Blazing Dragons Review

|Tap-Repeatedly|FFC Archives

            Blazing Dragons

Review by JenMarch 2003

Blazing Dragons was a short-lived animated TV show of the mid-90s, created by Terry Jones of Monty Python fame.  The premise is that the dragons are the good guys and the people are the bad guys. The series borrows heavily from the King Arthur legends, in a goofy sort of way.

Illusions Gaming developed a video game based on the cartoon, titled, appropriately enough, Blazing Dragons. It features the same animators and same voice actors as the series, most notably Terry Jones himself, Cheech Marin, and Harry Shearer. It was released for Playstation and Sega Saturn in 1996.

In the game Blazing Dragons, you play the part of Flicker.  Flicker is kind of the court lackey, made to handle all of the menial tasks around the castle while the Knights of the Square Table roam the kingdom and joust and quest and suchlike. In his spare time, Flicker is an inventor. He is also in love with the Princess Flame, King All-Fire’s daughter and Flicker’s lifelong friend.

In a few days a tournament is to be held, and the winner gets to be the next King, as well as gaining Flame’s hand in marriage.  Flame is not at all happy about having her bridegroom chosen in this manner. Flicker sets out to achieve knighthood so that he may not only enter but win the tournament.

Meanwhile, human Sir George and the evil wizard Mervin plot to create a mechanical Black Dragon so that they might use it to enter the tournament and take over the Kingdom of Camelhot. In addition to this fearsome development, Flicker has to guard against the oily Sir Loungealot, who has designs on both the kingdom and Flame.

And so the game’s afoot …

Blazing Dragons is a third-person, point-and-click adventure game. You do your pointing with the controller’s directional keys and your clicking with the buttons. The game is chock full of inventory puzzles and is marred only by the insertion of several unwanted arcade sequences that are not optional.

Really there are only four arcade puzzles, and they’re not all that difficult, but you know me—I have an insuppressible need to whine about these things. A funny thing happened on the last one of these arcade puzzles, near the end of the game—I took about 50 or 60 tries at it and failed, and I made my son take another 20 or 30 tries at it and he failed, and then we found out we were doing it wrong. After that wee bit of enlightenment it only took about two or three more tries to complete it. But I was no less crabby about the whole thing.

The humor in the game runs the gamut from the brilliantly hilarious to the “that was dumb” to the “huh? I don’t get it” to the “groan …” On the whole, there were not that many outright giggles in the game, but the overall story didn’t rely on the jokes—it stood well enough on its own.

The interface couldn’t be simpler—for the most part only the directional keys and one button are used. And the manual contains detailed information on what extra keys you will need for the arcade puzzles—the problem with this is that some people only refer to the manual as a last resort. Not naming any names or anything. The trigger buttons are used to cycle through “verb” choices, which are the standard look, use, walk, and talk.

There is an onscreen inventory icon. If you move the cursor over it and click, you can examine and use the inventory items, and there is also a controller button assigned to this task.

Hotspots are big and clear, and the inventory usage all makes sense within the context of the game. No monkey wrench puzzles here, folks.

There is an option for onscreen text to be displayed whenever there’s dialogue. I turned this on because I had a hard time with the English accents at first. A weird quirk soon became apparent—only about four lines of dialogue max are displayed at a time, and the text does not scroll automatically. And the button that forwards the onscreen text is the same button that cuts short a speech, so it was a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation. Thus, I would recommend not using the subtitles unless you’re hard of hearing.

You can save anywhere in the game, to one of eight or nine save slots, but when you restore you may or may not be returned to the same point in the game. You will never lose inventory or have to repeat puzzles, but you will have to move yourself back to the area in which you left off.

Blazing Dragons is easy enough to complete without a walkthrough and yet puzzling enough to give a real sense of accomplishment for completing it without a walkthrough. And it’s fairly short.  It all boils down to a fine time on the ol’ Playstation. The End

The Verdict

The Lowdown

Developer: Illusions Gaming Publisher: Crystal Dynamics Release Date: 1996

Available for: PlayStation Sega Saturn

Four Fat Chicks Links

Player Feedback

Screenshots

Click to enlarge Click to enlargeClick to enlarge Click to enlargeClick to enlarge Click to enlargeClick to enlarge Click to enlargeClick to enlarge Click to enlargeClick to enlarge Click to enlargeClick to enlarge Click to enlarge

Where to Find It

Amazon.com from $9.96

Prices/links current as of 04/11/03Links provided for informational purposes only.  FFC makes no warranty with regard to any transaction entered into by any party(ies).

