Dragons of the Flame Ending

Channel:

Edomaden

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Published on May 12, 2013 12:14:43 AM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-b4gCX5Ohxg

Game:

Dragons of Flame (1989)

Duration: 6:10

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2

Ending #49
AD&D: DragonLance - Dragons of the Flame
ドラゴン・オブ・フレイム
Developers: U.S. Gold
Publisher: SSI
Nintendo
1989


Here's my one-sentence summary of this game: Controls are good, hit box is accurate, graphics and sound are average, not stellar, but not turds either.

I want to take this in a different angle. I love DragonLance books. Margaret Weis and Tracey Hickman, along with authors like Ed Greenwood and R.A. Salvatore have shaped me as a human more than any musician or actor. Funny how authors have the biggest influence on me...but I digress.

When I was an early teen, I had the neighbor's son give me a lot of his tabletop stuff before going to college. Because, let's be honest, who would ever use those things in a setting of higher learning. One of those items was a game module by Douglas Niles called Dragons of the Flame. I never played it, and eventually sold it (I know, what is wrong with me). I had already read the Chronicles Trilogy by then so I was very aware of the major players and places of Krynn.

That little history lesson brings me to my point. This game makes no sense to the characterization of the heroes, the mythos, the world, or anything for that matter. The story is a mess. Now, I realize this is a translation from a Famicom title. This was the only Dungeons and Dragons game released by SSI that was not ported to America for the NES. The translation is fine, just the game feels out of place from everything.

The characters don't act like they do in the books and are just a broad stroke stereotype of themselves. The game couldn't decide if Pax Tharsis was a castle, fortress, or cavern. I am also confused at times by who is saying what. Just look at the game when Verminaard is introduced. He is supposed to be talking, I guess, to himself, about how no one has broken this far in, then refers to himself in the third person - or "someone", some nameless person in the group, chimes in about a reward for making it this far. Having read the books, I can assume is was the Hoff: Tasslehoff. How is an innocent-minded Nintendo kid supposed to know this? You only know this if you've read the books, but if you've read the books, then this makes no damn sense.

I'll further elaborate by reproducing the conversation I had with the ending as I beat it:

Tasslehoff: "This adventure is a fraud. There's been a deplorable lack of souvenirs."
Me: A fraud? I looted everything in Sla Mori and Pax Tharsis. Have you forgotten about Wyrmslayer?
Caramon: "Hey, we're not thieves."
Me: Well, I guess I should put all this shit back then.
Sturm: "Just being able to see people's joyous faces isn't enough for you?"
Me: NO.
Flint: "Huh, I don't want to end up with rocks."
Me: You're a goddamn Dwarf, I could pay you in rocks and you'd be happier than a dog with two dicks.
Tanis: "And beside, this has been dangerous. It would be nice if someone helped us out."
Me: What?
Goldmoon: "Surely, Mishakal will protect us."
Me: Can you not say a single damn thing without mentioning Mishakal?! You're worse than a paid spokesman for Jim Jones!
Riverwind: "But he could supply a meal every now and then. These days are the gods really the ones granting protection?"
Me: Now there's a man that makes sense.
Caramon: "Well, I'm fine, as long as we're opposing those bastards from the Dragonarmy."
Raistlin: "Brother, have you learned nothing from this battle?"
Me: I love you Raistlin.
Flint: "Don't be like that. I'm sure that Pax Tharkas isn't the only fort in the area."
Me: Judging by the world map I traverse, it IS the only fort(?) in the world.
Sturm: "In any case, shouldn't we clear up exactly what we should achieve?"
Me: Probably should have done that before the game started, in the opening, or had decided that when you spent three months mooching off the elves.
Tanis: "Uhhh... Well, we get going? To where they require us?"
Me: Well, that was a whole lot of nothing. You guys were cooler in the books.

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