Dragon Warrior -NES- 8

November 12, 2023

I just finished Dragon Warrior for the Nes (known in Japan as “Dragon Quest”). To my knowledge, this is recognized as the first major console jRPG ever released. You play as a descendent of the great warrior Erdrick, and you must battle the evil Dragonlord, who has kidnapped the king’s daughter and stolen the kingdom’s sacred Ball of Light. DW is as old-school as it gets, but I enjoyed the adventure, understanding that it was going to be a grind-heavy rpg. I will say DW does require more level-grinding than even the Final Fantasy trilogy on Nes/famicom. But it was relaxing to roam the land and battle tons of enemies, for the most part. There was a great sense of accomplishment when my hero would gain another level, as you always get great stat boosts and usually learn a new spell. Saving up your money to buy the best armor and weapons was also really important to succeed. I also really liked the interactivity of using the physical maps that came with the cib. Everything you needed to explore the overworld and the individual dungeons came in the original packaging, which is really neat. The narrative was very light compared to later rpgs, but the simplicity of exploration and discovery here is charming. The basic plot of the hero saving the kingdom and the princess is basic, but it works. And from I hear, the next two sequels build on the lore set up in this entry. I’m giving DW an 8 out of ten. Despite being dated, I had a good time with it and I appreciate the game for paving the way for my personal favorite genre in videogames.