Dragon Spirit
Encyclopedia
Dragon Spirit is a 1987 vertical scrolling shooter arcade game
released by Namco
and Atari Games
(in the US). It runs on Namco System 1
hardware, and was later ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System
, Amstrad CPC
, Commodore Amiga, Commodore 64
, DOS
, Atari ST
, Sharp X68000
, TurboGrafx-16
and ZX Spectrum
platforms.
Being the biggest sprite on the screen makes Amul an easy target, and he dies after three hits (or two, depending on the machine settings). The powerups that give the player extra heads may give double or triple the firepower, but they also give double or triple the exposure to enemy fire which, especially at later levels, becomes intensely difficult to avoid.
The English arcade cabinet has several mistakes. The correct levels and bosses are as follows:
Upon completion of the game, the credits appear followed by a list of Namco games up to this point along with their release dates (some of which are incorrect). For example, it says 10 (October) /1984 for Grobda
, contradicting Grobda's own ending screen, which says "This game is presented by Namco, 1st Nov. 1984."
under the title Dragon Spirit: The New Legend
. A sequel named Dragon Saber
was released in 1990, which allowed two players to play simultaneously.
Additionally, Dragon Spirit was released for TurboGrafx-16
. This version retained most of the original arcade graphics and sound quality.
An emulated arcade version of Dragon Spirit appears in Namco Museum 50th Anniversary and Namco Museum Vol. 5 . However, the Nintendo GameCube
, Xbox
and PlayStation 2
versions of 50th Anniversary are missing the continue feature (which is found on the PC version and Pac-Man's Arcade Party).
Dragon Spirit is also on the Japan
ese version of Namco Museum for PSP
.
On July 2, 2007, the TurboGrafx-16
version of game was added to the Nintendo
Virtual Console
, and on September 8, 2009, the arcade version was released as part of the Virtual Console Arcade in Japan
.
On November 4, 2008, it was released on Xbox 360
as part of Namco Museum Virtual Arcade.
Dragon Spirit was released on the PlayStation Network in the downloadable game for the Playstation 3
called Namco Museum Essentials.
In 2010, as part of Pac-Man's 30th anniversary, Dragon Spirit was released as part of the Pac-Man's Arcade Party
30th Anniversary arcade machine, along with twelve, (or thirteen, if it was the home version which has Ms. Pac-Man
), classic Namco games.
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
released by Namco
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
and Atari Games
Atari Games
Atari Games Corporation was an American producer of arcade games, and originally part of Atari, Inc..-History:When, in 1984, Warner Communications sold the Atari Consumer division of Atari Inc...
(in the US). It runs on Namco System 1
Namco System 1
The Namco System 1 arcade system board was first used by Namco in April 1987 and was a major enhancement to the previous Namco System 86 arcade system board. Due to its release date, it was originally called Namco System 87 according to the Namco Museum series.Yokai Douchuuki was the first game to...
hardware, and was later ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
, Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
, Commodore Amiga, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
, Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
, Sharp X68000
Sharp X68000
The Sharp X68000, often referred to as the X68k, is a home computer released only in Japan by the Sharp Corporation. The first model was released in 1987, with a 10 MHz Motorola 68000 CPU, 1 MB of RAM and no hard drive; the last model was released in 1993 with a 25 MHz Motorola 68030...
, TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16, fully titled as TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem and known in Japan as the , is a video game console developed by Hudson Soft and NEC, released in Japan on October 30, 1987, and in North America on August 29, 1989....
and ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
platforms.
