Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair

Last updated
Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair
Dragon's Lair 3D - Return to the Lair Coverart.jpg
North American Xbox cover art
Developer(s) Dragonstone Software
Publisher(s)
Series Dragon's Lair
Engine Genesis3D [1]
Platform(s) Windows, Xbox, GameCube, PlayStation 2
ReleaseWindows
  • NA: November 18, 2002 [2]
  • EU: September 12, 2003 [3]
  • EU: November 8, 2004 (DL3) [4]
  • NA: November 23, 2004 (DL3)
Xbox
GameCube
PS2
Genre(s) Action-adventure
Mode(s) Single-player

Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair (titled Dragon's Lair 3D: Special Edition in Europe) is an action-adventure game released in 2002 by Ubi Soft. It is based on 1983 arcade video game Dragon's Lair and follows a similar story: Dirk the Daring must enter the evil wizard Mordroc's castle to rescue Princess Daphne from Singe the Dragon. Many of the characters and locations from the 1983 original make appearances in the game, along with new puzzles, rooms and enemies. Animator and director Don Bluth, who produced the cartoon animation for the original Dragon's Lair, produced new animated sequences for the opening and ending of the game. The game uses cel shading to mimic the style of the hand-drawn art of the 1983 game.

Contents

Gameplay

The game is the first in the series to host non-restricted movement for the player. A mostly linear exploration of the castle is broken up with boss fights, many of which are characters from the original arcade game, but not all. Many of the rooms seen in the original are seen again, though some are modified. New mechanics are introduced by the Dragon Essences that grant new powers. Health and Mana meters are also introduced and can be given upgrades throughout the game. A crossbow is also introduced and is used as an alternative weapon and resourceful object for puzzles. Treasure is also brought into the game to act as optional challenges to complete; collecting all 100 treasures unlocks extra gameplay options such as unlimited mana, alternate character skins, and faster sword charging for use when the player starts a new game.

Plot

The story starts as the Princess Daphne is captured by the dragon Singe commanded by the wizard Mordroc. Dirk sees this as he is riding his horse, Bertram, and unsuccessfully tries to rescue her. Daphne is taken through a portal but leaves behind an amulet that allows her to talk to Dirk as he works his way through the castle withholding her. Daphne explains to Dirk how the wizard has become extremely powerful and would be undefeatable without the help of the Dragon Essences: magical objects that grant their users abilities and are each guarded by the strongest beings in the castle. Dirk manages to find the princess and goes into battle with Singe, largely mirroring the original arcade's version of the fight. As the knight walks away with the princess in his arms, he notices a different reflection in a nearby crystal and drops her to find that she is really a dark alter-ego version of himself in disguise. The evil Dirk laughs at the hero for almost falling for his trap and goes on to explain how he is one of the beings holding an essence and that long ago, those who held the essences grew corrupt, thus a civil war between the forces broke out. Dirk defeats the alter-ego and goes on to gather the rest of the essences, but as he gains a magical set of arrows that are the only weapon capable of dispatching the wizard, Daphne begins to chastise Dirk for picking them up. Soon after, it is revealed that the Daphne speaking to Dirk up to this point was Mordroc impersonating her (much like in Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp ). Nevertheless, Dirk travels to where the princess is held captive and duels the wizard, who transforms into a dragon. Ultimately, he is defeated by the magical arrows and the knight saves the princess.

Reception

The game received "mixed or average reviews" on all platforms according to video game review aggregator Metacritic. [8] [9] [10] [11]

Legacy

In late 2004, [37] Digital Leisure released Dragon's Lair III (unrelated to the earlier Dragon's Lair III: The Curse of Mordread ). It is based on footage taken from Dragon's Lair 3D, but using a control system closer to the original and akin to their DVD version of the original Dragon's Lair.

