Dragonsphere.

[Datadog]

Has anyone else played this or any other Microprose adventures? I got it for $5 out of a bargain bin ages ago and didn't think about it again until recently. In retrospect, it was a pretty awesome game with some very nice graphics and animation. Not to mention a great twist halfway through the story that changes the whole direction of the game.

[Tawmis]

Hrm. It sounds familiar - the title - but I can't get a visual on the game itself...

[Datadog]

Hero in red cape, bird-people, a vast desert, shape-changers in the swamp, a garden full of fairies, and an evil wizard dormant in a tower atop a mountain? Or you might be confusing it with "Dragonball."

Ah, here's a screencap.

[Collector]

I hope that that was screencap was taken quite awhile ago since it was made with such an ancient version of DOSBox.

[Akril]

I played it (and Rex Nebular) a while ago and thought it was pretty good. It's very much a "traditional" fantasy game, but it manages to make itself quite unique as well. Some of the puzzles had me pretty confused at times, though.

[DeadPoolX]

I remember playing DragonSpere. I thought it resembled a KQ-type of game, only it wasn't quite as engaging and was created by MicroProse. That struck me as a little odd, since MicroProse's usual games revolved around simulations.

Of my favorite MicroProse games is a very old Flight Sim (I believed it was created in 1988) called F-19 Stealth Fighter. This was before the F-117A became widely known (there were rumors, however), so many people made up ideas about it and called it the F-19. MicroProse did a pseudo-sequel in 1991 in VGA (the previous game was EGA) entitled Nighthawk: F-117A Stealth Fighter 2.0.

They were still wrong when labeling the F-117A as a "fighter" since its actually a bomber. The story behind using the "F designation" (which is used on fighters) instead of "B" or even "A" was supposedly a way to trick the Soviets into believing it was something else.

The date is important to note, since that's right around the time of the Gulf War, which is when the real F-117A was first put into a combat role. Naturally, MicroProse wished to capitalize on that.

[MusicallyInspired]

I have Dragonsphere, Rex Nebular and the Cosmic Gender Bender, and Return of the Phantom of the Opera. So far Return of the Phantom is the most impressive to me but I haven't gotten too far in any of them yet. The animation is beautiful and very smooth. Great quality games. The Mt-32 soundtracks are also top-notch.

[Tawmis]

Has anyone else played this adventure game? If not, you should pick it up for free on GoG.com:
http://www.gog.com/game/dragonsphere/?p ... a992b2786a

I have only watched the intro and interacted with the first room - but it reminds me VERY much of King's Quest VI meets Quest for Glory IV meets Police Quest III.

If you have played it, and discuss game play - please use the SPOILER tags for anything that has to do with clues or hints, as I want to play this game (ideally) without resorting to help on the Internet - unless asked specifically in this thread!

- Merged with Datadog's original thread

[The Jolly Roger]

I am please to say I picked this one up from GOG immediately after opening an account with them. It was awesome. You do have a copy protection area that you need the freebies that come with the game to answer the questions. Otherwise, the puzzles are enjoyable as is the story and graphics. Enjoy!

When you get to the fairies, game difficulty setting will greatly impact how hard the logic puzzle is. Don't despair, write what everyone says and piece the puzzle together.

All told I give the game a serious 4.5 stars. It is worth it (especially since it is free!).

[Collector]

Got it, but can't say when I'll get a chance to give it a try.

[Tawmis]

I'm looking forward to playing this! (Wife is out of town tonight, so I will either be playing this or writing my story that I've been working on for what feels like a zillion years...)

It's interesting that there are so many adventure games that have the "Sierra" feel (for lack of a better word), that are not actually Sierra games (in the way it's animated, and the movements/graphics of the main character).

This game even has voice acting, which is pretty cool (especially for free!)

[The Jolly Roger]

I concur with the voice acting. It is pretty good. The whole deal is VERY reminiscent of the old King's Quest V, even with a king on a quest to stop an evil wizard. I hope you enjoy the game and good luck!

[Datadog]

I used to love this one when I was younger, and it held up really well when I revisited it a few years back. Aside from a few painful puzzles (those faeries!) the game is remarkably well made with some great locations, characters and puzzles, with a story that isn't as clear-cut as it first appears. Definitely worth checking out.

[MusicallyInspired]

My dad bought this on CD-ROM way back. I still have the disc. Could never get past the first bit. Never went back to it. Same with Return of the Phantom (but we lost that disc ). My dad did beat that one, though. Those Microprose adventures were beautiful to look at and listen to. Fantastic scores and voice acting.

[Akril]

I played the non-talkie version of this game a while back. Even though it does initially seem like Microprose was mimicking the KQ series with this game (much like how Rex Nebular and the Cosmic Gender Bender was mimicking the SQ series), they really spent a lot of time developing a unique, yet not completely unfamiliar fantasy world.