Dragon Quest is the first game in the JRPG that started on the NES, and now ported to Android. The graphics of this version is updated since it is a port of an earlier mobile remake. There is a lot more detail although it can look too busy at times when compared to the more defined, simplistic, graphics of the original. As it is now designed to be played on phones, there is a virtual D-pad, which works well most of the time. It’s not good enough for fine-tune movement so you might overshoot at times. Tapping the screen will allow the hero to interact with objects or talk to people. The menu system is okay, there are some archaic decisions in terms of how the menu is organized but on the whole, it is quite easy to figure out.
The game throws you straight into it with barely an introduction. There are no tutorials or any preamble. You start off with the hero in a castle and you are immediately tasked with saving the princess who had been kidnapped by a dragon. There is a lot of text and dialogue from NPCs which helps build the context of the world. You’re let loose into the world and the game has random encounters. It features a basic turn based battle system. You will only ever encounter one monster at a time and there is only ever the one hero in your party. During battles, which pops up a screen with a more details sprite of the enemy, gives you the options to attack, flee, use items or use magic. It’s simple by today’s standards but that also means it doesn’t have any unnecessary gimmicks and is easy to pick up and get used to.
In addition to the better graphics, there are a few other changes to this port compared to the original NES game. Some enemies’ stats have changed. For example, the enemy before one of your first tasks has been buffed up to a boss which could throw players off since it is just sitting there on the map. The game rewards and encourages grinding. An extra level or two will make a huge difference. While it has a level cap of only 30, you are constantly finding new equipment and will never ever be able to afford all of it immediately unless you have grinded way too much.
Tied into the grinding aspect is that you are pretty much given free rein on the world immediately. You’re welcomed, and encouraged, to walk around to explore. Doubling down on this is that there is no clear guidance on where to go next. Oftentimes, you have to talk to all the NPCs in order to get even a vague idea of what to do to progress. Uniquely, all dialogue is spoken with older styled English. This gives it a certain flair and sets the tone and atmosphere, although it can be difficult to understand at times.
The game has small dungeons but they are stretched out because they have confusing twists and turns. They often use the gimmick of complete darkness and even using an item or spell will only broaden the viewable area by a small amount. Enemy designs soon fall back to color palette swaps.
One annoying aspect is that the hero only has limited item slots. You have to store any excess at towns, and storing them this way means you cannot access them until you retrieve them. While the original game only allowed you to save at the castle (and you can use items or magic to teleport yourself there, but you have to trek back as it only works one way), this Android version has a quick save option. This is great since it means you can stop at any time and don’t have to worry about trekking back and forth from one spot. If you die, it is not game over; you’ll just respawn at the castle and lose half your gold. So there’s still the element of risk and rewards.
Despite being a JRPG, the game is short by today’s standards. It only takes around 5-8 hours to complete if you know where to go, and a lot of that is due to grinding levels. Due to the simplicity of the battle system, there’s only so much they could do to spice up boss battles apart from increasing their attack power and HP. Although it is still satisfying when you destroy the final boss because you have grinded to a nice high level.
Overall, Dragon Quest is a simple game but that is only because it is one of the first JRPGs that helped establish a lot of the genre’s conventions. It’s still worthwhile to check out a classic game as there are plenty of quality-of-life improvements to ease the pain of games from those days. Playing through it, you come to appreciate what it has achieved in comparison to other games of its time.
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