Dračí Historie

Did You Know?

• The game's plot centers on a teen dragon named Bert who searches for his missing father and a magic wand.
• Between 1995 and 1999, approximately 10 to 15 thousand official copies were sold.

Development

Early development began in 1994 by NoSense, a group of students at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic. The team included programmers Pavel Pospíšil, Lukáš Svoboda and Robert Špalek; graphic artists Jakub Dvorský, Pavel Jura and Jan Pokorný; and musician Radovan Kramář. Hoping to outdo the Pterodon team behind Tajemství Oslího ostrova, the group grew to seven people. Active development started in mid-1995, focusing on a grotesque adventure with unbridled jokes and forty locations.

Release

Dračí historie hit shelves in December 1995, shifting 7,000 units and ranking among the Czech Republic’s top-selling games. It was the country’s first title on CD, and also the first Czech game to feature amateur voice acting in Czech. After eleven years, in 2006, Roberta Špalka tidied up the code and assets for a remastered freeware release. That same year, the game became available under the GPL license and could be downloaded at no cost. During Google Summer of Code 2009, Denis Kasak, mentored by Špalek, began a C++ port for ScummVM; Špalek then finished it. In 2010, he cleaned the scripts and graphics to simplify translation, while the English, German, and Polish versions got polished. NoSense followed up with Asmodeus in 1997, a project involving Jakub Dvorský, who had worked on Dračí historie and later founded Amanita Design.

Reception

Critics in 1995 were mostly positive, with scores ranging from 60% from Score to 92% from Riki. A 2006 review on Freegame.cz noted the game's technical side still aged well. Tiscali.cz called it a letdown but a key moment for Czech gaming. Gry Online saw it as humorous and aimed at kids, while Databaze-her.cz liked its cartoon visuals and funny dialogue. Bonusweb gave it 80% in 2006, saying it remained very appealing. FreeHry.cz called it a true nostalgic memory of classic adventures. Root.cz in 2010 said it was a fun blast from the past. It sold 7,000 copies in 1995, a top seller in Czechia, with 10,000 to 15,000 official copies sold by 1999.