      Copyright © Electric Eye Productions.  All rights reserved.  No reproduction in whole or in part without express written permission.

Pages

Top

Category Archives

Top

Blog Posts

Top

14 Responses to Fear Factor

  • Fear Factor | Tap-Repeatedly.com | Reality Topics Blog

    […] nobody@flickr.com (graftedno1) wrote a very interesting post today.   Here’s a quick excerpt:My greatest fear is to be trapped alone in a confined space with a blind human, in total darkness. They have a heightened sense of smell and hearing, and. […]

  • Matt "Steerpike" Sakey

    Lewis, you made me think of the scariest moments I’ve experienced in gaming, and we’re very similar people.

    Bioshock had two moments – the dentist and the flooded room filled with mannequins.

    Thief had Return to the Cathedral, which was terrifying to me. Thief 3 had Shalebridge Cradle, which is so scary it ought to be fined.

    System Shock 2 kept me on the edge of my seat, but it was more lonely panic than true fear.

    Korsakovia was so scary that I uninstalled it.

    And STALKER. Oh, god, the haunted labs in STALKER. The latter two games don’t have scares like that. Few games do.

    It’s especially rare for a game to have more than mere “moments” – for a game to be scary from beginning to end, that’s a triumph.

    Wonderful article. As if Gregg’s review wasn’t enough to convince me that Penumbra is not something I have the courage to play!

  • DPenn

    I’m with you Lewis … I’m a bit of a puss. I just have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of dread as entertainment.

    Still, I’m drawn to dark stories when they have something interesting to say, whether it’s a game like Thief or a film like, say, Gaspar Noe’s Irreversible. So I’ll push through, sometimes peering through my fingers.

    The trouble with games, though, is that if you look through your fingers, you’re probably just going to have to play through the scenario again. :~)

  • Mike "Scout" Gust

    I wanted to play this game. I downloaded the demo but the controls were just too wonky for me to get my head around. I liked the atmospheric vibe a lot. I think I’m a bit desensitized from an overdose of horror movies in my youth so I don’t so much get the dread thing from these games as a nice creepy vibration. If only the controls were better…

  • Lewis B

    @ Mike, what’s wrong with the controls bud? As someone who despises poor control schemes, Penumbra’s is just like any other FPS, except to examine things you right click on them.  To use things you left click.  I’m not sure that can be considered difficult 🙂

  • Gregg B

    @Steerpike: Yeah my greatest shit-scared moments were with those games too. A few spoilers below people, so beware.

    Bioshock – Haha, I remember the dentist. I didn’t really find the game that scary overall but the bit where you go into the wine cellar and notice a mannequin facing the wall and after upgrading your weapon it’s stood directly behind you motionless and quiet just for a moment before attacking you. I shat a brick. I also missed that bit originally until Lew told me about it.

    System Shock 2 – same as you really, more unremitting tension all the way through rather than specific terrifying moments. Oh actually, theres a bit where you call a lift and it breaks then you realise a service droid is coming to fix it… I do remember having sleep issues after my first encounter with the cyborg ninjas though.

    Thief: The Dark Project – The Sword and Return to the Cathedral and Down in the Bonehoard and well, loads of them. The Sword made me break out into goosebumps though because there was a bit where you could hear this creepy giggling which seemed like it was following me about then it suddenly changed to this horrible throaty noise. What made matters worse was that the EAX (bless you Creative) made my foot steps sound like somebody else was there with me. That level was incredible, a bit too incredible as it seems I missed great chunks of it because I was so eager to leave.

    Thief II: The Metal Age – Trail of Blood where you end up in that opening with those damn tree beasts. God the first time I saw one of those hurtling towards me I actually died shortly afterward. Do you remember that Mechanist child walking around on one of the levels? That was a little creepy.

    Then there’s Penumbra: Overture – quite a few bits but I’m not mentioning them here.

    Oh and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. – The brain scorcher lab just because it was so damn quiet. My imagination seriously got the better of me there. Those stuffed animals and heads I’d seen in various buildings led me to believe that those creatures were lurking somewhere in the Zone, specifically that lab.

    @Mike: My control setup was perfect after some tweaking (as well as the simple weapon swing fix). If you ever fancy giving it another go, give me a shout and I’ll let you know my setup.

  • Lewis B

    I’m not sure why guys, but one of my starting paragraphs had gone missing, even though I copied it straight from the original source, and It was fine earlier. 

