Dragon Spirit

Dragon Spirit is a vertical-scrolling shoot-em-up originally released in arcades by Namco in 1987. You control Amul, a warrior who transforms into a powerful dragon to rescue Princess Alicia from the serpent demon Zawell. Gameplay follows the Xevious formula: fire projectiles at airborne enemies while dropping bombs on ground targets. Power-ups appear from eggs on the ground: blue orbs grant an extra dragon head for additional firepower, while orange orbs strengthen your shots. Amul can take two hits before dying, with a life bar visible on screen. The game features nine stages through rivers, volcanoes, glaciers, and jungles, each ending with a large boss.

NES

Released in Japan on April 14, 1989 and in North America in June 1990 . Developed by Now Production under the title Dragon Spirit: The New Legend . This version presents a significantly altered story set after the original: Zawell is already defeated, King Amul has married Queen Alicia, and their son Prince Lace must rescue his sister Iris from a new evil named Galda . A unique opening stage determines the game mode: surviving it triggers the standard "Blue Dragon" mode similar to the arcade; failing unlocks an easier "Gold Dragon" mode with fewer levels, extra hit points, and a different ending . Graphics are praised as some of the most beautiful on the NES , though sound receives mixed reviews . Nine worlds range from the Paleozoic era to a parallel universe .