Lair

Who doesn't love an action-adventure game with that typical good against evil formula and dystopian setting? Lair is developers Factor 5 attempt at spinning their own take on a game recipe that has stood the test of time. In more recent cases - perhaps not for the better. But here we have a dark, dreary, and apocalyptic setting that will take players into a dire scene of dwindling resources.

It's actually hard to remember a time where this style of a plotline has delivered a memorable game. Often, lack the lore required to get players immersed in their narrative, characters, and environments. We should always be willing to give them a chance, though - because, who knows? We might be set for a new franchise revolution!

Oh No, Volcanoes!

It's fair to say that Lair falls far short of an action-adventure revelation. The control schematics seal its fate with it being difficult to get a grasp on. The expectations were high, but they seem to have been smothered with the several devastating volcanoes the game premise is based around.

Lair is promising from the beginning with its magnificent-looking scenery, cinematic storytelling, and narrative that looks set for an epic climax. The gameplay itself is what drags the game down to the depths. You'll play as Rohn Partridge, a soldier with a dragon tasked with defending their precious lands and resources from thieving barbarians in a land ravaged by natural disasters.

As epic as the setting and captivating is the sound - controlling the game is a complete nuisance. Rare is a game so hindered by the way players use sticks and buttons to complete their tasks. Lair just does not facilitate any kind of institution in doing so. Combat is downright silly, dragon movement is obnoxious, and trying to get ahead on any battle is near impossible. It's hard to imagine what the developers were thinking when coming up with the control scheme.

Since there's no way to really keep tabs on your gameplay approach - the aerial battles are trial and error. You will spend the game's duration mashing buttons and hoping for the best - and it becomes tiresome very quickly. Anything potentially intriguing this game offered in story and visuals is burned by the poor mechanical output. It seems a shame all this effort was put in with disappointing results.

Like A Bridge Over Trouble Lava

It's arguable that Lair was very close to being a good game - but has faced an absolute massacre by its unplayability. It's very uncommon to find playable media that doesn't have multitudes of problems - only a single one that renders the offering obsolete. From another perspective - it does have that potential to be a cult classic purely from how difficult it is to control. Even enthusiasts of those ideals wouldn't find much to enjoy in Lair.

Pros:

• Fantastic music that sets an epic tone for the game
• Visuals are stunning in cinematic and scenery

Cons:

• The control scheme is nearly non-functional
• Frustrating combat that does not allow any strategic approaches
• Every element of the game is intruded on by the poor controls

Developer Factor 5 (Star Wars: Rogue Squadron) ditches those X-wings to create a whole new kind of flight game, one where you'll be riding around on the backs of dragons (really big ones). While Lair does feature some on-ground missions, the real action takes place above; we've seen footage of characters making death-defying leaps from dragon to dragon, "jacking" another character beast, and then delivering a killing blow to the jugular of that winged reptile--pretty cool stuff.