Forums > Submission Feedback > JoeTheDestroyer's Dragon Warrior review

I agree on this game being *very* straightforward.

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Good review! My own mistake was that I played this game after I played both Dragon Quest II (still one of my favorite JRPGs of all time) and the original Final Fantasy. So it compared poorly, even though it has a lot of value. Like you said, even just talking to someone requires a person to access a menu and select the "Talk" option, and going down stairs requires similar fiddling. I got the updated version on Switch, which I believe fixes that and some other things, so maybe the time when I will have this familiar adventure once again isn't so distant...

"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 on secret doors to another world2

Thank you both for reading. I've seen the Switch version available, and I have to say I'm interested in picking it up (and maybe 2 and 3 as well, but really I want 5 and 6, since I never got the DS versions of those games). This is a pretty straightforward game, but it seems like it would play decentlywith some tweaking.

The only thing my milkshake brings to the yard is a subpoena.

There also was a Super Famicom combo of the first two Dragon Quests that I played that made the first one a bit more user-friendly as far as menus and actions go.

Regardless of platform, the game pretty much reviews the same (at least if you're a fan of JRPGs and/or this series). It's short, simplistic and a bit grindy due to the whole "one man party" deal, but it was the first JRPG I played and without it, I likely wouldn't have had so many fun years with the genre before those games started losing their luster for me a year or two ago. Kind of like the first Super Mario or Final Fantasy in that it wouldn't be my choice of what game to play in its series today, but it holds a position in my heart due to what it was at the time I originally played it.

I'm not afraid to die because I am invincible
Viva la muerte, that's my goddamn principle

I just finished this on the NES version for the first time and, other than a grind for the final boss, thought it held up very well. Highlights include (spoilers):

- not an ounce of fat on it really (until the final dungeon grind)
- having an initial 'dungeon' area that is completely optional, which breathes life into the setting
- having early access to a late game green dragon to again, emphasising the non-linear options.
- making most 'puzzles' things that can be reasonably resolved without resorting to the internet.

I gave it 7/10 (although granted I listened to radio shows throughout it, I'm not sure I could give it my undivided attention outside of dungeons and new explorations).

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I think a big problem is that it feels so utterly primitive (aside from the more colorful battle backgrounds) after playing basically any of its sequels. You even have to go through menus to descend stairs. I don't regret playing through Dragon Quest, but Dragon Quest II gave me a lot more of the sort of stuff I love about the genre and I played it first. That kind of made it hard to go back to the original, even though I'm glad the original paved the way for so many good things that followed.

"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 on secret doors to another world2