Arcade Archives Dragon Buster

Genre: Action-Platformer

Players: 1, Online Leaderboards

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Review:

(Note: The Nintendo Entertainment System version of this game is included in Namco Museum Archives Vol. 1, along with the Nintendo Entertainment System versions of Dig Dug, Dragon Buster, Dragon Spirit: The New Legend, Galaxian, Mappy, Pac-Man, Pac-Man Championship Edition (8-Bit Demake), Sky Kid, Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti, The Tower of Druaga, and Xevious. Check out this page for a breakdown of which games can be found in multiple releases on Nintendo Switch.)

Releasing in Arcades in 1984 and later ported to numerous other platforms, Dragon Buster was an Action-Platformer that had a few elements that were ahead of its time. It was a rare example of a game that had both horizontal and vertical scrolling, and it is reputedly the first videogame to use a double-jump mechanic.

As far as the presentation goes, this game’s visuals look extremely dated, with 2D pixel art visuals that portray repetitive levels, ugly character designs, and terrible animation. This paired with unimpressive chiptune sound make this a game presentation that just has not held up well.

Unfortunately, the gameplay has also held up really poorly. The jumping in this game is finicky and doesn’t work right much of the time, and the combat is abysmal. This is simply not a game that’s still worth playing, and honestly I’m not sure it was ever particularly good.

This release of the game includes a new “Hi-Score Mode” that challenges players to get as far as they can in one run. There is also a new “Caravan Mode” that does much the same, but with the limit being five minutes. In addition, this release of the game gives players a decent array of options, including various display options, sound options, challenge modifiers, button mapping, and online leaderboards.

At $8, the Arcade Archives release of Dragon Buster is terribly overpriced, and players looking for a better deal do have another option, sort of. As mentioned above, Namco Museum Archives Vol. 1 has a version of this game released on Nintendo Entertainment System. Yes, it’s not arcade-perfect, but I think most players will find it to be an acceptable substitute, especially when it means not having to spend $8 on a terrible game.

Having said that, no matter which version you get, this game is bad, and I would argue it’s simply not worth playing. It’s ugly, the gameplay is terrible, and this release adds insult to injury by charging an absurd $8. Do not buy it.

tl;dr – Dragon Buster is an Action-Platformer that may have been ahead of its time in some ways, but it was still an all-around awful game, with ugly visuals, terrible platforming, and horrible combat. Avoid it.

Grade: F

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