Dragon Quest was once the most popular RPG series in Japan, and for a time, the entire world. In the West it was called Dragon Warrior, and the first game was a hit. Nintendo Power even included it with subscriptions. With the popularity of this original release Enix set to work on various sequels. The NES (or Famicom in Japan) had no less than four installments alone. While each subsequent game was more popular in Japan they sold less and less in North America. Enix continued the series on the Super Nintendo.
Unfortunately they never bothered localizing these iterations. I guess it just didn’t sell enough on the NES. Fortunately we now have translation guides and fans dedicated to making these accessible for English speakers. One of the early 16-bit iterations was a remake of the first two Dragon Quest games packaged together in one cartridge. Let’s take a look!
So in this case what does the word ‘remake’ mean? Enix used a completely different, and upgraded graphical engine for this release. It’s clearly based on that used in Dragon Quest V which was the first installment that came out on the Super Famicom. With this we get more sprites, better animation, a significantly wider range of color, much better music, and re-balancing of gameplay.
The cosmetic differences are huge. Dragon Quest V was considered disappointing in terms of graphics when compared with Final Fantasy IV, but the graphical engine serves these remakes extremely well. The originals were not pretty, but the upgraded sprites and color palette make these remakes very pleasing to the eye. Better yet everything is still recognizable from the original releases. Often times remakes take different artistic directions than the original releases, but I’m happy to report that’s not the case here.
We’re going to divide this review between the two individual games. While gameplay is similar they are different stories, have distinct gameplay differences, and are overall separate experiences. They just look the same in this case, and share some music. You can choose from the title screen which one you would like to play and they both have separate save slots. With that out of the way let’s start with the first game.
Dragon Quest
This here is the title that started the JRPG craze. Developer Yuji Horii was inspired by other role playing titles like Ultima and made the genre more accessible with this landmark release. The first Dragon Warrior on the NES did however suffer from some issues. First and foremost it was very simplistic. This has not been changed in the remake here.
You still have just one character to use, and thus a limited number of options. You play as the descedent of a legendary hero named Loto who years ago saved the kingdom of Alefgard from overwhelming darkness. Now a new threat has arisen. The Dragonlord has stolen an artifact known as the ball of light which once saved the kingdom. This man threatens to overtake the entire world with is newfound power.
That’s where you come in. You control this descendent of the previous hero, and it’s up to you to defeat the Dragonlord and restore peace to the land. Unfortunately this is a solo adventure. The guy you start as is the one you’ll finish with in this quest. There’s new equipment and items to collect, but by and large gameplay never really changes.
With that said the first Dragon Quest was very grind-happy. You had to spend hours fighting enemies gaining levels, and saving money to purchase new equipment. Because of your limited options that’s still an issue, but it has been reduced a great deal. Enemies now reward more experience points, and money as well. Because of this Dragon Quest on the Super Famicom is much more accessible than the NES version.
That’s part of why I consider this Super Famicom release the definitive version of the original Dragon Quest. These quality of life changes make it significantly more accessible to new gamers, and at the same time makes veterans feel overpowered. The goals to arrive at the final destination (Dragonlord’s tower) are still a bit vague.
At least you can enter new areas without being instantly slaughtered if you plan ahead. The re-balancing may change some dynamics of the quest, but in complete honesty I think it’s for the better. That’s coming from a Dragon Quest diehard that has been with the series since the 80s. Unfortunately it also means that this version of the game is significantly shorter. It shows how little content there actually was in Dragon Quest. While the NES version takes me upwards of twenty hours I was able to complete this edition in one sitting.
That’s not to say Dragon Quest is bad. Not by any means. The scenario is very basic but I do like how much lore this one introduced into the franchise. There’s surprisingly rich backstory, and it really feels like this world is lived in. Combat is strictly turn based and with just one character your options are limited.
Ultimately just attacking is your best strategy. This may sound boring but Dragon Quest truly rewards those that put time into it. You can feel progression as enemies become easier with every level. It’s truly rewarding, and reaching new areas gives a definitive sense of progression. The simple fact that you don’t have to spend hours to gain just one level makes this remake better than the original.
Dragon Quest II
The first Dragon Quest sequel expanded on the franchise in numerous ways. Gameplay is largely the same. You encounter enemies randomly, enter commands, and if you win you’re awarded experience points and money. Fortunately you’re not stuck with just the lone hero this time around. The party in Dragon Quest II starts off with just one warrior, but eventually expands to three.
The story is set in the same world, but kicks off one hundred years after the descendant of Loto ridded the world of the Dragonlord. Descendants of this warrior have formed numerous new kingdoms in previously unexplored areas of the world. Now the powerful wizard Hargon has plummeted the world into chaos, and it’s up to these three of noble lineage to join forces and save the world again.
While you begin this journey with just one character to use the other two join soon thereafter. This allows for expanded strategy in combat, and the change is much welcome. The prince of Midenhall is very similar in function to the hero in the original story. He’s both decent with magic and strong in combat. In his company is the Prince of Moonbrooke who is stronger, but weaker in magic.
Finally we have the princess of Moonbrooke. She’s weak physically but can cast high level magic. There are no other characters that join your quest, but each has their own role in battle and is highly useful. With a wider variety of spells at your disposal, as well as new items and equipment there are a lot more options to take advantage of here.
The world map is significantly larger here than it was in the original game. There are new towns to explore because of this. The scope of the quest feels significantly bigger. With that said it’s a real treat to return to previous areas that were explored in the prior iteration. You even run into the descendant of the Dragonmaster in a rather funny exchange. Several upgrades have been made to combat.
You no longer encounter just one enemy at a time. Now they come in packs. The game does present these in specific formations so it does get repetitive, but each new area features new foes or in some situations just different arrangements of them. Dragon Quest II offers a lot more content, and diversity than the original in this respect. There’s much more content here to explore and take part in.
Dragon Quest II on the NES suffered from some huge balancing issues. If you encountered the wrong group of enemies you were pretty much done for thanks to their instant death spells. Furthermore the prince of Cannock was basically useless in the original version. His final weapon was acquired just a few towns in, and was extremely weak. Here he can actually use Loto’s sword which alone changes the entire balance of the game. He is now a physical fighter that can deal damage pertinent even in the later stretches of the story.
Dragon Quest II benefits more than the original from the balancing. I can say with no hesitation that this is the best version of the game. If you have ever wanted to play Dragon Quest II then by all means this is the release that you’ll want.
