Vanquishing The Monster

So I have been sick most of last week, hence the light posting, and when I could get out of bed I went and downloaded a bunch of games on Virtual Console (generally better ports, in my opinion, than XBLA) that I used to have on my Turbo Grafx when I was a kid.

Dragon's Curse came out about 1990, I think, which means I was eight or nine years old and in the fourth grade. It's a capital game, truly. It's a 2D action sidescroller, but it's essentially non-linear; all the areas are interconnected. Throughout the game, with every boss you beat you shapeshift into a different animal, and each one has a certain ability, like swimming, flying, or climbing, that allows it to access areas of the map that others can't. It also has RPG elements -- pick up gold and grab new armor and swords along the way, aiming to get the Legendary set. The goal is to defeat the big boss dragon and get the Salamander Cross so that you can end the curse and get your human body back. Hilariously, the game contains several allusions to the fact that saving the world from gruesome dragons is an afterthought; you just want your good looks back.

Really elaborate, fantastic music to this one, too. I think there was a Genesis version of this game that looked, as Genesis games do, a bit clunkier; everyone knows TG-16 was the nicest of the sixteen-bits, but that's a froth-mouthed soapbox rant for another time. In this version, anyway, the sprites were really fantastic; polished with just enough of a kooky Japanese vibe to make it appealing, to say nothing of the adorable faces of consternation they make when hit with a sword.

It was one of my faves as a kid, and I never beat it. I played it on and off over the ages, gradually able to play more competently as I grew older, able to get further. Last I remember, I could just about get to the last boss, but not quite. I moved away from home, leaving the Turbo Duo behind, and now I hear the old girl doesn't turn on anymore. Thank God for Virtual Console. I mean, you ever have those games that you still long for, still catch yourself humming the music in the shower, wish that somehow you could play again? This was one of those.

I just beat it, dude. I just beat Dragon's Curse, which I've wanted to do since I was nine, which would mean seventeen years of longing. The early-era credit roll was a nostalgia trip -- all the monsters were listed as cast members, for one thing. And for another, it ended with tiny hearts and the words "THANK YOU." Cheesy as it is, nothing can make you smile like those two words at the end of the game. It's the moment when you realize people labored forever on the thing you just enjoyed, and for one second you feel like they did it just for you.

If you have a Wii, go play that damn game. And if you absolutely refuse to play that game, go play Ninja Gaiden or Alex Kidd or something else you used to love and never finished. Screw next-gen; there is no rush like conquering a nearly two-decade grudge. Trust me.