Home /
Arcade

Saint Dragon

Arcade

Arcade

Saint Dragon is a side-scrolling shoot 'em up in which the player controls the cyborg Saint Dragon, who has rebelled against the tyrannical Monster Cyborg army. Saint Dragon is initially armed with a plasma bolts and a fiery breath. By collecting tokens, the dragon's firepower can be upgraded wit...

Download

0/5 Votes: 0

Report

Developer
Jaleco

Released on
1989

Size
1 Player

Version
Arcade

Requirements
Arcade

Downloads
Shooter

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

Wikipedia
View article →

Report this app

Images

Description

Saint Dragon is a side-scrolling shoot ’em up in which the player controls the cyborg Saint Dragon, who has rebelled against the tyrannical Monster Cyborg army. Saint Dragon is initially armed with a plasma bolts and a fiery breath. By collecting tokens, the dragon’s firepower can be upgraded with pulse torpedoes, a laser, bouncing bombs, ring lasers or a turret. Other tokens can upgrade the dragon’s speed, weapon power, or initiate a “hyper” mode which endows maximum firepower and invulnerability. In addition, the dragon has an armoured tail which follows the player’s movement, allowing it to be used as a defensive shield.

There are five levels, each culmunating in a battle with a large end-of-level guardian.

Saint Dragon

Overview & History

Developed and published by Jaleco in 1989, Saint Dragon is a visually striking, biomechanical side-scrolling shoot 'em up that stands apart in an era dominated by sleek, metallic spaceships. The storyline plunges players into a dystopian, techno-organic future where humanity's last hope against an oppressive alien race of mechanical monsters is a legendary cyborg dragon. Blending dark-fantasy creature aesthetics with hardcore sci-fi hardware, the arcade original utilized Jaleco's robust hardware to deliver massive, multi-jointed sprites and smoothly scrolling, highly detailed alien landscapes. While it later saw conversions to various home computers, the arcade version remains the definitive experience, celebrated for its unique premise and relentless challenge.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

Unlike standard horizontal shooters where players pilot a rigid craft, Saint Dragon introduces the defining mechanic of controlling a segmented, whip-like robotic dragon body. Your main head fires directional energy blasts, while your glowing, armored tail follows your trajectory, acting simultaneously as an offensive flail to strike enemies from behind and a defensive shield capable of absorbing incoming projectiles. Players can hold down the attack button to charge up a devastating screen-clearing plasma blast. Throughout the six stages, you collect floating power-ups to alter your primary firepower—ranging from wide-spread fireballs to concentrated lasers—and acquire speed upgrades to navigate tight caverns and avoid aggressive boss encounters.