Some games just sort of come out of nowhere and immediately pique your interest, for me, “Mia and The Dragon Princess” was one of them. This is another unique game from Wales Interactive, known for their innovative approach to game development. Rather than using CGI graphics, they have opted to use live-action and filmmaking techniques, with gameplay consisting only of making decisions; these “create your own story” approaches create a very different experience for players these days. I didn’t realize until I started playing that this was the same company that did “Late Shift,” which is very similar to this and came out back in 2017. I was a big fan of that title, so as I started getting into this story my expectations were getting higher.
The game’s storyline revolves around Mia, the protagonist, who is struggling with her life and is seemingly stuck at her dead-end job. This is when she meets the other half of the title, the Dragon Princess, a woman from a different time period who only speaks Indonesian. The two of them must work together to try and unravel the mystery behind their situation, survive the bad guys and find a way out of all this mess, all without knowing each other’s language. The overall story is a little thin and can be a bit cartoony (not talking about the actual animated sequences). Things just happen to get from one scene to the next. What really kept my interest in this game is the decision-based gameplay. The choices you make throughout the game will impact the story’s progression and ultimately affect the outcome. There is a story tree that allows you to see where the significant decisions were made and how they could have led to different story threads. This feature adds a lot of depth to the game, and it encourages players to replay the game multiple times to explore all the different paths and outcomes. That is of course, the basic story appealed to you enough. I will admit, the two female leads do a great job together and are the highlight of this whole experience.
The game also features a skill tree system that is unique to Mia’s character. At the start of the game, Mia’s skills are divided into five categories: Compassion, Intelligence, Bravery, Responsibility, and Knowledge. As you make decisions throughout the game, Mia’s skills begin to fluctuate, allowing you to in a way mold her into a different person over time. In terms of gameplay, “Mia and The Dragon Princess” is a bit on the basic side, because that’s about it. Gamers going in should know what they’re getting themselves into, so they don’t get disappointed in essentially watching an interactive movie instead of playing a full-fledged video game.
A quick shout out to the fight choreography in the game, as it is very impressive and holds up to the standards one expects to see in modern action movies or shows. So yeah, although the storyline may seem a bit nonsensical at times, the fight scenes and the two main leads help I hope will keep players invested and make the game more enjoyable. Wales Interactive seems to have gotten their formula down pretty well now, because this is the second live action video-game they’ve released this year (and its only May!). I’m sure not all of them will be complete bangers, but “Mia and The Dragon Princess” specifically is a unique and interesting introduction to newcomers who want to try something different. The game is not without its faults, but overall, it is a great addition to the Wales Interactive library of games.
7/10
Mia and the Dragon Princess is available for PC via Steam, Epic, Mac, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Series X|S, Switch, iOS and Android.
Related: Nick Navarro Reviews
Gaming since I was given an original Nintendo as a kid. I love great storytelling and unique ingenuity. When both collide in a single game, I'm a happy gamer. Twitter/IG @NickNavarro87
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