The Tale of Doris and the Dragon - Episode 1
- September 8, 2016
- Arrogant Pixel
Get on SteamIn "The Tale of Doris and the Dragon - Episode 1," players navigate an elderly lady named Doris through Purgatory as she seeks her deceased husband. Featuring point-and-click gameplay, players will encounter various characters, solve puzzles, and face perilous challenges to aid Doris in her journey. This episodic game is the first of a series introducing an unlikely friendship amidst the afterlife's complex bureaucracy and dangers.
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Reviews
- Charming and humorous writing with witty dialogues and fun puzzles that enhance the gameplay experience.
- Endearing characters, especially the protagonist Doris and her dragon companion Norb, create a delightful atmosphere.
- The game features a unique premise and a nostalgic point-and-click adventure style that appeals to fans of the genre.
- The game is quite short, with gameplay lasting around 30 minutes to an hour, leading some players to feel it is overpriced.
- Voice acting quality varies, with some characters lacking convincing performances, which detracts from the overall experience.
- Certain puzzles, particularly the music puzzle, can be frustrating and may require external help to solve, which can disrupt the flow of the game.
- story23 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The story is described as a promising yet incomplete first chapter, featuring an engaging premise with an old woman on a quest and a friendly dragon, but it suffers from dull execution and underdeveloped characters. While some players appreciate the nostalgic point-and-click adventure style and the humor, others find the dialogue lacking and the gameplay mechanics frustrating, which detracts from the overall immersion. Despite its flaws, the artwork and potential for future episodes keep players hopeful for a more compelling continuation of the narrative.
“Love the use of the old woman, the dragon, and the sinister plot afoot.”
“Finally, a story where an old woman gets to have a proper adventure and meet a friendly dragon!”
“The artwork, the characters, the gameplay, and the story are all amazing, and I'm looking forward to the next episodes!”
“The story (or, rather, the beginning of it, as this is not the complete game) has potential, but is executed dully and never manages to make itself, or the characters in it, interesting or well-rounded.”
“The dialogue itself, while sometimes quite funny, mostly falls flat in its attempts to interest us in the story and characters.”
“Sometimes the tone is more passive and neutral and doesn't serve to pull the player into the story; it felt like I was listening to one of those middle school essay reports where the student, who really doesn't like speaking out in front of the class, blazingly skims through his report in the most bland monotone ever.”
- humor21 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its wit and charm, with many players enjoying the funny dialogues and quirky characters. While some noted that the voice acting could be inconsistent, it often added to the comedic effect. Overall, the combination of humorous writing, engaging puzzles, and delightful character interactions contributes to a fun and enjoyable experience, despite the game's brevity.
“The puzzles are clear, witty, and humorous; just like the dialogues.”
“This was a lot of fun - nice puzzles, humorous writing, and excellent voice acting made for a super enjoyable time.”
“Doris is hilarious, the classical hating demon gets his comeuppance, the puzzles are interesting (if easy).”
- music19 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as soft and atmospheric, effectively setting a mysterious tone that complements the pixel art style. However, some players found the music puzzles frustrating, particularly for those less familiar with musical concepts, leading to mixed feelings about their difficulty. Overall, while the soundtrack is appreciated for its mood-setting qualities, it is also noted to be somewhat bland and unmemorable.
“The music is nice and sets a nice tone for the game.”
“Music: I don't know who writes it, but the soft tone and simplicity of the game's music really captured the mood of how mysterious and vast this 'purgatory', this world that Doris has been stuck in, really is.”
“The game plays smoothly on my crappy PC, which is always a lovely bonus for me; the music is dark and foreboding, and the sounds are excellent.”
“There is a certain music puzzle that was frustrating for tone-deaf me, but I looked it up online easily enough.”
“You gave players a puzzle with few visual and auditory clues other than the music box playing the song.”
“This music puzzle ranks up there with the octopus puzzle from the first Discworld game with frustration levels.”
- graphics17 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game feature a cartoonish and pixelated art style that, while simple, effectively complements its grim narrative. Many reviewers appreciate the charming artwork and engaging visuals, though some feel the pixel graphics may detract from the overall experience, especially when the game's other elements do not hold up. Overall, the visuals are seen as a strong point, enhancing the storytelling and atmosphere despite mixed opinions on the pixel art approach.
“The beauty of a good pixel art game is that, through a combination of great storytelling, music, dialogue, gameplay, or level design, it removes any need for high-end graphics and animation.”
“Loved it right down to the stylized visuals that reminded me of another world.”
“The artwork, the characters, the gameplay, and the story are all amazing, and I'm looking forward to the next episodes!”
“Unlike games such as Undertale, I don't think the pixel graphics are used to the game's advantage; rather, they make it look very basic.”
“It might, in fact, serve as a cautionary tale against the pixel art style in the hands of weak designers - since none of the other elements in the game hold up under inspection, a dazzling distraction would be welcomed.”
“Whether the art style was deliberately chosen, rather than based on the limitations of the designers' skills, the rest of the game lends credence to the latter theory.”
- gameplay10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by basic point-and-click mechanics and simple puzzles, offering around 30 to 60 minutes of playtime, which some players feel is too short for the price. While the nostalgic revival of the genre is appreciated, the design features large, empty rooms that can lead to frustration due to imprecise movement mechanics. Overall, it is recommended for fans of point-and-click games, especially if purchased on sale.
“The beauty of a good pixel art game is that, through a combination of great storytelling, music, dialogue, gameplay, or level design, it removes any need for high-end graphics and animation.”
“The artwork, the characters, the gameplay, and the story are all amazing, and I'm looking forward to the next episodes!”
“There's not a lot of content - a handful of puzzles and about 45 minutes of gameplay, but it's definitely worth the handful of change I paid for it.”
“The gameplay, which aims to be a nostalgic revival of point-and-click adventure gaming, involves a few simple puzzles that are spoiled by the absence of otherwise irrelevant features in the environment, leading to a series of large, mostly empty rooms, with occasional story-important details sticking out like sore thumbs.”
“Definitely wait for a sale as it's only part 1 of what I believe to be a 5-part series, and as such, is only about a half hour of gameplay.”
“I believe this to be bad mechanics to implement into the game because the player ends up spending too much time getting frustrated trying to move Doris to a specific part of the map to reach that one specific item you need, but have to be precisely nearby it.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and frustrating, particularly due to the need to restart conversations with characters to retrieve missed information, leading to repetitive clicking and a sense of redundancy. This design choice detracts from the overall experience, making it feel laborious.
“Another annoying habit I've noticed is that when you need to re-enter a conversation with a character, you have to start over from the beginning to find that piece of information you might have missed. It becomes tedious and redundant because you end up skipping a lot and spamming that mouse button to get through.”
“Controls: point-and-click stories have this one nasty habit of being tedious and frustrating, especially when you have to click on the spot you want to interact with.”
- character development1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The character development is noted for its appealing designs, particularly highlighting the cute aesthetics of the dragon and demon characters.
