NES DragonWarrior 1, aka DragonQuest 1

Rating: 10 😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸

Ages 5+, requires some reading, simple combat, epic storyline

 

This game holds a very special place in my heart. This was one of the first games I ever really played; well, not counting Telengard, Solitaire, and a bunch of weird ones we had on our Commodore-64 years and years ago.

For the history of this game, first released in the US for the NES in August 1989, check out the wikipedia article. And a note on the name: DragonQuest was the name in Japan, DragonWarrior was the name it was released under in the US.

I played through this game back in the 1990s on an NES we borrowed. I still have the cartridge with the system in my other room. It captivated me. I could wander around and explore, fight monsters (and usually die when I wandered into an area too difficult for my character's level), talk to townspeople, go on quests or not, as I chose. It really was one of the very first open-world games. No hard barriers, except the one for the final boss, just soft barriers to steer you along the path of the storyline. But even that storyline wasn't linear. I could fumble around without clues and hope to stumble into a piece of story or I could talk to people in the game and get the clues and try to figure it out from there. But it didn't make too much difference what order I did things in.

I also loved that combat was totally turn-based and only required me to push the A-button then choose my action from a very short menu. The monster would patiently wait for me if I needed to run to the bathroom or take care of a screaming child (which happened many times during my game play over the years).

I was thrilled to discover DragonQuest/DragonWarrior 1 recently on the Nintendo Switch. And bonus! It was a few dollars to buy. That was a no-brainer purchase.

Just a side note: I adore the Switch. I can sit in my recliner and play games without worrying about cables. The controllers feel like old friends. The buttons are still pretty simple, especially for the retro games.

My son played the original cartridge on the NES while I played the Switch version. Other than adjusting the balance of experience points, money, and leveling mechanics, the game is the same. Okay, most of the art and sprites have been updated because those 8-bit graphics would look horrendous on the ginormous tv I play the switch on. Pixels as big as your face! Nope, not gonna happen. But they did clean it up and it's a pretty game, very retro pixelated graphics reminiscent of the original. They also switched the music to a more orchestral version.

With the re-balancing, they reduced the amount of grinding needed to gain levels and money for equipment. Monsters give you more gold and more experience per fight, so you don't need to chase down and slaughter quite so many. Of course, if you have had a bad day and need to work out some frustration, spend a few hours hunting down slimes and mashing A until they die. It's very therapeutic.

The story for DragonQuest 1 is pretty simple and short, but it still has surprising depth. There are a couple of dragons to fight, a princess to rescue, and a world to save. And loads of other monsters to battle, peasants and merchants to talk to, secrets to uncover, and the whole world of Alefgard to explore.

If you enjoy games where you don't have to have good reflexes and enough coordination to make tricky jumps, where the story is an epic fantasy quest, DragonQuest/DragonWarrior 1 is a great choice.

Available on the
Nintendo Switch as a download. You might be able to locate a cartridge for an NES system, if you own one of those, through GameStop or eBay or other collector's sites.