Dragon Warrior

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a game by Nintendo
Genre: Adventure/RPG
Platform: NESNES
Editor Rating: 7/10, based on 3 reviews
User Rating: 7.6/10 - 5 votes
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See also: Dragon Games, Dragon Warrior Series

In Japan you can forget Street Fighter, Sonic, and Super Mario. Dragon Quest role-playing games are responsible for kids skipping school and breaking into stores just to get their hands on the latest DQ game. A new law forbids Enix of Japan from selling Dragon Quest games on any day but Sunday!

The role-playing craze hasn't reached full bloom Stateside, but the American versions (renamed Dragon Warriors I-III) are still among the chart-topping fantasy adventures ‘round these parts. Enix's Dragon Warrior IV is a great, if predictable, sequel in the U.S. NES series. It has definitely taken a few lessons in self-improvement over its forbearers, but it also goes nowhere new in other areas.

Formula IV?

Yes and no. Right off, you'll notice Dragon Warrior IV looks and sounds like its progenitors, which isn't saying much. The overhead-view graphics and character pix are functional, but blocky, blase, and balloony. The combat scenes are first-person perspective looks at still enemy shots against black, nondescript backgrounds. All in all, these are average visuals for an RPG. The upbeat, Romper Roomish music during the Walkabout mode, and the slightly scary battle songs are equally underwhelming. Some of the tracks are lifted directly from previous Dragon Warriors!

On the game play side of the equation, there's better news. Like most good RPGs, the game still emphasizes item- gathering, monster-stomping, and level- building. Now, the game also offers more complex character development and a deeper story line. Your four-person party can include yourself, people you meet, and even friendly monsters. You control some of the characters in the party. Other characters have minds of their own!

New Chapters, Old Enemy

A unique, compelling aspect about DW IV's plot is the five-chapter breakdown. The first four chapters are individual tales of folks in peril. In each tale, you command a different cast of characters and solve a quest. In the meantime, the villainous Necro-saro boss monster is watching, waiting, and licking his many demonic teeth.

PrTip: Ignore the voices you hear at the bottom of the well in Chapter I. Instead, search everywhere to uncover 500 gold pieces. Find and talk to the slime creature and he'll join your team!

The Chapter stories are straightforward, but interesting. You must rescue kidnapped children in Chapter 1, guide a young Princess to freedom from an overbearing father in Chapter 2, bring fame and fortune to an Arms Merchant in Chapter 3, and avenge a loved father's death in Chapter 4. In Chapter 5, all of your characters assemble into one massive fighting force to slay the hated demon! Once you reach Chapter 5, you haul this massive ten-person team in a wagon and choose four of the active characters.

  • Only use the flying Shoes while you're outdoors.
  • To escape take a leap of faith off the top of Loch Tower.

Controlled Interfaced

Don't expect plot connections to the previous Dragon Warrior games. Newcomers can jump right in without hesitation, but old-timers might be disappointed that there's no continuity of story from one game to the next. The game's challenging and quite long. Fortunately it's also battery backed.

Never, ever, press Reset while entering your name. You'll risk erasing a previous Log Entry.

Controlled Interface

Interfacing with the game is less painful than a sword in the gut. In fact, it's quite easy. An options screen enables you to alter the game's message speed to suit your tastes. The dialogue, combat and spell-casting systems move along without breakdowns. You can swap items among characters, rearrange the marching order, and equip weapons with minimal button presses.

Tactical Triumph

Combat's definitely not a joy to behold, and it's repeated over and over throughout the game. However, a great nonstandard feature found only in Chapter 5 is player-selectable battle tactics. You choose from six different strategies to arm your warriors. Here's where this game's Artificial Intelligence (Al) does its duty. Your team's Al automatically learns from its mistakes and remembers its lessons in the next round!

Don't waste Medical Herbs while Healie's on your team. He'll cast healing spells after major hits.

A Dragon Delight

It's no surprise to hard-core Dragon Warriors that number IV looks and sound like lizard stew. On the plus side, the fairly exciting story line, new cast of characters, battle tactics feature, and massive length make it an excellent concoction experienced NES role-gamers. Definitely digest Dragon Warrior IV and look forward to its forthcoming 16-bit sequel.

Download Dragon Warrior

NES

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
  • P-200, 32 MB RAM

Game Reviews

Released in May 27, 1986, this game promised to be a good start to RPGs. Gameplay may be old (EX: To go down stairs press A and select stairs) but it was a great game anyway.

Dragon Warrior typifies the new breed of sophisticated Nintendo games. A fantasy role-playing epic, it demands almost no dexterity at all. Instead of pitting the superior speed of a machine against your human reflexes, Dragon Warrior requires patience and strategic thinking. The story takes place in Al-efgard, a land populated by knights, dragons, magicians, and all manner of monsters. Long ago, the brave warrior Erdrick used magical balls of light to free the land from darkness. Generations later, the evil Dragonlord stole the balls of light and once again plunged Alefgard into darkness and terror. According to a seer, Alefgard can be saved only by a descendant of Erdrick. Could you be Erdrick's heir to glory?

When the game begins, the king sends you forth on your quest. Your travels take you throughout Alefgard to forests, mountains, plains, swamps, towns, and - eventually - to Charlock, the Dragonlord's lair.

Along the way, you meet numerous people and encounter many dangerous monsters. It's important to speak with everyone you meet, because they often provide valuable clues. It helps to jot down these clues for later reference.

When you encounter a monster, you can either run or fight. Fighting is simply a matter of selecting the Fight command from a menu - no arcade skills are required. Each exchange of blows subtracts hit points from both you and the monster. If you run out of hit points before the monster does, you're dead and the game's over. If you win, you're rewarded with experience points and gold.

As you gain experience points, you advance to higher levels and grow stronger. By accumulating gold, you can buy tools, more powerful weapons, and better armor. The key to winning is to avoid challenging the Dragonlord until you are very strong, have lots of experience fighting monsters, and are well equipped. Since this takes many hours of play, Dragon Warrior lets you save up to three games in progress.

Dragon Warrior is patterned after the role-playing games that have been available on personal computers for years. Although it lacks certain details - you can't design your own character, and only one person can play at a time - it's an excellent rendition of a popular theme.

Snapshots and Media

NES/Famicom/Dendy Screenshots