Irem's 1989 arcade gem where you ride a dragon through six stages of fantasy chaos, and the FM synth soundtrack goes just as hard as the visuals. "THEME OF BAHAMOOT" on stage one is this galloping, heroic melody that immediately tells you this isn't a slow-burn side-scroller.
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"THEME OF ZAMBAQUOUS" hits with boss-fight urgency every time it shows up, and it earns the repeat because the intensity never feels recycled. The mid-game tracks have real personality. "BIG DRAGON" on stage three leans into something ominous and brooding, "COLOR" shifts the mood with an almost mystical quality, and "DADADA" on stage five is exactly as punchy and relentless as the name suggests.
"WALK!" and "ROLL!" splitting the final stage into two distinct musical halves is a clever touch that most arcade games from this era never bothered with. Even the bookend tracks pull weight. "BORN" at the start carries genuine dramatic buildup, and "THEME OF KAYUS" for the clear screen feels like a proper resolution rather than a throwaway jingle.
For a late-80s Irem title that often gets overshadowed by R-Type, the soundtrack alone makes a strong case for rediscovery.