Rise of the Dragon (1990). Play Free Online

Summary

Rise of the Dragon offers a staggering amount of content, with more than 85 distinct scenes and locations, each populated by dozens of randomly generated animations. Multiple story branches and puzzle solutions give the game an almost infinite replay value, while the haunting original soundtrack adds atmosphere.

What really sets it apart is the character intelligence: every NPC has a personality, a back‑story, and an ability to remember everything you’ve said or done, so dialogue choices can permanently alter future interactions. A built‑in time meter forces you to plan travel, because offices close at night and the whole three‑day deadline can end the game if you waste hours.

The Sega CD port enhances the experience with full voice acting—Cam Clarke reprises Blade—and a MA‑17 rating after a risqué French‑kiss scene was cut. Critics praised the cyber‑punk vibe, detailed graphics and non‑linear puzzles, giving it high scores and a Special Artistic Achievement award.

Storyline

In Rise of the Dragon, the year is 2053 and Los Angeles has fallen into an Age of Decay, with pollution, disease and rampant crime choking the streets. Former LAPD officer William “Blade” Hunter works as a private investigator when the mayor’s rebellious daughter Chandra is found dead and mutated after using the designer drug MTZ. Blade is hired to find those responsible.

His informant, the Jake, points him to Chen Lu, a dealer who is found dead from an MTZ overdose—a warning from the Chinese mafia that supplies the drug. Blade learns the operation is run by the kingpin Deng Hwang, whose Triad plans include poisoning the Hollywood reservoir and seeking world domination, a plot the fortune teller ties to the returning dragon Bahumat. With his girlfriend Karyn from the Crime Records Bureau, Blade begins to dismantle the network.

He blows up the MTZ production plant, rescues the Jake, and thwarts the reservoir poisoning. Hwang kidnaps Karyn and forces Blade into his headquarters, where Hwang transforms into the dragon Bahumat. In a climactic battle Blade defeats Bahumat and, enraged, punches the mayor who used him as a pawn. The game ends with Blade walking away, either with a rescued Karyn or alone.

Edited by Maya Carter