    Incase you missed it due to some technical issue you might want to re-read just after “Well no she wouldn’t in truth, but in Penumbra: Overture you don’t want to move anyway.” at the very start for those who’ve already read the article. Apologies 🙂

  • Mike "Scout" Gust

    Lewis, it was the weapon swing. It had this terrible, unresponsive feel to it, like trying to hit through molasses. I couldn’t stand using it. I tried the .ini fix as mentioned in the review but it didn’t seem to help. Of course this was the demo…but that shouldn’t have made any difference. I might try the second game instead as I guess they did away with the weapons thing.

    I’m see your first paragraph just fine. It’s the dialogue, right?

  • jdeuel

    I like the argument that weapons can remove fear, but even loaded to the teeth with ammo in AVP’99 the Marine missions were frightful because the enemy was anywhere at any time.

    As for Penumbra Overture, if the controls are anything like the original Penumbra they need to hack in some Wii-Remote 3d controls. I did not like using my mouse for 3d movements.

  • Gregg B

    @Mike: I’ve read that many people avoided conflict altogether in Overture which incidentally is something forced upon you in Black Plague. As somebody who has been renovating a house over the last 6 months with no DIY experience I can safely say that swinging a hammer is significantly easier in real life than it is in Overture without the fix. The fix balanced that for me.

    I’d highly recommend completing the first Penumbra because it’s one big build up to Black Plague which spoils the ending to Overture in the intro. And it’s a great ending too. Just so you know!

  • Lewis B

    @ Steerpike, those moments you mention are all my worst too!!  Do you remember the Robot labs in SS2? Absolutely terrifying, waiting for robots to burst out on you! 🙁 oh and have you ever player Condemned?

    @ Mike, The use of weapons in Penumbra is different to say HL2, where the player is physically holding the weapon, as in Penumbra it floats slightly infront of you.  However, if you change the control method to normal weapon swing, it’s no different!  Speak to Greggi and he’ll tell you what to do 🙂

    @ jdeuel, AVP the original and its sequal were scary however what type of fear do you think it is? I don’t think it’s anything more than sheer tension.  Having a Smart Gun makes you feel incredibly powerful.  I can honestly say in Penumbra the fear is sheer unrivalled terror, where you actually have to force yourself to play on.  It genuinly is that scary! 🙂

  • Jason Dobry

    It’s so true, an arsenal of weapons and ammo rapidly deflates any sense of horror or uneasiness in any game for reasons you already mentioned. Sakey, I thought Bioshock was more “lonely panic,” while I was pretty much always terrified in System Shock 2. I really, really, REALLY did not want to enter The Many’s nursery, and my weapons were so unreliable and ammo so scarce that I never felt safe.

    Silent Hill was terrifying for the same reasons. Ammo was rare and I frequently had to rely on my pipe for self-defense.  Even when I had ammo, the game mechanics prevented my character from being anything other than marginal with any firearm.

    Fear had one moment for me: I was climbing up a ladder, and as I reached the upper platform, my guy briefly looked down as he climbed off. As my perspective looked up again, that Ring-esque little girl was RIGHT THERE, reaching for me. I screamed and she was gone.

    What else…the original Aliens vs. Predator sent me into a locker room and I could only hear the facehuggers scurrying about somewhere within. I had to go in there. I advanced about three steps before the damn thing screamed and filled up my screen with its repulsive underside as it implanted me with its spawn. My roommate made fun of me for weeks for screaming like a girl child.

    Korsakovia–meh.  I was too annoyed and frustrated by the box rearrangement/jumping puzzles to be scared. I uninstalled it after an hour of play, I think. Maybe the scary parts were later, but I doubt it.

    As for Penumbra, I did play through about half of it before other games distracted me. I remember unease and creepiness, but no sweaty fear. I think I’m to blame here, or, more precisely, my daughter, who was still an infant at the time and generally allowed me only to play during the day for 45 minutes at a time. I was denied total immersion and the fear effect suffered. Maybe I should give it another go after I finish Call of Pripyat since she sleeps through the night now. With any luck, Penumbra will keep me from doing the same.

  • Gregg B

    I played the demo of F.E.A.R. but that ladder scare is the only bit I remember. Christ, that made me jump. I’m not too good with cat scares.

    Also I felt exactly the same about Korsakovia. It was creepy at first but then it began to irritate me far too much and it just soured the experience. I stopped playing as a result. Not to mention, when I realised I could bash those smoke-things with my crowbar they didn’t bother me nearly as much.

  • Online Up

    Great article. I look forward to reading more in the future.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.