Chill game, lacking content tbh
Have you ever played an RPG that feels like you do nothing but grind all the way to the end? This game does that.
One of my most fascinating gaming experiences, and I never would've expected to like this as much as I did. Incredibly simple, and yet fun and smooth to play. Discovering the secrets of the world and progressing isn't as cryptic as other NES games (like the original TLoZ), and actually feels incredibly rewarding and satisfying, and overall aside from maybe the Erdrick Mark thing near the end (which is handled kind of poorly and had to look up if I was right [I was]) the game is in my opinion completely beatable without a guide.
It's also simply fascinating to see where a whole genre started, and the game isn't even as grindy as I expected it to be (I only did it twice in my whole playtrough).
My only complaint is how out of place character sprites look in the port, they just don't look quite right. On the other hand, the orchestral soundtrack and battle artworks for enemy are both beautiful.
I think for the price (5€, often on sale) this is an awesome little experience that everyone who likes JRPGs will enjoy.
I have a feeling in a couple of months I will have played this even more times than the Dark Souls games.
It's also simply fascinating to see where a whole genre started, and the game isn't even as grindy as I expected it to be (I only did it twice in my whole playtrough).
My only complaint is how out of place character sprites look in the port, they just don't look quite right. On the other hand, the orchestral soundtrack and battle artworks for enemy are both beautiful.
I think for the price (5€, often on sale) this is an awesome little experience that everyone who likes JRPGs will enjoy.
I have a feeling in a couple of months I will have played this even more times than the Dark Souls games.
Grind, buy equipment, advance, repeat.
This game aged surprisingly well. usually NES games are stupidly and annoyingly cryptic but Dragon Quest is pretty simple to follow as long as you're paying attention. The game is very short I think it only took me about 7-8 hours to beat it but for a NES game or the 3 dollar mobile port I got that's fine. I mostly played this game to kill time and it does that well. The problems are mostly ones that were with age and the genre not being perfected yet, every fight is a stat check, there's no real strategy, you either have the stats to win or you don't. The game is VERY backtracky, granted I think it's in favor for the game's design as the world's pretty small, you kinda wanna be fighting enemies to grind, and exploration with future items (mostly keys) gives you more items and hints for further progression. The only time I REALLY had to stop and grind was toward the end of the game for the best equipment and even then it was only like 40 minutes. Overall it's really solid for an NES rpg and I'd say if you're a fan of the genre it's worth a look for the novelty.
I mean, it's Dragon Quest so I should've seen this coming, but god damn this game is as basic as it gets for RPGs. One party member, leveling is a linear track that just goes up when you grind for long enough, equipment upgrading is basically linear, etc.
This is one of the first JRPGs so, understandably, there is nothing of substance here. There's really no reason to play this unless you just want to experience a part of gaming history.
Peak Comfy Gaming
The great grandfather of JRPGs is a great time capsule of it's era, but lacks the replayability of later games by having only 1 player character as opposed to a full party. Worth a single playthrough to witness just how deep some JRPG conventions run
A fun RPG, but an old one that doesn't age well. Where it's super clear to see how this would go on to inspire the genre as time moved forward, the game itself is super simple and playing it today is more for nostalgia/wondering what games used to be like when they started evolving.
Ichiban Kasuga played this, so now i want to too.
In a lot of ways, the germ of everything that is great about Dragon Quest, if not any number of JRPGs after it, are here, in the very first game. In this way, it is a timeless game.
...on the other hand, most of it plays as pretty rote and archaic, these days. The one-on-one nature of combat and the both linear and singular character progression path especially feels simplistic and hopelessly dated.
One of those games I'd call a valuable history lesson to experience in an afternoon or two with a guide open.
I played the Android port, so that might have even removed some of the uglier warts on it. Go with your own gut feeling about whether or not you should play a remake or an original version.
...on the other hand, most of it plays as pretty rote and archaic, these days. The one-on-one nature of combat and the both linear and singular character progression path especially feels simplistic and hopelessly dated.
One of those games I'd call a valuable history lesson to experience in an afternoon or two with a guide open.
I played the Android port, so that might have even removed some of the uglier warts on it. Go with your own gut feeling about whether or not you should play a remake or an original version.
A crappy mobile porting that arrived on Switch that makes you wait for a proper remake instead of this garbage.
The base game is pretty good though, this is why I am rating it higher than it actually deserves.
The base game is pretty good though, this is why I am rating it higher than it actually deserves.
Neat lil game
Simple yet fun
SNES vers.
Weirdly enjoyed this more than V lol
Probs cause of the pure simplicity allowing the charm of the JRPG to shine thru
Weirdly enjoyed this more than V lol
Probs cause of the pure simplicity allowing the charm of the JRPG to shine thru
My favorite part is when you're able to Zoom call the princess to find your family heirloom in a swamp. Feminism.
A little on the grindy-side, but a lot of the charm of the later entries is here. Having the Dragonlord’s castle at the center of the map while you explore the periphery is a nice touch that keeps you connected to your main objective. Would love a remake that includes an auto battle option!
Honestly, very short and sweet. The story was simple and I think it does a good job of leading you through the world with a clear mission.
