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Dragon Warrior III review

Game: Dragon Warrior III
Platform: NES
Genre: Turn-Based RPG
Developer: Chun Soft
AKA: Dragon Quest III (JP)

Reader review by joseph_valencia

February 20, 2009

When I set out from my hometown in “Dragon Warrior III,” the first thing I saw was a tower on a solitary island. I couldn’t resist wondering what treasures lay within the spire and what dangers guarded them. In my quest to vanquish the odious Lord Baramos and avenge my father, I made it my first order of business to find a way into those walls and see what was inside.

That was one of many compelling structures I encountered during my journey. Another memorable one was a pyramid located to the north of the castle town of Isis. Its upper levels contained a treasure most valuable in my quest, but the going was tough. On the ground floor, there were concealed pitfalls that would drop whoever stepped on them into a basement chamber. This sub-level was enchanted with an anti-magic field, rendering the spells of both my comrades and my enemies useless. Unfortunately, the monsters didn’t need magic as badly as we did.

I’ve heard tales of secret stairs that descend deeper into the basement, where a chamber containing the Golden Claw resides. This gilded weapon is most powerful and could fetch a hefty sum of gold at the pawn shop, but whoever carries will it encounter twice the monsters. With the anti-magic field depriving me of healing and escape spells, I didn’t dare go for that treasure.

During many such expeditions, I encountered that fight or flee dilemma. My comrades and I would find ourselves virtually drained in the middle--or perhaps nearing the end?--of some monster’s den, and I had to make a call. Should I give in to the rational urge to retreat to some nearby sanctuary, or should I keep pressing onward under the hunch that maybe, just maybe the next chamber would contain the treasure we sought?

Looking back, the best thing about “Dragon Warrior III” was the balance it struck in its dungeon layouts. They are vast and convoluted enough to drain us, but also short enough that we often find ourselves rewarded for pressing on just that little bit more.

Yet there was one small but crucial detail that irritated me even during the game’s greatest moments. At the start of your journey, you are encouraged to visit a local pub to recruit a fellowship of warriors. I decided to bring along a Soldier, a Pilgrim--Cleric, and a Wizard. We had a solid group. The Soldier endured many attacks at the frontline for my more vulnerable team members, all the while dishing out damage in return. The Pilgrim kept us going through the densest of labyrinths with his healing and support spells. The Wizard, on the other hand, tried his hardest to be of use, but his magic had this unfortunate habit of backfiring.

I understand a Wizard can’t be a Gandalf right out of the box. There are experience levels to be gained, and maybe magic requires some trial and error on the road to mastery. But am I wrong to find it inexcusable that my Wizard’s magic is still failing as our quest nears its homestretch? Is it irrational for me to expect advanced spells like Explodet or Blazemost to at least dent the Lord of Darkness in our final showdown?

Whenever I wasted nine precious magic points to have a spell “not affect” the enemy, it took me out of the game. To the extent that I was “in the game,” however, I enjoyed it.

Rating: 7/10

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