Related Research Articles

<i>Tom Clancys Ghost Recon</i> (2001 video game) 2001 video game

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon is a tactical shooter video game developed by Red Storm Entertainment and published by Ubi Soft in 2001 for Microsoft Windows. It is the first game in the Ghost Recon series. It was ported to Mac OS, Xbox and PlayStation 2 in 2002 and to the GameCube in 2003. Ports for N-Gage and Game Boy Advance were planned, but later canceled. Unlike Clancy's other tactical shooter series, Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon is not based on any of his books.

<i>Tom Clancys Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow</i> 2004 video game

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow is a 2004 stealth game developed and published by Ubisoft Shanghai and Ubisoft Milan. The game is the sequel to Splinter Cell and the second game in the Splinter Cell series endorsed by writer Tom Clancy. It follows the covert activities of Sam Fisher, an agent working for a black-ops branch of the National Security Agency (NSA) called "Third Echelon". Michael Ironside returns to voice Sam Fisher, while Dennis Haysbert voices the character Irving Lambert, Fisher's boss, making this the only time he is not voiced by Don Jordan. Lalo Schifrin provides the theme music for the game.

<i>James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire</i> 2001 video game

James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire is a 2001 first-person shooter video game based on the James Bond franchise. Developed and published by Electronic Arts, it was released for PlayStation 2 (PS2), GameCube and Xbox. It originally began development as a PS2 and PC game based on the 1999 Bond film The World Is Not Enough. However, the game was delayed and eventually reworked into Agent Under Fire, featuring an original storyline that is unrelated to the Bond films. Playing as James Bond, the player must thwart an attempt to replace world leaders with clones.

<i>Tom Clancys Ghost Recon 2</i> 2004 video game

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2 is a tactical shooter video game developed by Red Storm Entertainment and published by Ubisoft for Xbox, PlayStation 2 and GameCube. A Microsoft Windows version was planned but cancelled in April 2005 in favor of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter. It is a direct sequel to the 2001 video game Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon.

<i>Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005</i> 2004 video game

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 is a sports video game developed by EA Redwood Shores for the GameCube, Xbox and PlayStation 2 versions, Headgate Studios for the Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X versions, Sensory Sweep Studios for the Nintendo DS version and EA Canada's Team Fusion division for the PlayStation Portable version and published by EA Sports for GameCube, Microsoft Windows, Xbox, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable and Mac OS X. An N-Gage version was planned but never released.

<i>Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003</i> 2002 video game

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003 is a sports video game developed by EA Redwood Shores for the Xbox, PlayStation 2 and GameCube versions and Headgate Studios for the Microsoft Windows and Mac OS versions and published by EA Sports.

<i>NHL 2005</i> 2004 video game

NHL 2005 is an ice hockey video game released in 2004, the successor to NHL 2004.

<i>X-Men: Next Dimension</i> 2002 video game

X-Men: Next Dimension is a fighting game, released in 2002 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube video game consoles. It is the third installment in the X-Men: Mutant Academy fighting game series, following X-Men: Mutant Academy and X-Men: Mutant Academy 2.

<i>Lost Planet: Extreme Condition</i> 2006 video game

Lost Planet: Extreme Condition is a third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom for Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 3. The game was released in Japan in December 2006 and worldwide in January 2007. Originally intended to be an Xbox 360 exclusive, it was later ported and released for Microsoft Windows in June 2007 and PlayStation 3 in February 2008.

<i>Darkened Skye</i> 2002 video game

Darkened Skye is a third-person action-adventure video game developed by Boston Animation. It was released for Microsoft Windows and GameCube in North America in 2002 and the PAL regions in 2003. The game was also packaged with Outlaw Golf. Its title character is a young woman named Skye who lives in a fantasy realm searching for her mother. She can perform magic using Skittles candies as well as use her staff as a melee weapon; her staff becomes an energy weapon when used in conjunction with the Skittles.

<i>Catwoman</i> (video game) 2004 video game

Catwoman is an action-adventure video game based on the 2004 film of the same name based on the fictional character. It features the likeness of the film's lead actress Halle Berry, while the character's voice is provided by actress Jennifer Hale.

