With programs like GB Studio, new fan and indie games for the Game Boy are being produced and released. Companies like Limited Run also re-release old games in physical form every now and again. Then there are resurrected projects from canceled games such as the soon-to-be-released Shantae Advance. Incube8 is a company that has been at the front and center of the Game Boy homebrew and indie development scene. Zephyr’s Pass is a fine example of what the company can do. In this article, I review a re-release of an obscure Game Boy game, Dragon’s Lair: The Legend. Despite doing some research I’ve found no concrete special reasons for why this re-release has occurred. The game is a slow-paced platformer with no enemies. It’s about precision jumping. The problem is, the jumping isn’t mechanically precise like what you’d find in a Mario game. Dragon’s Lair: The Legend wasn’t a good game in its day, how does it compare in 2025?
Dragon’s Lair as a Franchise
Dragon’s Lair is known for its interactive film iterations. These games included Disney-like scenes and were popular in arcades before being ported to almost every home console of the time. However, Dragon’s Lair: The Legend is a completely different kind of game. The Legend is a platformer in the vein of Rayman (PS1). The hand-drawn impressive scenes of other Dragon’s Lair games play no part in Dragon’s Lair: The Legend for Game Boy. The ‘interactive movie’ iterations had gameplay where the player was on rails and included quick time events. Dragon’s Lair: The Legend in comparison has platforming and no interactive scenes or quick-time events. Both the A and B buttons make the character, Dirk the Daring, jump. There’s no attack button and no enemies.
The game is a re-skin of an older ZX Spectrum title called Roller Coaster. This was a platformer set in and around amusement park rides. Some of these rides are still visible in Dragon’s Lair: The Legend. To me, this implies that during development they were too lazy to refine the game, and develop its mechanics. It’s a drab affair that is just plain boring. Even upon release, it received many poor scores. Why they thought a re-release of this title would be a good idea I haven’t understood yet.
Platforming Precision
The updated release has a few tweaks to make it a better experience. The platforming has been improved. However, as someone who never played the original, I can’t appreciate these improvements. As a game to play in 2025, the game is dark and drab, no enemies mean there’s no excitement, and the platforming isn’t precise. I understand that some people will feel nostalgic for and enjoy this game, but I’m not one of them. Maybe this game is a hidden gem but I can’t see that in its current state.
In terms of presentation, the menus are basic. The art style remains inspired by the Dragon’s Lair franchise and Dirk the Daring is well-animated. There is a lack of color, but as this is a Game Boy game, not a Game Boy Color game, that is to be expected. There are no other options other than the platforming main game, It would have been nice to have had some artwork or a music player as additional features. Again, Im puzzled as to why this game was re-released.
Conclusion
To sum up, Dragon’s Lair: The Legend is a bare-bones re-release of an obscure, mediocre Game Boy game from 1991. It’s origins go even further back. Dragon’s Lair: The Legend was originally a ZX Spectrum game called Roller Coaster. It was then reskinned as a Dragon’s Lair game. In terms of gameplay, Dragon’s Lair: The Legend is a simple platformer. There are no enemies and jumping to reach platforms and collect jewels are the main things you’ll be doing in this game. As a platformer, the controls and feel of the game mean that death happens often, and the platforming isn’t as precise as in games like Rayman and Mario. I understand some people will have nostalgia for this game. I’m not one of them and even back in the 90’s I would have relegated this game to the trade-in bin. It’s good to see Incube8 games given life to old games for the Game Boy, and I’m excited to see what will be released next.
5/10
BongoBongo123 is an avid Zelda fan who also likes the odd game of Smash. His interests in gaming are broad but he loves a good Metroidvania or action RPGs.