Dragon Warrior (NES)

RPG week continues!

Difficulty: ***1/2
Sound : ***
Graphics: ***
Overall: 9 1/2 stars out of 15

The once peaceful land of Alefguard is plunged into darkness. Thanks to the evil Dragonlord the ball of light was stolen from the castle and hidden within the dark halls of Charlock Castle. You are one of many brave warriors to come into the village. But you are young, inexperienced and have no magical gifts, can you survive and restore the land?

One of the oldest RPG's for the NES still holds its edge. It is old school brutal to the core. Dying (oh yes, you will die) not only is a drag but you lose half of your gold...ouch. You have many treasures to find and not a whole lot of clues to find them. You will also encounter many bad guys around Alefguard. And I do mean a lot. Moving a few steps and bam! You're in a battle. It can be quite tedious when you have to get to a far off place. Dragon Warrior is not for the impatient.

The opening theme as you turn on the game is simply fantastic! A very regal piece that really sets the stage for your heroic adventures. For the majority of the game you will be hearing one of two themes. That of the overland map and battle. Good thing both are not an ear sore! The sound effects while limited, are good (the wings of the wyvern is a classic for a reason.)

The sprites are nice and to the point. Not too plain but not too detailed either. In battle you get a nice picture of the enemy, however, there is no animation. I would like to note that some monsters (the slimes for instance) don't really seem like enemies. They smile! What the hell? I don't know if I should pet you or chop you in half! The scenery is simple and well done. Too bad there is no day/night mechanic like the sequels.

While the game isn't as challenging or long as the other sequels, it will have you running around for hours looking for various items. The fact that if you die your gold is halved is a REAL bummer. The sounds are catchy (especially the opening theme), but you'll mostly be listening to the overland map and battle music. The graphics are simple and straight to the point. While some enemies look really menacing, most of the latter enemies are just colour swaps. And one more thing, enemies should never smile! It just leaves you with a sinking feeling as you hack away at them!