Game:

Dragon Fighter (1990)

Duration: 8:33

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Dragon Fighter is an uncommon but good side-scrolling action game developed by Natsume and published in Japan in 1990 (by Towa Chiki) and North America in 1991 (by Sofel). The game deals with an evil and jealous warlock named Zabbaong who layed waste to the peaceful land of Baljing with an army of monsters. However, he didn't count on the guardian diety of Baljing, the "Dragon Spirit", summoning a legendary Baljing gladiator to take vengeance on him. Now, playing as the intepid hero, you have to travel to Mount Gia where Zabbaong resides and slay the warlock to avenge the people of Baljing and save other lands from Zabbaong's tyranny.

The gameplay is very simple and largely reminiscent of a typical side-scroller. Basic actions of the hero include walking, slashing, jumping, and charging a special attack with the attack button that deals more damage or has other properties. As you defeat enemies, they'll sometimes drop health, an item to destroy all enemies on the screen, or pick-ups that increase you "Metamorphosis Gauge" (which can also be raised slightly just by defeating foes). The game's most distinguishing feature is its ability to let the player turn into a dragon at will, so long as your Metamorphosis Gauge is flashing (at around fifty percent). While in dragon form, the screen scrolls slowly like in a horizontal shooter and the player's MG slowly decreases. The dragon is more powerful than the human character and possesses its own special form of attack. Additionally, the hero can find different letters to change his properties and has three primary modes (Red, Blue, and the Green Default). Additionally, you collect staffs of power after each level which can increase you maximum health.

The game features pretty good audio/visuals, good play control, functional gameplay, and fairly balanced difficulty. Nothing about the game is really exceptional, but it's a fun title that I recommend. This is a video of the game in action. Enjoy.