Mia and the Dragon Princess is an interactive video game littered with expectations while having little to live up to. The live-action video game is about a barmaid named Mia whose entire life is disrupted when a stranger who cannot speak English enters her life. To make matters worse, a group of violent thugs is after the mysterious young woman. Your decisions will change their lives forever.
With a few exceptions, there are not many great — or even good — full-motion video (FMV) games. This works in the favor of Mia and the Dragon Princess since there is little to compare it to. The flip side is, technology and video games have become better since FMV games were popular in the ’90s. Even fan favorites that use 16 bit or 2D graphics bring a modern twist.
The most obvious way in which gaming has changed is in the storytelling. The days of simply going to a castle and saving a princess are gone. Gamers expect fully developed characters and plot lines. Mia and the Dragon Princess does not provide either. There is simply too much going on. The game involves pirates, a centuries-old mystery, a character who has been frozen in time, and a whole lot of reveals. It sounds like normal video game fare because it is.
The main issue is nothing is ever developed. Games should take players away on amazing adventures to fantastic places, but Mia and the Dragon Princess neglects to provide anything engaging. That being said, while the acting does not stand out, the fight scenes are fantastic. Dita Tantang plays the Dragon Princess and provides the game’s best moments. Tantang has a black belt in Chinese kickboxing and the full range of her skills are shown in action sequences that are the highlight of Mia and the Dragon Princess.
As with most FMV titles, the actual gaming elements end up taking a backseat. Much like the horror releases from Supermassive Games, Mia and the Dragon Princess tracks relationships based on your decisions. It is a nice touch, but it is not long before choices are made just to see what happens next as opposed to actual interest.
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