Dragon Hopper

Dragon Hopper[lower-alpha 1] is an unreleased action-adventure video game that was in development by Intelligent Systems and planned to be published by Nintendo on a scheduled 1996 release date exclusively for the Virtual Boy. Along with Japan System Supply's Bound High!, it would have been one of the first second-generation titles for the system if not for the poor critical and commercial reception it garnered that led to its planned relaunch being discontinued, which also led to the game's cancellation in the process.

Dragon Hopper
Preliminary North American cover art
Developer(s)Intelligent Systems
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Platform(s)Virtual Boy
ReleaseUnreleased
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Players control the young dragon prince Dorin as he embarks on a journey through the land of Faeron rescuing fairies and elemental spirits from enemy captivity in order to free his jailed loved ones and defeat a corrupt prime minister. Dragon Hopper was showcased on various trade shows and previewed in video game magazines but it was ultimately shelved due to the failure of the Virtual Boy itself, despite being completed for release.

Gameplay and premise
Screenshot of Dragon Hopper. The Virtual Boy uses a red-and-black color scheme for its games.

Dragon Hopper is a top-down action-adventure game similar to The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening and Virtual Boy Wario Land where players take control of young dragon prince Dorin, the protagonist, who lives in the kingdom of Celestia with his family and girlfriend until all but Dorin are captured by a corrupt prime minister. Dorin falls into a hole that leads him to the land of Faeron, where he must climb back up to stop the prime minister through multi-level maze-like stages of varying themes.[1][2][3][4][5]

Players have the ability to make Dorin jump onto staggered floors floating above the main playfield.[1][2][3][4][5] Dorin does not get hurt from high falls, though there are obstacles that hurt him if he lands on them. Players explore the levels collecting scattered items, interact with non-player characters, and defeat monsters to progress. Each stage also hosts hidden warps to a magic shop, where players can spend earned Star Coins on new magic spells or enter a bonus room.[3]

At the end of each stage, a boss must be fought in order to progress further on the adventure. After doing so, an elemental spirit grants hints and new abilities to Dorin. Through the journey, Dorin is attended by a small fairy who provides help to the player. With battery-backed memory, a special feature called "Element of Discovery" allows Dorin to wander through each level in search of a star that transports him to the next level.[5]

History

Dragon Hopper was first showcased alongside Bound High! to the attendees of Shoshinkai 1995 and was later showcased in video game magazines in 1996, with plans to reach store shelves during summer of the same year. It went by the name D-Hopper.[1][3] The game was showcased along with Bound High! in a playable state at the show floor of E3 1996,[5][6][7][8][9] and was slated for release on 26 August 1996 in both the United States and Japan.[10][11][12][13] It received previews from publications such as Nintendo Power magazine,[2][4][14] but was eventually cancelled due to Nintendo discontinuing the Virtual Boy for being a critical and commercial failure.[15][16][17] The only remaining proof of its existence are various screenshots taken by several gaming magazines and gameplay footage, while no prototypes containing a ROM image of the demo has been found to date despite various rumors.[18][19][20][21]

Notes
  1. Also known as Jump Dragon (Japanese: ジャンプドラゴン, Hepburn: Janpu Doragon) in Japan.
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References
  1. "Pak Watch - Dragon Hopper". Nintendo Power. No. 83. Nintendo of America. April 1996. p. 101. Archived from the original on 11 June 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  2. "Informacion Virtual - Dragon Hopper". Club Nintendo (in Spanish). No. 59. Editorial Televisa. 1996. p. 20. Archived from the original on 30 May 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  3. "In The Red - Red or Dead - Virtually Here". Total!. No. 53. Future plc. May 1996. p. 38. Archived from the original on 13 July 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  4. "Preview: Dragon Hopper - Virtual Boy". Nintendo Power. No. 86. Nintendo of America. July 1996. pp. 26–27. Archived from the original on 30 May 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  5. "The Second Coming". Total!. No. 56. Future plc. August 1996. p. 9. Archived from the original on 13 July 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  6. "Cutting Edge - E3: Nintendo rekindles Mario's magic". Edge. No. 34. Future plc. July 1996. p. 8.
  7. "E3 Expo Los Angeles - 1996 Software Lineup". GameFan. Vol. 4 no. 7. Shinno Media. July 1996. p. 32.
  8. "Electronic Entertainment Expo E3 - 16-bit Das Finale". MAN!AC (in German). No. 33. Future-Verlag. July 1996. p. 24. Archived from the original on 31 January 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  9. "E3 - Only The Beginning: Virtual Boy". Nintendo Power. No. 86. Nintendo of America. July 1996. p. 18. Archived from the original on 30 May 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  10. "Messe - E3 Expo Los Angeles '96 - L.A. Messe". Video Games (in German). No. 56. Future-Verlag. July 1996. p. 20. Archived from the original on 31 January 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  11. "Super Express - Virtual Boy Games Explosion!". Super Play. No. 46. Future Publishing. August 1996. p. 10.
  12. "Reporte Especial: Expo E3 Los Angeles '96 - Dragon Hooper". Club Nintendo (in Spanish). No. 56. Editorial Televisa. 1996. p. 43.
  13. "Este Mes En El Barrio...". Club Nintendo (in Spanish). No. 57. Editorial Televisa. 1996. p. 61.
  14. Eggebrecht, Julian (October 1996). "Reportage - Virtual Boy - Die rot-schwarze 3D-Revolution?". Total! (in German). No. 41. X-Plain-Verlag. pp. 58–61. Archived from the original on 13 July 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  15. "ProNews: Nintendo Kills the Virtual Boy". GamePro. No. 101. IDG. February 1997. p. 27. Archived from the original on 7 July 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  16. Moore, Jason (2004). "The Lost Big Brother: Virtual Boy". Retrogames. No. 22. Archived from the original on 30 May 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  17. Ciolek, Todd (6 August 2012). "Creative, Compelling, and Canceled: Lost Games that Could Have Shaken the System". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  18. Moore, Jason (Summer 2004). "World of Nintendo - Faceball Discovered for Virtual Boy". Retrogames. No. 23. Archived from the original on 30 May 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  19. Ciolek, Todd (15 October 2012). "Among the Missing: Notable Games Lost to Time". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on 26 October 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  20. Rodríguez, El Roh (17 January 2017). Nintendomania - Tips, noticias y Reviews (6min 38sec). YouTube. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  21. "Dragon Hopper". Entertainment Software Rating Board. Entertainment Software Association. 2019. Archived from the original on 28 September 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
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