Released under the Bunch Games label—a subsidiary of the infamous Color Dreams—'Tagin' Dragon is a quintessential example of the unlicensed "blue cart" era on the NES. The game serves as a chaotic riff on the classic Snake formula, where players control a dragon within a top-down arena. The objective is deceptively simple: bite the tails of rival dragons to shorten them while growing your own, eventually consuming the competition entirely. It’s a primitive concept that relies heavily on fast reflexes and navigating around the screen’s erratic boundaries, providing a rudimentary multiplayer experience that feels more like a tech demo than a finished product.
Visually, the title suffers from the technical limitations and lack of polish common to many unlicensed Western efforts of the early 90s. The sprites are prone to heavy flickering, and the color palette is garishly bright, making it difficult to track movement when multiple dragons occupy the same space simultaneously. Control responsiveness is notably loose, which becomes a significant hurdle as the difficulty spikes and the play area becomes cluttered with obstacles. While the concept of a "battle-snake" is conceptually sound, the execution lacks the finesse found in contemporary puzzle-action titles produced by licensed developers.
While 'Tagin' Dragon remains a curious footnote for NES collectors, it highlights the stark contrast in the global 8-bit market during the console's twilight years. Ultimately, 'Tagin' Dragon is a repetitive and often frustrating experience that is far more interesting as a piece of physical history than as a primary source of entertainment.
