An evil wizard has stolen all of Tiny Dragon’s treasures, so it’s up to you to help get them back in this retro inspired 2-D platformer on Switch.  The black and white graphics remind me of games I would’ve played on the Apple ][+ I had as a kid.

You play as a little dragon who can run, double jump, and breath fire to dispatch enemies.  You select levels from a world map like a Mario game.  In each level are three hidden optional treasures to collect, and to beat the stage you must light a giant torch at the end.  Scattered about the levels are coins and you must spend those to unlock new paths with secret levels on the world map.  Sometimes you must also collect keys to unlock doors, especially during the castle levels with a boss at the end.  If you get hit by an enemy you’ll lose a heart.  Lose all hearts or fall into a pit or lava and you must start a level over again or at the last checkpoint.

Play control is mostly responsive and the music is decent, too.  My only problems with the game are minimal. Sometimes I wouldn’t double jump when I wanted to, and some of the obstacles were a little annoying.  The game is also a bit short.  And fairly easy, too, but I didn’t mind that.  While I liked the retro graphics, I think I would’ve preferred to have full color 8-bit or 16-bit style visuals.  But otherwise this is a pretty decent quick little 2-D platformer.

Kid Factor:

Tiny Dragon Story is rated E for Everyone with an ESRB descriptor of Mild Fantasy Violence.  You just breathe fire at enemies that disappear in a puff of smoke when defeated.  When you get hit, you just flash and fall off the screen.  Reading skill is helpful for some of the text, but not necessary just to play.  Younger gamers may need a little help with the trickier jumps, though.

Tags: Game Reviews