Mia and the Dragon Princess Impressions

FMV, or Full Motion Video Games, have been around from the beginning of gaming. It has always been a niche that players enjoy. From Dragons Lair, to more recent games like Her Story or Late Shift. Mia & the Dragon Princess, from Wales Interactive Dead Pixel Productions and Good Gate Media, is the latest entry in this genre. You are a bartender called Mia who is forced to help a mysterious woman solve mysteries and escape the antagonist’s pursuit. We will not spoil any of the fun since this game is about the story.

If you are unfamiliar with FMV games, most are like a choose-your-own-adventure movie. You will be presented with a variety of options, and must make a decision to continue the story. It is similar to titles like The Walking Dead or Dark Pictures Anthology. Your choices will often affect your options when you progress through the story.

Wales Interactive’s Mia & the Dragon Princess uses audio logs and water-colored animation to tell the story of the characters and their background. The cutscenes depict our mysterious protagonist’s past. You can also listen to audio logs as you progress through the story. The audio tour makes more sense once you get to know more characters, but it’s a great addition for learning more about the lore.

The story of Mia and Dragon Princess has a feel of a fun adventure tale with some impressive names. Paul McGann, from Doctor Who, and MyAnna burring, from The Witcher make appearances. Aaron Gassor choreographs the fight stunts. This game isn’t too serious and this, I believe, helps with immersion when it comes FMV games. There may not seem to be many consequences for your decisions, but I was pleasantly surprised when the ‘Game Over” screen appeared.

One playthrough may take about an hour. It may seem that a single playthrough of the game takes about an hour, but there are 10 possible endings. You can access the story tree after completing the first playthrough. This shows the choices that you have made. It would be nice to have the option to start the story at a certain point or decision point, and not need to go through the whole story. However, there are some features that can help. The game isn’t that long, and you can speed up the process by skipping scenes you have already seen. You can also access the story tree from the pause menu to refer back to previous choices. In a future update, the ability to select your starting point will be welcomed.

Mia & the Dragon Princess costs $12.99. It may turn some people off, but I think the campy nature adds to the charm of this game. There are 10 different endings to discover in the campaign. The ability to skip scenes you’ve already seen keeps the game from being boring. This game is for FMV fans. There are bundles on Steam that can add value to your package if you’re still a bit hesitant. Mia the Dragon Princess is a great escape from the traditional games. I’m looking forward to exploring the rest of the Wales Interactive Library.