Reviewers tend to get enthusiastic about this game. I'm not quite sure what the buzz is all about.
The plot, which is, I would say, of some importance in an
adventure game, is incredibly hackneyed and clichéd. The main
character, William Blade
Hunter,
is, of course, a P.I. who was previously a cop, dismissed from the
force for using excessive violence; he is called on the
scene because the mayor's wayward daughter was killed with a laced
drug; and at the bottom of it all, there is a conspiracy by a
Chinese secret society (the eponymous Rise of the Dragon) to, of
course, take over the world. Is it intended as a spoof? I'm not sure.
The comic book manual is highly ironic, but the game seems to take
itself quite seriously.
Furthermore it seems that the designers were convinced that in a decent adventure game there must be lots of opportunities to die, or at least lots of thing you can do wrong. Right at the beginning you have to pick up the clothes on the floor and equip them, or Blade will be arrested for indecent exposure, and the game is over. If you do not take your I.D. card out of the vidphone, Blade is locked out of his apartment. If he goes to out the wrong side, he will die, not without a warning, but without necessity. Of course, all this could have been meant as a kind of tutorial to get acquainted with the interface, and at the same time a sort of copy protection, since the manual walks you through the dressing and vidphone procedure.
The interface, which is Macintosh/Amiga inspired, though the game is a native DOS game, isn't bad. It's usually left-click for interaction, right-click for information. The cursor changes according to the things you can do. In the inventory, right-click is for equipping. To give something to someone, or use it on something, you drag and drop.
What most reviewers liked best was the atmosphere. Indeed the very start in Blade's apartment, a dingy 60 square foot affair with a leaky faucet, where the ceiling lamp shakes when a chopper passes by is highly impressive. That it's all taken directly out of the 1982 Blade Runner movie isn't really a problem either, but it's all the more astonishing to encounter Dr. Fu Manchu in such a setting.
In the end, it all boils down to personal preference. For true adventure fans it will be interesting in any case to check out an approach to the point-and-click genre definitely different from the omnipresent Sierra and LucasArt styles. I, personally, instead recommend The Incredible Machine as a type of game where Jeff Tunnell truly excells.
The Amiga version had slightly reduced graphics due to the 32 color limit of the OCS/ECS, but was otherwise identical. About the Macintosh version (which only Erde Kaiser even mentions) I know nothing yet. The later Sega CD version added voice acting, the even further reduced graphics (16 colors) had a green hue resembling the later Matrix movie, and some prefer them over the original. The scene where Blade kisses his girlfriend in the restaurant and then spends the night with her was removed.
The game is great. It has a non-linear plot, many puzzles to be solved, and multiple endings, so you can play it again and again. Characters in the game can and will remember your actions and words, so you must be careful. Also, the game has comic-book style cut scenes that advance the storyline and excellent arcade sequences.
Rise of The Dragon is one of the most atmospheric graphical adventures ever made and Jeff Tunnell's masterpiece. As futuristic private eye and ex-cop Blade Hunter hired investigate the death of the mayor's daughter in Los Angeles circa 2004 AD, you soon find yourself embroiled in a wide-scale drug ring and an ancient Chinese prophecy. The game's atmospheric graphics and comic-book style cutscenes that advance the storyline greatly enhance gameplay, which is a good blend of traditional use-inventory-item elements and excellent arcade sequences that would merit a game on their own. Adventure gamers who despise action sequences in adventure games will be pleased to know that Rise of The Dragon will automatically let you win the sequences if you die one too many times.
Unlike Heart of China the graphics are digitized from handdrawn pictures instead of life actors and they give the game a more comicbook look which was exactly the intention of the creators and they are excellent. The music really fits the mood well and most places will have some kind of soundtrack. There aren't much soundeffects which is a shame but it doesn't really matter because of the excellent soundtracks. There are two arcade sequences in the game both of which are side scrolling shooters and like Heart of China you can skip them if you are unable to complete them but I suggest you don't because it all adds to the game.
It's not a LucasArts adventure, where you can just click on things and people and interact with everything as long as you can, being rude and satisfy your curiousity.Rise of the Dragonis much more realistic. The choices you have in the game are truly important. You have to be tough where you have to be tough, and you have to be polite when there's no other way. Insult somebody—and you'll never get any information from him. Be tactful and smart—and the game will listen to you.
Rise of the Dragon has an intriguing plot with smart graphics and music. The clever game interface makes the game easy to play. It is certainly not the easiest adventure to solve, which combined with multiple story branches and endings greatly increase the replay value.
