Dragon Hopper came as a total surprise when it was announced back in 2025, and after almost a year of silence, Nintendo dropped the game on august 4th via their Nintendo Switch Online service. A ROM was made available basically the minute it dropped in Japan, Allowing me to play the game on my 3DS and write this review!
Dragon Hopper isn’t a particularly long game, but it is rather involved. with 6 stages consisting of 8 sections, 13 medals to find on each stage, and even more stuff to grab and stomp on, there’s no shortage of content. My playthrough clocked in at around 4 hours and 20 minutes, and I only got 68% of the medals (I was skimping along around stage 5 and 6), Getting me the Silver Dragon rank.
Being essentially a brand new game, I had no guide to go off of, no maps, nothing. I was surprised by how well I did. Most of the items in the game are generally easy to find if you’re even halfway thorough, but there were a few that I remember going out of my way for, particularly in stage 4.
My only complaint about the game is that its not really long enough for a proper difficulty curve, so it basically jumps into overdrive at stage 4. I got my first game over falling off of the little stars over and over again. Most of that stage was nothing but black background and the platforms swing rather than just move, so it was really hard to get a grasp on the depth.
Speaking of, the Graphics are pretty decent. Not amazing, mind you (That honor still goes to Wario Land) but every layer and sprite was easily discernible. I cant help but think that the pointy design of Prince Dorrin is on purpose, as the direction you’re facing is always very well communicated. The bosses all make heavy use of the Virtual Boy’s rotation and scaling, giving them a nice sense of flow and life that I don’t think would be achieved otherwise.
Music is, honestly, mixed. a lot of tracks are top notch (looking at you, Infinity Tower) and others are there because they have to be. Actually, I think the sound effects are the most entertaining part of the sound design. They all deliberately communicate something different and actually make the game a little easier if you know what to listen for.
Controls are easy to grasp. Movement is nice and stiff. The only iffy part is that your jump distance sometimes feels like it isn’t short enough for the platforms, so you’ll find yourself adjusting when you inevitably overshoot. Flapping was especially hard to get a grasp on- once you get the rhythm down its fine, but I found myself struggling often even after I got used to it.
Overall, Dragon Hopper is VERY worth playing. If you play ANY Virtual Boy game, make sure its this one. And if you can, play via Nintendo’s official service. Don’t be a filthy pirate like me. They released this game after so many years, so thank them!
From Murissa, With love.