Dragon Warrior

The Good
I loved everything about this game. I first got this game for Christmas in 1989 and I remember playing it until March non-stop. I love the music too, the overworld music still can get stuck in my head. The game is one of the most challenging RPGs to date. The game is set up in a way that you can literally almost walk to the Castle Charlock at first level except you will get reamed very shortly after running in to enemies too powerful. This adds a great exploration factor to the game and allows you to advance at your own pace. If you think you're ready to advance to another area of the overworld...then go for it!! You'll soon find out if you're ready :)

The battles are pretty fast paced due to the fact you can only be attacked by one enemy at a time. This game was the first of its kind for the NES and probably many other systems too. Many many games used aspects of this to create their own and it shows. This is an all time classic RPG and should be given respect for its originality and entertainment.

The Bad
Very limited amount of spells!!

only one save point and you have to talk to an annoying king every time you want to save.

Very very difficult to gain EXP at higher levels and gold is hard to get sometimes. many many hours are spent walking around and battling to level up. One could argue this isn't a weakness to the game but for younger RPG players who's first RPG was something like Final Fantasy 7, they may feel this game is a lot of work. Thats right, this game makes you work hard to level up but in the end, you get a rewarding feeling from it.

Only can be attacked by one enemy at a time!! this is why it is difficult to level up and acquire gold. This is fixed in Dragon Warrior 2.

The Bottom Line
Excellent and original RPG! A must play for any classic RPG fans! 2 thumbs up!

The Good
Dragon Warrior was the first real RPG for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). You play as a descendant of the great warrior Erdrick sent to save the princess and slay the evil Dragonlord. Standard RPG conventions abound: purchase equipment, fight random battles to gain levels, talk to NPCs in various towns scattered across the world... This is basically the template for all of the early Japanese RPG titles. I'll admit that I didn't play this game back when it came out. In fact, I didn't even own an NES and, unlike Final Fantasy or Crystalis, I never watched someone play this game either. My opinions therefore are not tainted with nostalgia nor are they informed by the time period in which this game was released.

Amazingly, Enix got a lot of things right. The difficulty here is fairly steep and so every small accomplishment feels monumental. Just making it intact to the second town in the game takes at least an hour and is cause for celebration. Also, surprisingly, the battles don't feel terribly repetitive in the early parts of the game even though they undoubtedly are. Battling cute, colorful slimes or fat bat-like creatures (called Drakees) is not nearly the chore it would seem, even when those battles have to be repeated ad nauseum in order to gain a few levels and a bit of gold for better equipment. But the best part about this game is the feeling of adventure and wanderlust it breeds in the player. Unlike other RPGs of the time, you aren't restricted in where you can go by feeble storyline annoyances such as a broken bridge that can only be fixed by finding a mystical tree, freeing a woodsman, etc etc etc. You can go most places right off the bat. The only thing holding you back is your low level, your lack of strength and defense. It could be said that this works in the same way, but I disagree. Having roadblocks all over the map greatly discourages exploration and makes a game feel very linear. While Dragon Warrior is in many ways as linear as any other early RPG, it never quite feels that way because the map is completely open. The one blocked off part of the map also leads to one of the less linear parts of the game: in order to reach the Dragonlord's castle, you have to collect several items to create a "rainbow bridge." They can be collected in pretty much any order. Another thing that can be done at various times in the game is rescuing the princess. There's nothing stopping you from battling her guard early and in fact so long as you have the sleep spell you've got a chance of defeating him. All of this adds up to creating an experience that is in many ways quite different from other early games of this nature. This game really sends you on an adventure, rather than a walk from one plot point to the next.

The Bad
There is plenty that could distract and annoy those weaned on recent RPGs. DW is a HARD game. It will repeatedly and gleefully kick your ass at every turn. It isn't a difficult game in that there are no real puzzles to solve or complicated things to do during battles, but if you aren't the right level for the area you are wandering around in, expect to have your ass handed to you. Secondly, many things that gamers now would take for granted are things that DW does not do for you. For instance, you have to select an option from a menu in order to walk down a flight of stairs. You can't just push yourself onto the stairs icon and have the game automatically sends you down to the next floor (or up as the case may be). You have very limited room in your inventory, you can only carry six healing herbs or torches and you need some light source in order to navigate the dungeons. Mapping dungeons is a requirement. Probably the worst thing about DW is that there will be times where you'll need to find certain items in order to advance and you'll have no idea where to look for them. Many of the people that have things that you need are completely unhelpful in telling you what it is they are looking for (like the guy who just says you failed your task every time you talk to him). Also, there will be one point in the game where you'll need to do some serious leveling up in order to advance and it will take a LONG time to do this. I never really minded all the level grinding in this game until I got to this part. It's about halfway through, right before you start looking for Erdrick's items. It was the one time where I actually resented the difficulty of the game and felt the tediousness of building levels.

The Bottom Line
Despite its many short-comings, DW really delivers a great and refreshing role-playing experience. While the storyline is fairly rudimentary and the gameplay is fairly basic, Dragon Warrior has a lot of charm, and its sense of adventure more than makes up for any of its problems. If you want to actually feel an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and wayfaring this is definitely the NES RPG to play.

The Good
Dragon Warrior was a leader of its kind. The turn based battle was something that had people wanting more. The classic graphics and sound made the gameplay interesting while fighting the endless battles to strengthen your character.

The Bad
If you think about the story, it seems pretty short. Find the princess in the cave thats right next to the castle, then fight the Dragonlord in the castle you can see across from your own, but it takes you forever to get your level up.

The Bottom Line
Dragon Warrior is definitely a game to play if you are a true RPG player. It has classic RPG roots. Turn based battles, weapon buying, item buying, its a very classic game. Very long but fun. I could never shake the game away, it calls to you while your not playing.