When it comes to FMV games no one in the video game space seems to be pushing as hard as Wales Interactive. Over the recent years, they’ve released one after another and for the most part I would say I’ve enjoyed most of the ones I’ve played. Their latest is called Mia and the Dragon Princess from Good Gate Media which is out now across all the major platforms. Did I enjoy this one like I have the others or is this one more of a disappointment? Here is my review of the PlayStation 5 version.
Mia and the Dragon Princess is a live-action interactive film that you get to make choices during that affect the outcome. The story starts out by giving you some information on some pirates and then jumps to current day where we meet a barmaid named Mia. While working at the bar one day, Mia takes a woman named Mashanda in when she arrives running from thugs. Mashanda doesn’t speak English so Mia will have to gradually discover who Mashanda is and why people are after her. If you’ve played any of these FMV games before this one isn’t much different. You’ll watch the scenes and at times will have to make choices that will ultimately lead to you getting one of the ten different endings. How long each playthrough takes depends on the choices made as sometimes it could take around two hours and other times it may be less than an hour.
Like with many of these FMV games you can’t go into them expecting it to be a high budget film. Mia and the Dragon Princess can be cheesy at times, the effects aren’t always the best, and the audio is off at times, but it has a lot of action and I thought they did those scenes really well. The acting is also pretty good across the board but Noa Bleeker and Dita Tantang who play Mia and Marshanda are the real stars of the show as they end up really working well together. We also have Paul McGann from Doctor Who in here and he does a great job with his part too. While the pacing did feel off to me at times overall, I enjoyed the mix of action, comedy, and seriousness that this story had going.
With there being quite a few different endings, you may want to jump back in again and the development team made a nice choice here to make things easier. There is a scene map that shows you which path you took before and what choices that you made had an effect on the path you went on. You can also thankfully skip previously played scenes which together with that map makes jumping back in and getting to the new stuff much easier and enjoyable. If you’re a trophy hunter there are 19 trophies on PlayStation platforms to get including a Platinum. Pretty much all of them are choice related so you’ll have to do a few runs to get them all.
Mia and the Dragon Princess has some downsides but still makes for an enjoyable interactive experience. The performances by most of the cast are great and it has far better action scenes than I expected. The writing can be cheesy at times but it also managed to get some laughs out of me. It also doesn’t overstay its welcome and has helpful features that make getting to the new stuff on replays much easier. It isn’t the best FMV game Wales has done but if you’ve been enjoying the genre I have no doubts you’ll enjoy this one too.
*Mia and the Dragon Princess is available now on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. PlayStation 5 version reviewed. Review copy provided by the publisher for this review.
Mia and the Dragon Princess
$12.99
Pros
- Intriguing story with mostly great performances
- Does action scenes really well
- Helpful replayability features
Cons
- Pacing can feel off
- Effects and audio aren't always great
