Dragon Spirit

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Dragon Spirit

Arcade flyer
Developer(s) Namco
Consult Software
Domark
The Hit Squad
Publisher(s)
Designer(s) Ojisan Trio Plus 1
Composer(s) Shinji Hosoe
Platform(s) Arcade, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16, Wii (Virtual Console), X68000, ZX Spectrum
Release date(s)
Genre(s) Vertical scrolling shooter
Mode(s) Up to two players, alternating turns
Cabinet Upright, cabaret, and cocktail
Arcade system Namco System 1
Display Vertical orientation, Raster, 224 x 288 resolution

Dragon Spirit (ドラゴンスピリット Doragon Supiritto) is a 1987 vertical scrolling shooter arcade game released by Namco and Atari Games (in the US).[1] It runs on Namco System 1 hardware, and was later ported to the Amstrad CPC, Commodore Amiga, Commodore 64, DOS, Atari ST, X68000, PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 and ZX Spectrum platforms.[1]

Plot

In the kingdom of Mitgult, Zawell, an ugly serpent demon, escapes imprisonment after 1,000 years and kidnaps Princess Alicia. A soldier named Amul is chosen to rescue her and destroy Zawell. He points his sword skyward and transforms into a powerful blue dragon. He can breathe fire and drop bombs, as well as collect up to 13 additional powers during his journey. Amul must fight nine beasts before facing Zawell.[1][2][3]

Gameplay

In-game screenshot.

Amul always moves forward, but the player can move him in 8 directions.[2] He can blast flames at aerial opponents, or drop bombs on enemies on the ground.[2][3]

Amul has a larger sprite than most of the enemies and so is easy to hit,[4] though he can take two hits before losing a life (three in some ports). The powerups that give the player extra heads may give double or triple the firepower, but they also give double or triple the exposure to enemy fire which, especially at later levels, becomes intensely difficult to avoid.[4]

Other releases

A semi-sequel appeared on the Famicom/NES under the title Dragon Spirit: The New Legend. It was essentially an altered port taking place a generation after the original game. An Arcade sequel named Dragon Saber was released in 1990, which allowed two players to play simultaneously.[2][5]

Additionally, Dragon Spirit was released for the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16. This version retained most of the original arcade graphics and sound quality.[2]

An emulated arcade version of Dragon Spirit appears in Namco Museum 50th Anniversary and Namco Museum Vol. 5.[1]

On July 2, 2007, the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 version of game was added to the Nintendo Virtual Console, and on September 8, 2009, the arcade version was released as part of the Virtual Console Arcade in Japan.

On November 4, 2008, it was released on Xbox 360 as part of Namco Museum Virtual Arcade.[1]

Dragon Spirit was released on the PlayStation Network in the downloadable game for the PlayStation 3 called Namco Museum Essentials.[1]

In 2010, as part of Pac-Man's 30th anniversary, Dragon Spirit was released as part of the Pac-Man's Arcade Party 30th Anniversary arcade machine, along with eleven (or twelve, if it was the home version which has Ms. Pac-Man), classic Namco games.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Dragon Spirit. (2012, August 18). Arcade History. Retrieved December 4, 2012, from http://www.arcade-history.com/?n=dragon-spirit&page=detail&id=699
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Dragon Spirit. (2012, October 3). StrategyWiki. Retrieved December 4, 2012, from http://strategywiki.org/wiki/Dragon_Spirit
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Dragon Spirit. (n.d.). Video Game Den. Retrieved December 4, 2012, from http://www.videogameden.com/hucard.htm?dsp
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 McFerran, D. (2007, July 2). Dragon Spirit review. Nintendolife. Retrieved December 4, 2012, from http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/2007/07/dragon_spirit_virtual_console
  5. ↑ Dragon Spirit. (n.d.). Moby Games. Retrieved December 4, 2012, from http://www.mobygames.com/game/dragon-spirit
  6. ↑ Pacman's arcade party 30th anniversary cocktail arcade - home version. (n.d.). Monkeys Arcades. Retrieved December 4, 2012, from http://www.monkeysarcades.com/Pacman_s_Arcade_Party_30th_Anniversary_Cocktail_p/pac30thct-hv.htm

External links

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