The Tale of Doris and the Dragon - Episode 1 | Game Brain

The Tale of Doris and the Dragon - Episode 1 Game Cover

About

The Tale of Doris and the Dragon - Episode 1 is a single player action game. It was developed by Arrogant Pixel and was released on September 8, 2016. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

In "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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Single-Player

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95%

Audience ScoreBased on 64 reviews

story4 positive mentions

grinding2 negative mentions

Charming and humorous characters, particularly the protagonist Doris and her dragon companion Norb, create an endearing experience.
The game features clever puzzles and witty dialogue that enhance the overall enjoyment, making it a fun point-and-click adventure.
Despite its short length, the game offers a unique and engaging story set in a whimsical purgatory, appealing to fans of classic adventure games.

The game is quite short, with gameplay lasting around 30 minutes to an hour, which may leave players wanting more.
Some puzzles, particularly the music puzzle, can be frustrating and may require external help to solve, detracting from the overall experience.
The voice acting quality varies, with some characters lacking convincing performances, which can impact immersion.

story
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
70%
13%
The story is described as a promising yet incomplete first chapter, featuring an old woman on a quest to find her husband, accompanied by a friendly dragon and a sinister plot. While some players appreciate the nostalgic point-and-click adventure style and the humor, others find the execution lacking, with dull dialogue and underdeveloped characters. Overall, the game has potential, but its storytelling could benefit from more engaging writing and immersive gameplay mechanics.
- “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.”
humor
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely praised for its wit and charm, with many reviewers highlighting the funny dialogues and quirky characters that enhance the overall experience. 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 memorable characters contributes to a delightful and entertaining gameplay experience.
- “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).”
- “Out of all of the point and click games I've played, I've never experienced anything so creative and so humorous like this.”
music
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
52%
16%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its soft tone and ability to set a mysterious atmosphere, while others found it bland and unmemorable. The music puzzles, particularly one involving a music box, were noted for their frustration, especially for those less familiar with musical concepts, though some players enjoyed the challenge. Overall, the soundtrack contributes to the game's charm, despite some players wishing for more variety and length.
- “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', the 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.”
graphics
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
41%
18%
The graphics of the game feature a cartoonish and pixelated art style that, while simple, effectively complements its grim narrative. Many reviewers appreciate the artwork and character design, noting that it enhances the storytelling experience, although some feel the pixel graphics may detract from the overall impact compared to more polished visuals. Overall, the game's visuals are seen as charming and fitting, contributing to its unique 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 stylised 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.”
gameplay
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The gameplay is characterized by basic point-and-click mechanics and a limited duration of around 30 to 60 minutes, which may leave players wanting more. While the nostalgic revival of the genre is appreciated, the simplistic puzzles and large, empty environments can lead to frustration. 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!”
- “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.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
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. The point-and-click controls exacerbate this issue, making navigation 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, and that's having to click on the spot you want to go.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development is noted for its appealing designs, particularly highlighting the cute aesthetics of the dragon and demon characters.

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Frequently Asked Questions

The Tale of Doris and the Dragon - Episode 1 is a action game.

The Tale of Doris and the Dragon - Episode 1 is available on PC, Web Browser, Mac OS, Phone and others.

The Tale of Doris and the Dragon - Episode 1 was released on September 8, 2016.

The Tale of Doris and the Dragon - Episode 1 was developed by Arrogant Pixel.

The Tale of Doris and the Dragon - Episode 1 has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its gameplay.

The Tale of Doris and the Dragon - Episode 1 is a single player game.

Similar games include Deponia, The Darkside Detective, Unforeseen Incidents, The Blackwell Legacy, The Book of Unwritten Tales and others.

The Tale of Doris and the Dragon - Episode 1

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