Forums > Submission Feedback > spaceworlder's Dragon Warrior III review

Great review. It's short, but there isn't a wasted word. I loved the bit about the flight or flee dilemma. I think that tension of "do I go on? do I heal, do I save??!" is absolutely key in dungeon crawlers -- it's something that definitely made Fallout 3's dungeons tense anyway. Hearing that DW gets the balance between difficulty and reward right definitely makes it sound like a solid game. Also, it's nice to see you write a new review.

"fuck yeah oblivion" - Jihad

Thanks! I spent about five drafts wittling this review down from the original 900 words. @_@

Spaceworlder was able to build this sig IN A CAVE…… WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS!!

I've never gotten all that far in III, but your complaint about monsters shrugging off your attack even in the late game mirrors my recent experiences in the DS remake of DQIV. Eventually, I removed offensive casters from my lineup entirely to trade them for another strong sword arm, which at least damages the enemy reliably.

''Yes, yes...but apart from all that, Mrs Lincoln, how was the play?''

Dragon Warrior III is actually worse. At least in part four, magic is useful against the final boss. Spell casting also gets much better from part five and onward.

Spaceworlder was able to build this sig IN A CAVE…… WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS!!

While I'm obviously not a fan of watching my magic attack miss in that game, it never really struck me as a flaw or took my out of the game. It was just one of the hazards of casting a badical spell. Dragon Warrior III is awesome. I actually prefer it to Dragon Warrior IV. As for V, I'll find out about that one soon enough. It's one of the next ones on my pile to review. The remake, at any rate.

"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." - John F. Kennedy on reality

"What if everything you see is more than what you see--the person next to you is a warrior and the space that appears empty is a secret door to another world? What if something appears that shouldn't? You either dismiss it, or you accept that there is much more to the world than you think. Perhaps it really is a doorway, and if you choose to go inside, you'll find many unexpected things." - Shigeru Miyamoto

The idea of magic failing at random is completely stupid and irritating. The only hazard for casting a powerful spell should be losing 20 MP.

Spaceworlder was able to build this sig IN A CAVE…… WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS!!

I agree with Spaceworlder. Wimpy fireballs missing their target is one thing, but high-level world-smoldering spells should always hit. Taking it a step further, it would piss me off if ANY attack consistently missed once someone was high level. Super-buff ninjas should have a damn good chance of hitting their targets whenever they swing their katana.

NOTE: I haven't played any Dragon Warrior games since the first one

//Zig

Unlimited Zig Works!

I get mad in an RPG when I'm fighting a blob of slime and my swing of the club misses or whatever, but we're talking about showdowns with badass villains here! It's entirely reasonable that powerful spells would have no effect if two warlocks are dueling. That's often the way things would go, honestly, until one opponent or another gets lucky and sneaks in a hit. When you're battling a final boss monster in a Dragon Warrior game, of course he's overpowered!

As an aside, it's not even a huge deal in the game. If you start out with a wizard and teach him a bunch of powerful magic, you can then switch his class late in the game and quickly build him up as a powerful warrior... who just happens to have access to killer spells. Or vice-versa. It's really not a big deal either way in Dragon Warrior III. That level of customization is just one of the game's many selling points.

"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." - John F. Kennedy on reality

"What if everything you see is more than what you see--the person next to you is a warrior and the space that appears empty is a secret door to another world? What if something appears that shouldn't? You either dismiss it, or you accept that there is much more to the world than you think. Perhaps it really is a doorway, and if you choose to go inside, you'll find many unexpected things." - Shigeru Miyamoto

In the final battle, I expect my Wizard's spells to connect at least as much as my tank's attacks. Otherwise, why did I spend the whole game dragging him around with me? Carrying dead weight sucks.

Class-changing doesn't help at all either, since you have to spend hours grinding your character from Level 1 for him to catch up with the rest of your team. It's not like Dragon Quest IV where you can easily switch out Maya or Borya for Alena, or DQ6 where class-changing doesn't impact your EXP.

Spaceworlder was able to build this sig IN A CAVE…… WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS!!

Just find a few metal slimes and you're halfway there. The early levels build up a few at a time and the later ones aren't even terribly necessary if you have a good character.

"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." - John F. Kennedy on reality

"What if everything you see is more than what you see--the person next to you is a warrior and the space that appears empty is a secret door to another world? What if something appears that shouldn't? You either dismiss it, or you accept that there is much more to the world than you think. Perhaps it really is a doorway, and if you choose to go inside, you'll find many unexpected things." - Shigeru Miyamoto

If only finding Metal Slimes was easy, and if only killing them was just as easy.

Spaceworlder was able to build this sig IN A CAVE…… WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS!!

dragon warrior iii for me holds alot of memories. it was the first game i played in the series and it was tough as shit. the best part of the game was finding out you were playing the legendary warrior Erdrick and is the prequel to the first game..i thought that was an interesting twist for it's time.

!

If only finding Metal Slimes was easy, and if only killing them was just as easy.

Another DQIV benefit, I guess: Alena has them for breakfast, between her high speed and improved critical hit rate. My grind for the final boss was quick and painless.

''Yes, yes...but apart from all that, Mrs Lincoln, how was the play?''