral vision instead of enjoying the animated art work, the sound system and music is poor, the same scenes get played over repetitiously but in a opposite view to make you think you are advancing to a different part of the dungeon (Maybe this is were Dragon Age II received its inspiration from?) and in the end, the game is just extremely short. I finished it in less than twenty minutes. The only good thing about it is that I can now feel good about myself from avoiding putting more coins into this arcade when I was a kid. I probably saved myself $40 worth.… Expand
  8. ronehjr
    Jan 29, 2014
    0
    I just threw away $10. I know that is not a lot, but I usually don't just drop a tenner into the waste basket. There is not enough time toI just threw away $10. I know that is not a lot, but I usually don't just drop a tenner into the waste basket. There is not enough time to complete the desired actions, sometimes the arrows blend in the background, and sometimes even if I did do the action in time, it didn't matter. God I'm irritated.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

71
#71 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2012