Dragon Warrior was released as Dragon Quest in Japan in 1986. When it was being ported to the North American Nintendo Entertainment System (or the NES), the name Dragon Quest was already taken by a pencil and paper roleplaying game. The title was changed to Dragon Warrior and given a few updates before finally being released in America in 1989. Both ports of the game have gone on to become the start of an era and a monumental success in both Japanese and American sales.
Dragon Quest was one of the earliest fantasy RPG to be ported to a console (The Tower of Druaga and Hydlide came just before it) and it was presented as much more polished game by comparison to its peers. With a simple storyline to follow and a straightforward gameplay, (besides the slightly over complicated menu) the players start their journey to rescue the princess and defeat the Dragon Lord.
You begin as a nameless hero, who is the direct descendent of Erdrick, a mythical warrior who defeated evils of the past. Now the world is brought to darkness once again as the Dragon Lord unleashes his beasts and monsters upon the land. The people flee to their villages and guarded kingdom walls, and as the descendent of the legendary warrior, it is your job to fight off the Slimes, Werewolves, Ghosts and Dragons that come in your wake.
The game sports some very nice graphics for the time and the updated version made for the NES release made your character not only look better but also show more movement when he walked. The game has been praised for its music, although it can be somewhat repetitive, it is still far better than some far less lyrical game soundtracks. The shading and the landscapes are beautiful to look at and the monster designs were some that are still used today.
The characters’ designs were made by Akira Toriyama, who many will know for creating the world wide phenomenon, Dragon Ball. His style is unmistakable, though it doesn’t really show through all that well in 8-bit format in most cases. The artwork for the game is awesome, and a testament for the time of good old fashioned Japanese manga at its finest. Though, the North American booklet for the game did not feature Toriyama’s artwork, it was still very well painted and beautiful. Not to mention, Akira’s artwork for the game is now very easy to find in its entirety.
The gameplay is very simple. You have your normal equipment, items, hitpoints and mana and experience from killing monsters of various strength and magical prowess. This is where the game takes a bit of a downfall, as grinding in early JRPG’s was a bit of a strong concept in the way you played the game. There were short cuts you could always take to speed along this process, of course. The main goal is to gain levels, buy weapons and armor, upgrading them as you went from town to town on the map.
Dragon Warrior is also unique in that saving the princess is not only not the main goal of the plot, but also not required at all. She is deep within a cave that is fairly easy to navigate. Once there, you will be confronted by a green dragon; the first you will see in the game. It is a powerful beast that will take both quick wit and a fast sword to defeat.
Another optional (but almost completely required) quest is that of the two items known as Erdrick’s Sword and his Armor. Both of these are especially powerful, and will aid you the very most as you face the master of the beasts himself. The sword lies within his castle, while the armor is guarded by a savage axe knight whose strength is unmatched within the broken city he dwells.
There are many other game elements throughout, as well as hidden secrets that you will need to find. While they are hinted at throughout the game, finding them can be a bit of a chore. Back in the day, Nintendo Power published a special strategy guide along with the game’s release. It told you where to go, how to get there, and the best ways to decipher the seemingly endless hallways within the caves and crypts. This is also a very good resource in navigating the castle of the Dragon Lord.
The Dragon Lord is guarded by not only green dragons, but also Axe Knights much like the one before, only in far greater numbers. Worse than that are the Dragon Lord’s personal guards that are positioned very close to him. They include Armor Knights and Red Dragons far superior to the foes you have already faced. This is all to build to the battle with the dreaded lord himself. At first he will offer you to join him and rule this land as his one and only champion. Telling him no will invoke his wrath and drive him to attack.
Overall, it has a rather generic story, but it was also one of the front runners in the industry. While the storyline was very straightforward, the gameplay was praised for its simplicity, along with its challenges. The game sold so well in Japan, that America mass produced it more than normal. The sales were very good, but not meeting the goals they had planned, so they gave the game away along with a subscription to Nintendo Power. Despite the moderate sales, the game still has a rather large fan base, as well as a thriving franchise still to this day with well over ten sequels and spinoff games.
Finally, it is good to note that, among all of the interesting and unique monsters, the most notable of the bunch is none other than your first opponents, the slimes. They are varying in colors in the first game, and varying in shapes and sizes throughout its other franchise games. They are the most enduring face of Dragon Quest as a whole, and their form has been parodied and admired since its release. If you ever see a Slime sticker, by all means, stick it on the back of your game console and give Dragon Warrior a try. Drink Water, Warrior!
