History

The Games

The Dex the Dragon games were a popular series of mascot platformers on the Giga Drive and Eden consoles. The 16-bit games received fairly consistent 7/10 reviews across the board and built up a small following for the fluffdragon, but like so many other mascot platformers of the era, the series never successfully made the leap to 3D. Following low sales of Dex the Dragon 3D, the original developers declared bankruptcy.

Dex themself decided to make the best of this situation, and quietly left the game industry - resolving to get a proper education and job, settling in to a steady career with IT - helpdesk, sysadmin, and everything in between.

Currently

Was One Day In An Office Typing On a Computer (Patreon Reward) by Goattrain

They currently live somewhere in Northern England, working at a company employing many dragons, kobolds, and other scalies. Their apartment is filled with DVDs and games, some general nerdy memorabilia (dragons have to hoard something!), and of course, they keep a few reminders of past glories around as well.

They have some dysphoria over their lack of breasts, and are taking a mild course of HRT.

A lot of weird things tend to happen to them, which they often attribute to the residual effects of cheat codes all this time later.


Fast Facts

Physical Characteristics Personality Outfits Accessories
  • Species: (fluff)dragon
  • 5ft11 (by default), not including horns
  • ~115kg
  • Crossed horns
  • Heart gem on end of tail
  • Non-binary, they/them pronouns
  • Encouraging
  • Enthusiastic
  • Optimistic
  • Kind
  • Business casual, default work outfit
  • Jeans and a t-shirt on weekends (or a cute skirt instead of jeans)
  • Elegant suit or dress for important meetings
  • Sometimes wears shoes
  • Practical glasses (half-rim) - though usually wears contacts (because I forget to ask artists about glasses)
  • Headphones
  • Tail bag
  • Chucks or sandals
  • Cane/walking stick
Protactile description
A dragon covered in incredibly soft fluff, surrounding smooth scales that lead to crossed horns similar to an X. Following the scales further down their neck leads to a heart shaped gem at the end of their tail; flattened out like a thicker version of a table tennis or ping pong paddle. Their build is often soft too; wide hips, thick thighs, arms with strength but sensitivity. Their hugs are warm and sometimes overwhelming, particularly if they use their wings as well.

Physical Description

A greyscale image of a dragon shown from the side-back, as they look at something off camera

Physically, their most distinctive features are the crossed horns on their forehead - originally used to rappel down ziplines and ram enemies off platforms (and can also work as radio receivers in a pinch).

The heart shaped gem on their tail serves as a general health indicator (the brighter the better, going to flashing just before losing a life), and doubles as a ping pong paddle or hot plate in an emergency. Their tail is prehensile; used for grappling and swinging in platforming days, now used for coiling self up for anxiety and bringing friends into hugs.

Their wings are more for gliding than flying, and are usually kept folded up due to the lack of need to use them. (They do keep a small supply of their old power-ups to fly if needed, but these have a very limited duration).

They are less agile than they used to be - things change when you aren't bouncing on platforms all day - but they are stronger, after walking to work each day and having to help lug servers around.

Interests

Dragon Salon (Patreon Reward) by Goattrain
  • Technology and gaming
  • Meditation
  • Going to the salon to get their claws done.
  • Cuddling friends.
  • Transhumanism (transdragonism? Either way, they're thinking about replacing the tip of one of their horns with a disguised USB drive).

Games

Dex the Dragon 1991

The game that started it all! Platform over pits, bounce on inexplicably placed springs, and swoop down ziplines, this game's big thing. A more peaceful, slower game than many of its contemporaries, something which reviewers both liked and disliked.

A dragon using their horns to swing on a zipline.
Dex the Dragon 2 1993

This game introduced gliding to the series, allowing much more verticality in the levels. Reviewers liked it, but did say it was more of the same.

COMING SOON
Dex the Dragon 3 1995

This game introduced the ability for Dex to swing quickly from their tail, allowing much quicker traversal if the player chooosed to do so.

Still, by this point, 2D platformers were not the hot new genre they once were, with much of the industry moving onto FMV games. (Briefly).

COMING SOON
Dex the Dragon 3D 199X

An expansive 3D platformer with a lot of variety in levels. Started showing off Dex's love of technology with its wide variety of hacking minigames. Help a load of people out, collect hearts (or representations of them at least), and get into a whole load of weird and wonderful situations.

Reviewers at the time called it "ahead of its time" - primarily referring to the game being too advanced for the consoles of the era, resulting in a less-than-optimal framerate at times. Not a bad game by any means, but commercially overshadowed by much more famous (and infamous) titles.

COMING SOON
Dex Team Dashing (DTD) Cancelled

Who doesn't want a racing game featuring dragons? The liquidators, apparently.

A giant dragon on an equally giant kart making tight turns around an airport.
Dex the Dragon 3D Remastered 201X202X

There are rumours that someone has purchased the rights to the studio that made the Dex games, and is planning something big on hardware that can now handle the game... but those rumours have been around a while.

Still owning the rights to their own image, Dex has stated that they will only agree to any remake on the condition that they're allowed to rewrite the plot to be about their current loves.

COMING SOON

Merchandise

Beanie by SamnDoesArt

The Dex games didn’t generate a lot of merchandise - but in the 90s, it was fairly impossible to not end up with some kind of licensing deal.

One of the most interesting items is the promotional plush released for Dex 3D - which could be considered charmingly low poly by modern standards. The standard size is quite rare now, but the giant in-store display model is the rarest piece of Dex merchandise now.

Coming soon.