Mia and the Dragon Princess Review: A Web of Goofiness

Interactive games are not new, but they have been scarce lately. Since Telltale Games closed and re-opened, many gamers have been eager for a new game where our choices matter. With the bar high thanks to titles like The Wolf Among Us, some companies have tried to thread these waters to no avail. Wales Interactive has taken its shot to make an interactive film or game, and while it shines in many areas, it falls flat in others. A game with exciting moments that get dragged down due to popular trends makes this a product worth playing just a few times. We’ll talk more in-depth about Mia and the Dragon Princess in our review of this game.

Story: To Be or Not To Be Serious

Image via Wales Interactive

Mia and the Dragon Princess tells the story of Marshanda and Mia, the two main characters destined to cross paths in an adventure full of mystery and action. Depending on your choices, the premise is about this and delivers parts of it. Even if it sounds exciting, some options make the story goofier than it should be.

The story follows Marshanda, a mysterious character that shows up one day in present-day London with a strange device on her wrist. On the other hand, we have Mia, your average girl who works at a bar with almost no customers and dreams of adventure. A bit cliché, but it works. When both characters meet, the plot starts with mysteries around every corner.

During our first run, which lasted more than an hour, we had more questions than we should’ve. We were disappointed with our ending as it ended up so abruptly that our reaction was: “Is that it?”. Thankfully, we decided to play the game once more and check the Story Tree; we have to say, it was the best choice.

Given how this game lets you make choices and tailor your playthrough, you must play the game several times. We were so happy to get a different ending during our second run. In it, we learn more about Marshanda’s past and why the villain, played by Paul McGann, was adamant about getting his hands on Mia’s bar and the device on Marshanda’s wrist.

While the subsequent runs of the game were enjoyable, parts of the story fall flat thanks to forced humor that we can only think the developers tried to copy from movies like Avengers, and it didn’t work. Without spoiling, there are several moments where the game tries to get serious, and then a forced joke comes into play. This kills the game’s flow and removes the little seriousness the story wants to deliver. On the other hand, several moments are genuinely funny, organic, and not forced at all. Again, without spoiling, we can only say one thing: glowsticks.

Overall, the story is sometimes predictable with every cliché in the book of stories like Indiana Jones or Uncharted. Still, sadly, instead of delivering them the right way, some decisions make the plot weaker than it should be.

Visuals: Amazing Camerawork but Terrible Effects

Image via Wales Interactive

Usually, we use this part to review a game’s graphics, but given how this is a live-action interactive film/game, we’ll focus on the production. We couldn’t believe how fantastic the camerawork of this product was. Hats off to the people behind it. The action sequences, the fighting, and even the usual takes are excellently planned and are a visual delight. We were so happy to see the fighting sequences perfectly executed for a game with such a low price tag. Truly one of the best parts of this game. This is what made our review of Mia and the Dragon Princess enjoyable.

On the other hand, we have the visual effects. We can’t blame the developers for not putting a lot of budget into them, but, dear lord, they are bad. Again, don’t let this discourage you, many things in this game are great, but the effects aren’t one of them. You have some terrible 3D effects and explosion VFX that needed more time in the oven because they stand out badly. We were not expecting Marvel’s quality on this game, but more work on the effects would’ve been great.

As we mentioned, these moments are scarce, and they might happen once or twice during your playthrough. Sadly, some occur in big or emotional moments that take away anything that is supposed to be serious from that scene. Yet, the way the takes were made was flawless, which got us back to the game after several runs.

Related:

Telltale Games Gets Funding for Future Titles

Gameplay: Choices Actually Matter

Image via Wales Interactive

Back in the day, we played any Telltale Games out there and saw that some choices didn’t change the plot too much. Even games like Hogwarts Legacy fell flat on this. Thankfully, Mia and the Dragon Princess gave us some great choices and changes, which improved our time during the review.

As we mentioned, the game has a vast story tree that you can check as you play to see what options you’re missing. Following this mechanic will unlock various endings, making any run much better. Our only complaint is that there should be an option to skip the initial cinematic because it takes a while to get to the first big choice.

Besides that, some values change depending on how Mia acts. We have stats like bravery, intelligence, and so on. We think these stats were unnecessary, but it is an excellent detail to see what type of Mia you’re making for your playthrough. Other than that, you have two options to choose from whenever you get the chance and a streamer mode to pause while you try to decide. We welcome these quality-of-life improvements, but there’s room to improve the experience.

Conclusion: A Game With Shackles

Why do we say this game has shackles? Well, once you get to see the humor of it, you’ll know why. Mia and the Dragon Princess could’ve been a fantastic game and delightful if it didn’t follow the trends of the modern movie industry. Cliché characters and moments harm the game. What could’ve been a serious and emotional story gets dragged down by creative decisions and the need to make an interactive film for all audiences instead of creating a solid niche. Still, it is a game you could play for a bit thanks to its accessible price, and if Wales Interactives releases something else in the future, we’ll be glad to try it.

Mia and the Dragon Princess launches on May 4th, 2023, on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, Mobile, and PC.