Welcome brave knights… To Dragon’s Lair Month!

Welcome Arcaders!

We have done dedication months before- but this one I’ve been waiting YEARS to do!

On June 19th, 1983, one game literally CHANGED the arcade landscape overnight. Others had done the same before. Space invaders, Asteroids, Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong had innovated with better graphics,  sound and gameplay style to put them ahead of the other games in the arcade- so much so that children of this generation have played them and know the games by name. But this one changed the rules- by the way it played, and its stunning animation and story.

And that game was Dragon’s Lair. And It’s amazing.

Now-the reason I waited until July to start the month- that’s easy… I didn’t get to play the game until July. I wanted to make this a more personal account of when I first saw it- and the memories it evoked.

So, brave adventurer… let’s start at the beginning.

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… And this is how I first saw it. Like a lot of kids back then, I had a subscription to Electronic Games Magazine, and I waited with baited breath for every issue. And like a lot of kids, I would read right through it as soon as it was in my hands- to see what great games were coming out for my Atari VCS, and 800 computer, and what we might be getting in the arcades this summer ( usually when the new games would hit.) Strangely- didn’t read it that day. I put it in my backpack, and took it to school to peruse during study hall the next day.

Then, I flipped to those two pages, and my life changed forever. More on that later.

I saw those pictures above- and at first glance, I was mesmerized by the art. You see, Don Bluth wasn’t a household name yet- Banjo the Woodpile Cat had been released on TV a few years earlier, and The Secret of NIMH was coming out during that summer. If you haven’t seen them- You must watch them! You can see the true style of the Bluth Studios- and how it inspired the animation of Dragon’s Lair as well. It was because of NIMH That Rick Dyer sought Bluth out for the project.

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I honestly thought the art in the magazine was part of the cabinet’s sideart. But- as I was reading the words on the page, I learned that what I was looking at- WERE THE GAMES ACTUAL GRAPHICS! This game I couldn’t wait to see! and- it wouldn’t be long before I did.

2 weeks later. Saturday,  July 9th, 1983. I remember it like it was yesterday. I had started Drivers Ed Wednesday, July 6th. Met my first girlfriend there. Kind of a hard week to forget. Anyway, I went to South Hills Mall for the day. It was my day off from work, And like most kids my age at that time- the mall was the place to be.

Now- our mall didn’t have one arcade- it had THREE. The Dream Machine was a mall staple since opening in 1974. I worked in the main arcade (next to the K-Mart). Then, in December 1981, the Park Place roller rink opened on the other side of the mall (near Sears). It was a massive roller rink- all done in a early 80s new wave aesthetic- neon and mirrored columns and walls. But- an entire half of the space was a massive arcade. So big in fact, the arcade spilled into a space directly across from the rink- it was a smaller, and darker, with mirrored walls that made it look like a subway car! All told- it was about 125 machines. It was BIG. Well as I go into the main arcade on the left… there it was.

The cabinet looked- familiar. I realized- it was the same cabinet as a game we had across the mall- Cosmic Chasm. That wasn’t unusual- most companies would reuse cabinets to keep cost in check, but this one is different- we will get into that in Entering the Lair- Origins article.

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I put in my 50 cents (that’s right- 50 cents!) I died almost immediately. It had such a different feel gameplay- wise. I always felt like you were not Dirk, but a director of the film- But, your decisions came with consequences- Dirk died, and Princess Daphne was never saved. And it was for that reason, that the game resonated with me- even to this very day.

Now that we have gotten my introduction to Dragon’s Lair out of the way- the next chapter in this tale will be about the origin of the game- and how it reinvented the industry, and how it resonates with a lot of the games we have today.

And don’t worry- there will be more this month- lots more! We will go over the next game from the Starcom team, the sequel to Dragon’s Lair, the cartoons (and where the lore for the stories come from) and even “The Games The Lair Forgot!”

I hope you enjoy this month as much as I do!