Dirk the Daring Dirk the Daring is the main protagonist of the first game and subsequent franchise. As a knight of the kingdom, Dirk was entrusted with the rescue of Princess Daphne from Mordroc and Singe because all other knights were killed. He becomes heir to the throne upon saving Princess Daphne; following her rescue, Dirk and Daphne are married. In both games, Dirk is voiced by sound editor Dan Molina.
Retro Gamer included Dirk on their list of top 50 game characters in the category "Top Ten Forces of Good" and called him "without a doubt, the epitome of the heroic knight".
Princess Daphne In the games, Princess Daphne is the beautiful daughter of King Aethelred and an unnamed queen. She serves as the series'
damsel in distress. A beautiful maiden coveted by many princes and knights, her heart belongs to the kingdom's champion, Dirk the Daring.
Design and portrayal Princess Daphne was originally created by Rick Dyer's Advanced Microcomputer Systems (AMS, later
RDI Video Systems) team, then completely redesigned by the ex-
Disney artist and animator
Don Bluth. Bluth took his inspiration from photographs from the producer
Gary Goldman's collection of old issues of
Playboy magazine, ultimately putting Daphne "in a very-revealing one-piece '
thong' bathing suit with a sheer
veil that partially covered her". Due to the limited budget's constraints, Daphne's in-game vocals were supplied by the head of AMS' Clean-up Department, Vera Lanpher. For ''Dragon's Lair II'', where Daphne has experienced more than a dozen births, Bluth said "he thought it would be interesting if Daphne looked just as beautiful as ever; there's absolutely no sign she's been through anything". Professional voice actress
Ellen Gerstell voiced the character in the cartoon, wherein her attire is a less-revealing dress.
Reception Princess Daphne was met with mostly positive reception and greatly contributed to the success of the game, which was then ported to various home platforms and followed by several sequels, remakes and spin-offs. She has been cited by multiple publications as one of the most attractive characters in video game history.
UGO included her on their 2010 list of top 50 "video game hotties": "When the game was released, Daphne was the best-looking video game heroine around, so we still have a bit of a soft spot for her today". Including her at the 14th place on a similar list in 2012, Larry Hester of
Complex opined Daphne "might be the finest damsel in distress ever. Sorry,
Peach, Disney-style cel animation wins again". Back in 1983,
JoyStik's Joe Mendsky wrote "Daphne may look like the closest thing to a
porn star in the annals of the video game, but she's not dumb. She's seen the line of quarters across the floor at the Denver arcade". Nearly three decades later,
Complex said of her that there has "only ever really been one reason to play ''Dragon's Lair''", and stated: "Never mind that the gameplay was nothing more than a quarter-sucking game of trial-and-error and memorization. And, oh, God: Princess Daphne and her little sheer black dress. Jesus Christ. She was way too sexy. Our little brains exploded". Ranking her as the 14th "hottest video game girl of all time" in 2013, Steve Jenkins of
CheatCodes.com wrote: "Don Bluth's animated portrayal of Daphne, the princess who just can't seem to keep out of trouble, was the real attraction in this game… and attractive she was. (...) Princess Daphne's love of shear(sic!) clothing, plunging necklines, and her eternal 'damsel in distress' neediness made 50 cents a bargain to spend some quality time with her". Writing about the reason ''Dragon's Lair
became so popular, Nikola Suprak of Hardcore Gamer'' stated: "Years of playing video games has made me very familiar with the 'save the princess' motif, which makes me extremely suspicious about Daphne's princess credentials. There is a far greater chance that she is just a stripper with the stage name Princess than an actual princess, because if actual princesses dressed like she did the royal weddings wouldn't be so boring to watch". Jon M. Gibson of
GameSpy called Daphne "the epitome of a
damsel in distress". Rob Mead of
ST Format wrote "Daphne has to be the dippiest woman on the planet. She's gone and got herself kidnapped again. Can you believe it? The woman is a victim. She might as well walk around with the words 'Kidnap me' tattooed on her forehead". Charlie Barratt of
GamesRadar included her among the seven "damsels you DON'T want to save", arguing that "underneath the skimpy leotard and fluttering eyelashes, Daphne's no deeper than a cardboard cutout. No smarter than a blow-up doll bimbo. Nothing more than salacious and cynical bait for your hard-earned quarters (and ''Dragon's Lair'' swallowed a LOT of quarters)". Glamour model Tara Babcock ranked the "beyond beautiful" Daphne as the 16th "hottest video game" and wrote that "her half-naked, yet regal appearance, flowing blonde hair, big eyes with batting lashes and cute, ditzy appearance ... has been the subject of much controversy over 'sexism' in gaming!" Daphne's voice was described by Earl Green of
Classic Gamer Magazine as "a high pitched voice that could cause harm to small pets". Green also wrote that "those of us who were entering adolescence at the time never quite forgave the TV show for covering Princess Daphne up, even though a vast improvement was made in giving her more personality and more intelligence, rather than the original game's helium-voiced ditzy blonde". Reviewing ''Dragon's Lair 3D
in 2002, GameSpots Ryan Davis wrote Daphne "sounds just as squeaky and ditzy as she did in 1983". Kristan Reed of Eurogamer'' wrote it "remains as simultaneously amusing and irritating as ever".
Singe Singe is a dragon who kidnaps Daphne. == Games ==