The Tale of Doris & The Dragon – Episode 2 is an adventure and story-driven game that focuses on the tale of an elderly woman named Doris, who is searching for her late husband in the afterlife/purgatory. The game includes a unique and fascinating depiction of the afterlife and the process of passing that combines elements of fantasy and mythical lore. The first episode of the game’s story was well-received; winning the Pocket Gamer Bronze Award after it was released in September of 2016. The second episode of the game was recently released by developers, Arrogant Pixel LTD, on February 7th, and can be played on the Steam platform. As someone who has now played the second episode of the game and had no prior knowledge of it before playing its second installment, I am excited for what is to come in episode 3.
The Tale of Doris & The Dragon – Episode 2 has a very simple and pixilated art style that manages to combine simplicity with detail. The photo above serves as good example of the creators using the contrast between the more pixilated aspects of the area and the smoother background to build scenery. Each area has just enough detail for players to get the idea without having to make things extremely realistic. The simplicity of Doris’s design as a character in particular is very fitting, as it reinforces the idea that she is just an ordinary older woman who found herself in a fantastical new environmental, and still just wants to find her husband. Colors are also used very well in this game, with objects that need to stand out being very blatant and bright in coloration in areas that are more blandly colored (purposely, to give an office feeling), such as the area depicted below.
Lucky for me, you do not need to have played the previous episode of this series to understand and enjoy this new episode. The beginning of the game catches you up to speed on what has happened in the plot up to now by having you read through it in narrated book form. It is not the best summary, but it gives you enough of the important points you need to know to move forward and understand where you are and what you are doing. At this point in the story, Doris is traveling to an establishment in purgatory known as “Management,” a system tasked with the placement of incoming souls, so that she can locate her husband. She has made friends with a Dragon she met along the way, and is being closely monitored by demons that do not want her to reach her destination. Nonetheless, an innocent and confused Doris reaches and explores management, working her way up the floors of the multistory building in search of her husband. I was intrigued by the plot and Doris’s search for her mysterious husband, but I found myself even more intrigued by the mechanics of this version of the afterlife, where haunting are handled in an office and dragons file paperwork.
I found the characters to be well-written, and really enjoyed both the voice acting and dialogue, which really brought characters to life and highlighted their personalities in a very complimentary manner. Even the side characters gave off very realistic vibes in their tones and replies, and I found myself amused by them but also further immersed into the setting the game was building because of their accuracy in depiction. While the details of Doris and her husband’s connection are still gradually being revealed, I was impressed by how quickly the game introduced me to (and got me to like) the friendship between Doris and the dragon, Norb, despite having not played the first game.
Despite being an adventure game that includes dragons, flying whales, and demons, The Tale of Doris & The Dragon – Episode 2 is not an action-packed game that requires intense use of controls on the player’s part. The game is very much focused on getting the player engaged in the elements of the world being built and giving the player opportunities to learn more about the characters and relationships involved. Therefore, most of the game is composed of dialogue and simple problem solving tasks that will ultimately help you get to your goal. Communication and a little memorization are the key concepts for completing this game. This set up is nice because it allows you to explore your environment, learn more about how passing works in the context of this world, and meet the other characters. Most of the game play consists of simply moving from place to place and talking to other characters or collecting and combining items that may come in handy later. Just imagine a Zelda game, but with no fighting, shooting, jumping, etc. Keep in mind, Doris is elderly, so it makes sense that most of what she does is talk to and enlist help from other characters.
All in all, I really enjoyed the game, and any complaints I have about it are extremely minor. Sometimes figuring out what needed to be done was more difficult than I expected, considering how incredibly straightforward most tasks were, but once I started to try pretty much everything I would figure out what to do. I also forgot my objective once when I came back after logging out, but found a similar resolution. Anyways, I definitely recommend!
9/10
Check Out The Tale of Doris & The Dragon – Episode 2 Trailer:
The Tale of Doris & the Dragon – Episode 2 is available for PC for $11.99 via Steam.
For more information, please visit: http://www.dorisandthedragon.com/
Steam Review
I am an aspiring writer particularly interested in helping write video game storylines and scripts. I prefer games that aim to strike a balance between compelling stories with character development and fun and immersive gameplay. Some of my favorite games include Until Dawn, Detroit Become Human, and both the Call of Duty and Resident Evil game series.
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