Story
After a millennium of captivity, an ugly serpent demon named Zawell escapes imprisonment and kidnaps Alicia, princess to the kingdom of Mitgult. A young, crafty soldier Amul is selected to rescue the princess and destroy Zawell. In praying to the gods for strength and courage, he points his sword high toward the heavens. Suddenly he is transformed into an all-powerful blue dragon, bestowed with special powers. Though gifted with a lethal air and ground attack, this is not enough. He must locate and obtain extra powers along the way. The demon has instructed nine of the mightiest beasts to stop Amul before reaching his goal.Gameplay
The English arcade cabinet has several mistakes. The correct levels and bosses are as follows:
- Level 1: Valley of the Spirits, Sea Dragon
- Level 2: Volcanic Region, Firebird
- Level 3: Jungle, Mammoth Flower
- Level 4: Desert, Bone Dragon
- Level 5: Cave, Giant Spider
- Level 6: Glacier, Blue Dragon
- Level 7: Ocean Floor, Deep Sea Angler
- Level 8: Deep Sea Trench, Monsterous Gateway
- Level 9: (Part 1) Temple of Evil, Stone Guardians
- Level 9: (Part 2) Temple of Evil, Pit Hydra
- Final Boss: Temple of Evil, Zawell
Upon completion of the game, the credits appear followed by a list of Namco games up to this point along with their release dates (some of which are incorrect). For example, it says 10 (October) /1984 for Grobda
Grobda
is a multi-directional shooter arcade game that was released by Namco in 1984. It is a spin-off from Xevious, as the player's tank first appeared in that - as an enemy.-Gameplay:...
, contradicting Grobda's own ending screen, which says "This game is presented by Namco, 1st Nov. 1984."
Other releases
An altered version of this game appeared on the Nintendo Entertainment SystemNintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
under the title Dragon Spirit: The New Legend
Dragon Spirit: The New Legend
is a Family Computer video game that was released to both North America and Japan.-Summary:This game is a completely family-friendly vertical shooter that is based on 1942, 1943, and Tiger Heli...
. A sequel named Dragon Saber
Dragon Saber
Dragon Saber is a vertical scrolling shooter arcade game that was released by Namco in 1990. It is the sequel to Dragon Spirit, released three years earlier.-Story:...
was released in 1990, which allowed two players to play simultaneously.
Additionally, Dragon Spirit was released for TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16, fully titled as TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem and known in Japan as the , is a video game console developed by Hudson Soft and NEC, released in Japan on October 30, 1987, and in North America on August 29, 1989....
. This version retained most of the original arcade graphics and sound quality.
An emulated arcade version of Dragon Spirit appears in Namco Museum 50th Anniversary and Namco Museum Vol. 5 . However, the Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
, Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
and PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
versions of 50th Anniversary are missing the continue feature (which is found on the PC version and Pac-Man's Arcade Party).
Dragon Spirit is also on the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese version of Namco Museum for PSP
Namco Museum Battle Collection
Namco Museum Battle Collection is a collection of Namco arcade games such as Dig Dug, Pac-Man and Galaga. It was released for the PlayStation Portable in Japan on February 25, 2005 and contained eleven classic games from Namco's game history. The game was developed by Namco Tales Studio Ltd...
.
On July 2, 2007, the TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16, fully titled as TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem and known in Japan as the , is a video game console developed by Hudson Soft and NEC, released in Japan on October 30, 1987, and in North America on August 29, 1989....
version of game was added to the Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
, and on September 8, 2009, the arcade version was released as part of the Virtual Console Arcade in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
On November 4, 2008, it was released on Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
as part of Namco Museum Virtual Arcade.
Dragon Spirit was released on the PlayStation Network in the downloadable game for the Playstation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
called Namco Museum Essentials.
In 2010, as part of Pac-Man's 30th anniversary, Dragon Spirit was released as part of the Pac-Man's Arcade Party
Pac-Man Anniversary Arcade Machines
On special anniversaries for Pac-Man and/or Ms. Pac-Man . Namco has released compilations of their classic arcade games as arcade machines....
30th Anniversary arcade machine, along with twelve, (or thirteen, if it was the home version which has Ms. Pac-Man
Ms. Pac-Man
Ms. Pac-Man is an arcade video game produced by Midway as an unauthorized sequel to Pac-Man. It was released in North America in 1981 and became one of the most popular video games of all time, leading to its adoption by Pac-Man licensor Namco as an official title...
), classic Namco games.