Patience and perseverance hath served thee well.
The first Dragon Warrior (or Dragon Quest if you prefer) game is notable if not for the gameplay, then for nostalgia’s sake. It pretty much single-handedly created the console RPG genre, introducing a number of fundamental concepts that would be built upon by later games including Final Fantasy. A traditional fantasy setting. A large, expansive world map with real-time exploration interspersed with turn-based combat as you beat the stuffing out of the random monsters you encounter on your travels from town to town to dungeon to town. The levelling system and combat stats are present and correct, albeit in a rather simplified form. There are a variety of weapons, armour and items to collect and magic spells to learn as you quest ever onward to defeat the evil Dragonlord. While Dragon Warrior is certainly innovative for it’s time, it is not without it’s flaws. Firstly, it’s slow. Hot damn, is it slow. While a certain amount of level grinding is to be expected in most RPGs, this game really takes the biscuit in that department. Monsters give out pitiful experience and gold, making levelling up to a point where you are strong enough and well-equipped enough to move on with the game a real chore. In fact, I’d say a good 90% of the time I’ve passed playing this game was spent grinding. Secondly, it’s a bit too simplistic, especially when compared to various PC RPGs of the same era and even later NES games. But once you’ve got the hang of things and you’ve accepted the slow pace, Dragon Warrior can still provide a lot of fun.
Graphics: 7/10
The graphics are fairly decent for the time. Most early NES games weren’t about the eye-candy, and Dragon Warrior is no exception. I’d say the nearest approximation would be graphics of a similar style to the first Zelda game, with it’s top-down exploration view and varied scenery. The exception is when you enter combat, where the view changes to a first-person viewpoint with some pretty good monster drawings. Those Slimes sure are cute.
Sound: 8/10
It’s got a good, catchy theme, I’ll say that. The sound effects are few and far between, and what we do hear are mostly generic beeps, bops and that attack ‘whoosh’ that I swear I’ve heard in about five other NES games. It gets the job done, though, and there’s certainly nothing that drags the game down.
Value: 8/10
It’s a big game, although whether that’s due to the exciting and convoluted plotline or the endless level grinding is a matter of debate. Oh all right, it’s not a matter for debate. The plot is about as thin as value toilet paper. The real meat of the game is whacking those random monsters all day. While never released in Europe and therefore a bit of a rarity here, I assume Dragon Warrior is pretty easy to find in the US (that’s where I got my copy anyway), so you might as pick it up if you see it.
Tilt: 7/10
Good.
Pros:
Provides a blueprint for most later J-RPGs; I dread to think what the genre would be like if it wasn’t for early forerunners like this game. Can be very fun despite the slow pace. Also has battery backup, meaning no more passwords of novel proportions.
Cons:
It’s just too damn slow.
Conclusion:
The sequels were better, but if you like old NES adventures and RPGs you’ll definitely want to give this one a go too.