Overview
- Estimated achievement difficulty: 2/10 [matter of memorizing moves] [Achievement Difficulty Rating]
- Offline: 12 [200]
- Online: 0
- Approximate amount of time to 200: 1-5 hours [1 playthrough takes 15-20 minutes using a walkthrough] [Estimated Time to 100%]
- Minimum number of playthroughs needed: 2 [Easy [for multiple achievements - see below] and on Hard]
- Number of missable achievements: None
- Do cheat codes disable achievements?: No Cheats
- Does difficulty affect achievements?: Yes ["Lair King" - Easy in Arcade Mode. "Giddy Gone" - Easy. "Quest Complete" and "Choked Out" - Hard]
- Glitchy achievements: None
- Unobtainable achievements: None
- Extra equipment needed?: None
- Avatar Awards: Yes [link]
- Unlockable Gamerpics: Yes [link]
Introduction:
Dragon’s Lair, the fantasy adventure where you become a valiant knight, on a quest to rescue the fair princess from the clutches of an evil dragon…
Welcome to Dragon’s Lair, the fully animated laser disc video game from 1983. Developed by ex-Disney animator, Don Bluth, this game takes you through the wizard Mordroc’s castle in search of Princess Daphne, who has been kidnapped by the evil dragon, Singe. You will fight your way through 30 different levels, or scenes, as you try and save the beautiful princess.
The game is very simple, yet you need to time your moves perfectly if you want to survive. It’s just a matter of memorizing the moves (or looking at the walkthrough HERE) and timing them so you clear each scene with no trouble at all. Or you can play with the move guide on.
There are 30 scenes; including the dragon’s lair (the Falling Circular Platform scene has a 3-ledge and 9-ledge variety, but it still counts as one scene). 8 scenes are mirrored, and you play through all of them before you reach the dragon’s lair. You play through each scene using the left thumbstick or the D-Pad (easier to use the D-Pad). The moves are , , and . There is also a Sword button (). That’s it.
The game allows you to save at the beginning of each scene. It is extremely helpful if you want to complete the game without losing any lives (see "Flawless") or if you want to at least get to the dragon’s lair without dying for the perfect score (see "Lair King").
There are two game modes, Arcade and Home. When playing on Arcade mode, the game switches to a different scene each time you die. In Home mode, the game stays on the same scene when you die until you complete it. This is especially useful for the "Eat Me" achievement.
You have the option of playing this game using your Kinect if you want. There aren't any achievements directly related to the Kinect, and from what I hear, the gesture recognition doesn't work too well. So to save you from any headaches, it's best to play this game with a controller.
Step 1 (Easy Playthrough):
Note: It should be noted that this step is meant for someone playing with a controller, as "Lair King" and "Save Me!" can only be unlocked by using a controller. Also, "Giddy Gone" can only be unlocked by playing on Easy.
Note: If you are unfamiliar with the game and want to play with the move guide on during your Easy and Hard playthroughs, you will need an additional playthrough to play with it off (to unlock the "1983 Mode" achievement).
The game automatically sets your lives to '5'. Go to Help & Options > Settings > Move Guide and select 'Off'. Finally, go to Help & Options > Settings > Arcade Monitor and select 'On'. Choose to play on the Easy difficulty in Arcade mode and then start the game.
In this playthrough, you will be going for:
- "One More Quarter" - Played with the Arcade monitor on.
- "Going Down" - Got off on the 9th floor of the falling platform.
- "Giddy Gone" - Used the shortcut move in the Giddy Goons Room (Easy Mode).
- "1983 Mode" - Completed the game with the move guide turned off.
- "Save Me!" - Completed the game with a controller.
- "Flawless" - Completed the game with five lives.
- "Lair King" - Got a high score of 427,469 (Controller Mode).
Save when each scene starts, so if you die, you can reload the game. To get everything listed above except "Lair King", you have to kill the dragon with all 5 lives intact, without dying, play the game with the move guide off, and use a controller. See "Lair King" in the guide for strategies on how to get that achievement in this playthrough.
If you play this playthrough offline and changed your console's date, you can also unlock:
- "Date with Daphne" - Played Dragon’s Lair on its anniversary: June 19.
Step 2 (Hard Playthrough):
The game automatically sets your lives to '5'. You can leave the move guide on if you want. Choose to play on the Hard difficulty (doesn't matter what Mode) and then start the game.
In this playthrough, the only achievement you will be concentrating on is "Quest Complete". You can also unlock "Choked Out" in this playthrough sinc"e you can die (if you unlocked "Flawless" in your previous playthrough). Just complete the game before all 5 lives are used up.
Step 3 (Random Achievements):
This two achievements require playthroughs of their own.
- "Eat Me" - Lost your last life in the Drink Me scene... and watched carefully.
- "Bumbling Knight" - Never make a correct move in a new game (Controller Mode).
Conclusion:
Congratulations on a relatively painless and enjoyable 200. With a little time and some patience, you’re bound to memorize the moves for each scene, making the game that much easier.
Look at my walkthrough located HERE to see the solution to every scene to make your playthroughs easier. Beware these do contain spoilers. You have been warned.
Scoring Guide:
Dragon's Lair Scoring Chart
- This score chart is 100% accurate if you are playing on Easy/Arcade mode (with the exception of one 3-ledge Falling Circular Platform scene - see below)
- The Drawbridge scene is missing from this list (since the scene only shows up in Home mode playing on either difficulty, not Arcade mode). Either way, there are no points awarded for this scene.
- The Falling Circular Platform 3-ledge mirror scene is also missing (which awards you with 3,304 points on both Easy and Hard difficulties, both Arcade and Home mode).
"Lead on adventurer. Your quest awaits."
[XBA would like to thank bLaKgRaVy for this Roadmap]