<i>NHL 2003</i> 2002 video game

NHL 2003 is an ice hockey video game developed by EA Canada and published by EA Sports. It was released in 2002 as the successor to NHL 2002. Jarome Iginla appears as the cover athlete and spokesperson of the game. Iginla appears in the Behind The Scenes video to show the player how the game was made. It was the first installment of the NHL series to be released on GameCube.

<i>Pitfall: The Lost Expedition</i> 2004 video game

Pitfall: The Lost Expedition is a pair of action-adventure video games, one for the Game Boy Advance, and the other for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Windows. It is the sixth installment of the Pitfall series. It was released by Activision on February 19, 2004 in North America, February 20, 2004 in Europe, and February 23, 2004 in Australia. The Windows version was released on October 11, 2004 in North America. The game was also released on October 7, 2008 on the Wii as Pitfall: The Big Adventure. Pitfall: The Big Adventure was released under the brand Fun4All in Europe. It was followed in 2012 by Pitfall! for mobile devices.

<i>Dragons Dogma</i> 2012 video game

Dragon's Dogma is a 2012 action role-playing hack and slash video game by Capcom. First released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, an enhanced version subtitled Dark Arisen was later released for Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Set in Gransys, a high fantasy world inspired by Sicily, the player takes on the role of a human protagonist dubbed the Arisen on a quest to defeat the dragon Grigori, a being said to herald the world's end, while uncovering a deeper conspiracy along the way.

<i>Rayman Legends</i> 2013 video game

Rayman Legends is a platform video game developed by Ubisoft Montpellier and published by Ubisoft. It is the fifth main title in the Rayman series and the direct sequel to the 2011 game Rayman Origins. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, and PlayStation Vita platforms in August and September 2013. PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions were released in February 2014, with a Stadia version released in November 2021. A Nintendo Switch port, titled Rayman Legends Definitive Edition, was released in North America, Europe and Australia on September 12, 2017.

<i>The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dragonborn</i> Video game add-on

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dragonborn is the third and final add-on for the action role-playing open world video game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It was developed by Bethesda Game Studios and released by Bethesda Softworks on the Xbox Live Marketplace on December 4, 2012. The Microsoft Windows version was released on February 5, 2013, and the PlayStation 3 version was released on February 12, 2013.

Dragon's Lair is a video game franchise created by Rick Dyer. The series is famous for its Western animation-style graphics and complex decades-long history of being ported to many platforms and being remade into television and comic book series.

<i>Dragons Lair III: The Curse of Mordread</i> 1993 video game

Dragon's Lair III: The Curse of Mordread is a video game in the Dragon's Lair series, developed by Don Bluth Multimedia and published by ReadySoft Incorporated for the Amiga, Atari ST and MS-DOS in 1993. An Apple IIGS port was released in 2022.

<i>Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair</i> 2019 video game

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a platform video game developed by Playtonic Games and published by Team17. As a spin-off to Yooka-Laylee (2017), the game was released digitally for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on October 8, 2019, followed by a version for Amazon Luna on October 20, 2020.

