Dirk the Daring can’t seem to keep Princess Daphne safe. After saving her from Singe the Dragon, Dirk must now rescue his fair maiden from the evil wizard Mordroc before they marry. Aided by a talking Time Machine, Dirk must travel through well-known fairytales and time periods to defeat the wizard and rescue Daphne once and for all.
Dragon’s Lair II: Timewarp uses simple play mechanics that require precise timing to proceed to the next scene. A series of QTE, the player must judge the on-screen animation and decide if Dirk must move in a specific direction or swing his sword. The difference between the original game and Timewarp is the sheer number of moves required to complete a scene. DL had much smaller rooms with a limited amount of moves, while Timewarp has very long video sequences that require intense pattern memorization, quicker reflexes and treasure collecting. That’s right, treasure collecting.
The player must collect eleven items before they can advance to the final scene with Mordroc. These items are placed in specific locations throughout the game and glow a bright yellow when encountered. The first couple of treasures – like the bow and arrow, for example – are encountered early on in the game when Dirk is escaping from his aggressive mother-in-law. When one of these treasures are collected, the on-screen action freezes briefly as Dirk collects the item. You can view the treasures already collected from your adventure by pressing the ESC key.
If you happen to miss a treasure by the end of the game, you will be sent back to the appropriate scene to collect it before confronting Mordroc. This is more difficult than it sounds since the game moves at a faster pace compared to the original. While frustrating, the treasure system adds replay value to an otherwise linear game.
Timewarp also plays out much differently than Dragon’s Lair. Instead of jumping on checkerboard floors, swinging on burning ropes and slicing tentacles in half, Dirk is running through Singe’s abandoned castle, avoiding the Queen of Spades from Alice in Wonderland and fighting off venomous beetles and spiders in ancient Egypt.
Digital Leisure does an exceptional job of including extras with their releases. Dragon’s Lair II: Timewarp includes an on-screen Move Guide to help beginners, a ‘Watch’ mode where the game plays itself, and a Director’s Cut version with content that was missing from the original coin-op. If you feel up to the challenge, you can play Timewarp without the on-screen move guide, but don’t expect it to be easy. Timewarp is far more unforgiving than its predecessor. It’s also worth noting that Dragon’s Lair II: Timewarp does not have a high score table.
It’s easy to dismiss a game like Timewarp because of its age. But when you take the treasure system and lengthy action sequences into consideration, Dragon’s Lair II: Timewarp ends up being the better game. Some gamers may disagree with this statement, but the facts speak for themselves.
Mike Pittaro
Platform: Mac (Also available for PC / Available on Steam)
Mac System Requirements
• Minimum:
◦ OS: Snow Leopard 10.6.8, or later
◦ Processor: Intel Core Duo Processor
◦ Memory: 1 GB RAM
◦ Graphics: Intel HD3000 or better card with at least 256 MB VRAM
◦ Hard Drive: 2 GB available space
Developer: Digital Leisure
Publisher: Digital Leisure
ESRB: N/A
Price: $9.99
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |  |
| Classic Don Bluth animation. | |
| Sound | |
| Memorable voice acting throughout the entire game. | |
| Gameplay | |
| The gameplay benefits from the Treasure Collecting system. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Dragon's Lair II: Timewarp is the better game due to its lengthy action sequences and Treasure Collecting system. | |
