Format: Sega CD
Genre: Adventure
Developer: Game Arts
Publisher: Sega

Dynamix's Rise of the Dragon originated as a VGA DOS title. Translating down from 256 colors to 64 is no easy feat. The porting developers opted to focus on one color-- green-- and work within that motif. The result is artwork which stands on its own: the green hue provides an air of mystery to the title's myriad futuristic cyber punk settings and puzzles. The inventory icons and character portraits are interesting to look at. Both the original and re-worked area designs could have used more spatial thought though: it's confusing to the player how the various screens enter and exit one another.

The original compositions were created by Don Latarski, then digitally adapted to OPL synth by Christopher Stevens. The songs were then re-programmed completely by Noriyuki Iwadare in the Sega CD hardware. The result is some moody, memorable, off-kilter music which makes thorough use of the Sega CD, Mega Drive array of audio chips, and which immersively makes the player feel on edge. The entire Sega CD port is voiced over, and the acting has that kind of amateurish quality which is almost appealing due to its heart-felt authenticity and delivery.

Rise of the Dragon is a point-and-click adventure game. The d-pad moves the cursor; "A" enters and exits the inventory screen; "C" is used to grab items with the cursor-- inventory can then be closed, and the items can be dragged into the game world to solve the various puzzles. "B" provides descriptions, voiced by the protagonist, for whatever is beneath the cursor. There are even a couple of very basic action platforming segments-- it's almost a shame there aren't more, as they are a nice change-of-pace! The "things happen in the game world only at certain times" perhaps even inspired distant-future game "Dead Rising" on the Xbox 360.

Comparisons with "Snatcher" are unavoidable: this title was undoubtedly inspired by Kojima's classic from 1988-- and then, the much later 1994 Sega CD port of "Snatcher" was undoubtedly influenced by the Sega CD port of this game! Although Rise of the Dragon does not quite meet the aesthetic bar of the aforementioned Kojima release, and its puzzles can be a bit fiddly even when the player knows the solution, this is an extremely atmospheric, mood-setting game. This reviewer worshipped Dynamix's DOS flight sims during this period, and it's interesting to see how Jeff Tunnell and company could adapt their skills to alternative genres.