References

  1. ↑ "A Knight to Remember". Computer Graphics World. Jan 2003. Archived from the original on 2023-09-11. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
  2. 1 2 Sulic, Ivan (2002-11-11). "Dirk Gets Daring, Goes to Store". IGN. Archived from the original on 2023-03-30. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  3. ↑ "Ubi Soft shuffles release dates". Eurogamer.net. 2003-09-02. Archived from the original on 2023-03-30. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  4. ↑ "Dragon's Lair III, um, released". Eurogamer.net. 2004-11-08. Archived from the original on 2023-03-30. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  5. ↑ "What's New?". Eurogamer.net. 2004-03-05. Archived from the original on 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  6. ↑ "Dragon's Lair 3D Ships - Press Release". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on 2023-03-30. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  7. 1 2 "What's New?". Eurogamer.net. 2004-03-26. Archived from the original on 2023-03-30. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  8. 1 2 "Dragon's Lair 3D for GameCube Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on 2023-11-20. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
  9. 1 2 "Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2023-11-20. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
  10. 1 2 "Dragon's Lair 3D (ps2: 2003): Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2008-09-13. Retrieved 2015-11-16.
  11. 1 2 "Dragon's Lair 3D for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2023-11-20. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
  12. ↑ Marriott, Scott Alan. "Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair - Review (Xbox)". AllGame. Archived from the original on 2014-11-14. Retrieved 2014-11-21.
  13. ↑ EGM Staff (January 2003). "Dragon's Lair 3D (Xbox)". Electronic Gaming Monthly . p. 194. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-11-21.
  14. ↑ Reed, Kristan (2004-03-17). "Dragon's Lair 3D: Special Edition Review (GC)". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on 2013-02-07. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
  15. ↑ Barber, Chet (February 2003). "Dragon's Lair 3D (GC)". Game Informer . No. 118. p. 101. Archived from the original on 2008-03-02. Retrieved 2013-03-16.
  16. ↑ Barber, Chet (January 2003). "Dragon's Lair 3D (Xbox)". Game Informer. No. 117. p. 113. Archived from the original on 2008-09-15. Retrieved 2013-03-16.
  17. ↑ Bad Hare (2003-01-15). "Dragon's Lair 3D: Review for GameCube on GamePro.com". GamePro . Archived from the original on 2005-02-14. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
  18. ↑ Silverman, Ben (2002-11-01). "Dragon's Lair 3D Review (Xbox)". Game Revolution. Archived from the original on 2021-01-25. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
  19. ↑ Davis, Ryan (2003-01-08). "Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair Review (GC)". GameSpot . Archived from the original on 2021-01-28. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
  20. ↑ Park, Andrew (2002-11-27). "Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair Review (PC)". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2014-12-27. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
  21. ↑ Davis, Ryan (2002-11-27). "Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair Review (XBox)". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2021-01-28. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
  22. ↑ Williams, Bryn (2003-01-14). "Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair (GC)". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 2008-10-12.
  23. ↑ Fryman, Avi (2003-01-01). "Dragon's Lair 3D (PC)". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 2008-08-23. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
  24. ↑ Gibson, Jon M. (2003-02-18). "Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair (Xbox)". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
  25. ↑ Hopper, Steven (2003-01-19). "Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair - GC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 2009-06-04. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
  26. ↑ Hopper, Steven (2002-12-05). "Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair Review - PC". GameZone. Archived from the original on 2008-02-10. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
  27. ↑ Tha Wiz (2002-12-02). "Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair Review - Xbox". GameZone. Archived from the original on 2008-02-19. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
  28. ↑ Casamassina, Matt (2003-01-07). "Dragon's Lair 3D (GCN)". IGN . Archived from the original on 2015-03-09. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
  29. ↑ Sulic, Ivan; Goldstein, Hilary (2002-11-25). "Dragon's Lair 3D Review (PC)". IGN. Archived from the original on 2012-11-07. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
  30. ↑ Goldstein, Hilary (2002-11-20). "Dragon's Lair 3D (Xbox)". IGN. Archived from the original on 2014-03-23. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
  31. ↑ "Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair". Nintendo Power . Vol. 165. February 2003. p. 156.
  32. ↑ "Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair". Official Xbox Magazine . January 2003. p. 76.
  33. ↑ Osborn, Chuck (February 2003). "Dragon's Lair 3D". PC Gamer : 72. Archived from the original on 2006-03-15. Retrieved 2015-11-16.
  34. ↑ Sessler, Adam (2002-12-18). "'Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair' (Xbox) Review". X-Play. Archived from the original on 2003-02-01. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
  35. 1 2 3 Saltzman, Marc (2003-01-21). "Sorry, Dirk, new 'Lair' disappoints". The Cincinnati Enquirer . Archived from the original on 2008-05-15. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  36. ↑ Walk, Gary Eng (2003-01-17). "DRAGON'S LAIR 3D Review (Xbox)". Entertainment Weekly . p. 87. Archived from the original on 2021-01-25. Retrieved 2015-11-16.
  37. ↑ "Dragon's Lair 3". Metacritic . Archived from the original on 2023-11-20. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.