As long as you have a world map pulled up on any version where you don't have access to one, you should be okay.
Random encounters are never fun, but what can you do, it's an 80s jrpg. I had fun though, the atmosphere and music were great and the npcs were funny. There's something so baller about being the one guy with sick ass armour, on a mission to get the ball of light and save the princess. Like it sounds so generic, but it created THE blueprint and it's the ONE to do it right.
As long as you have a world map pulled up on any version where you don't have access to one, you should be okay.
Random encounters are never fun, but what can you do, it's an 80s jrpg. I had fun though, the atmosphere and music were great and the npcs were funny. There's something so baller about being the one guy with sick ass armour, on a mission to get the ball of light and save the princess. Like it sounds so generic, but it created THE blueprint and it's the ONE to do it right.
Alright, here’s what you’re going to do. You are gonna buy this game on mobile, and play it with zero guide. You will go on an amazing adventure, taking notes the whole time and piecing together where you need to go. The story is bare bones, game play is shit, but if you play it correctly, as a mini adventure you can take with you anywhere, it will be a fantastic experience.
clássico né pae
First JRPG I've ever played on IOS, I enjoyed it. Can't wait to play the other games. RIP Akira Torimaya, this is for you.
incredibly simple RPG by nature of being the grandaddy of the modern JRPG, but that makes for the perfect mobile game tbh
truly ahead of its time with a protection to prevent you from mess up with the storyline.
Pretty fun because its basic and you dont have to think alot but thats why it cant have a higher rating.
Honestly a pretty endearing game! Definitely best when using a guide if you don't want an aimless experience, but even with the vague instructions and shallow combat and repetitive grinding, I still got the appeal of what makes this series fun.
Very simple, sometimes to its detriment and sometimes to its benefit. It's the ancestor of all modern JRPGs, so it deserves plenty of respect, but outside of that, it's an enjoyable time.
Not a bad game, I felt it was better paced than a lot of the games after it baring 5. The teleport spell was a cool idea, mad props.
Played it on my phone because I didn't have internet to do anything else.
I was still SUPER in the mood for more Dragon Quest after beating DQB yesterday, so I started looking up ways to play the original legit. I didn't really wanna wait a month for a copy of the Super Famicom remake to come from Japan, so I turned the the Virtual Console. I nearly bought it on the Japanese Wii VC, but it turns out the Japanese 3DS eShop has 3DS remakes of the first three DQ games, so I bought it there instead for just 6 bucks :)
It's Dragon Quest, but FAR easier than the original. This took me about 6 hours to beat, and even though I got lucky on a few fights, especially the Dragon Lord, I was still able to beat the Dragon Lord at level 19 on my first try. This is a fairly streamlined port that really narrows down the level curve (like every level after 17 or so is just 4k EXP, which is like 12 fights against the monsters in the Dragon Lord's chamber). It also gets rid of the menu system like talking, stairs, open, and replaces it with a mechanical and graphical style far more reminiscent of the DS remakes of DQ's 4-6 where A is just your universal interact button. They also dumb down some things, like the Fairy's Flute, Loto's Armor, and even the hidden staircase behind the Dragon Lord's throne being marked with shiny, unmissable stars, but for what it's worth, the location of Loto's talisman is still hidden (although you still get a big interaction '!' above your head when you walk over it).
Verdict: Recommended. It's Dragon Quest like it always was, but way easier and palatable. There is some grinding still, but this is far more beatable in an afternoon/evening than an entire weekend+ affair like the original was. It's pretty to look at and the music is great, so it's a great version to play if you can either read Japanese or just know the game well enough to ignore all the dialogue x3
The plan from here is to move onto DQ2, which I also bought from the eShop for around 9 bucks, so I can partake in this month's TR in a way that won't be an insane time vampire like the original NES port is x3
It's Dragon Quest, but FAR easier than the original. This took me about 6 hours to beat, and even though I got lucky on a few fights, especially the Dragon Lord, I was still able to beat the Dragon Lord at level 19 on my first try. This is a fairly streamlined port that really narrows down the level curve (like every level after 17 or so is just 4k EXP, which is like 12 fights against the monsters in the Dragon Lord's chamber). It also gets rid of the menu system like talking, stairs, open, and replaces it with a mechanical and graphical style far more reminiscent of the DS remakes of DQ's 4-6 where A is just your universal interact button. They also dumb down some things, like the Fairy's Flute, Loto's Armor, and even the hidden staircase behind the Dragon Lord's throne being marked with shiny, unmissable stars, but for what it's worth, the location of Loto's talisman is still hidden (although you still get a big interaction '!' above your head when you walk over it).
Verdict: Recommended. It's Dragon Quest like it always was, but way easier and palatable. There is some grinding still, but this is far more beatable in an afternoon/evening than an entire weekend+ affair like the original was. It's pretty to look at and the music is great, so it's a great version to play if you can either read Japanese or just know the game well enough to ignore all the dialogue x3
The plan from here is to move onto DQ2, which I also bought from the eShop for around 9 bucks, so I can partake in this month's TR in a way that won't be an insane time vampire like the original NES port is x3