Originally released in the west as Dragon Warrior on the NES in 1986, Dragon Quest’s latest rerelease on the Switch eShop is a throwback to retro JRPG design, and features a few new tricks up its sleeve that makes it a bit more palatable for modern audiences. There are brand-new bells and whistles including a quick-save system, a rearranged MIDI soundtrack and new sprites to boot. However, it’s not all good news for this beloved classic.
The basic setup for Dragon Quest has you taking control of the player character, a descendant of a legendary hero who has to save the world and vanquish the evil big-bad. The core story is nothing to write home about, but Dragon Quest keeps you entertained with small flourishes of life in its rudimentary world, propped up by its modern localisation, which gives all of the NPCs frequently funny dialogue. Most of your time in Dragon Quest is spent out in its overworld, fighting monsters in random, turn-based battles.
Since Dragon Quest is one of the first video games to have ever used a turn-based battle system, don’t expect too much complexity out of it. This can lead to some frustrating moments when you’ll just want to get to the other side of the map but are tasked with going through these often slow, random encounters. A turbo or auto-battle feature seen in other JRPG remasters would have been incredibly welcome here.
Being a 30-year old game, Dragon Quest doesn't really give you too much direction in the sense of telling you where to go. While this is great to naturally explore its world, it can become a little frustrating to skim over a piece of text that ends up being pretty crucial. This often ends up with you needing to find the specific NPC that dispenses those details again, which can be a hefty task in itself. Seasoned JRPG experts might have this instinct already instilled into them, but for people new to the genre or series, it would probably be better to look at one of the more modern releases of the series first, where you won't have to contend with now-archaic design.
Something to note about Dragon Quest’s visuals in this release is the somewhat odd look it has. Backgrounds are all sprite-work, whereas the characters, NPCs and monsters have all been redrawn at a slightly higher resolution. This gives the game a very odd feeling, as the two styles are often at odds with one another. It doesn’t look good, and often feels like you’re playing an off-brand, free JRPG you could download on your phone’s app store. Of course, this problem is exacerbated further when you realise that this remake also suffers from a stutter when your screen scrolls in the overworld or in villages.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, the technical issues and art do take away enjoyment from playing this otherwise fantastic retro throwback. While diehard fans of the series may enjoy it, a more casual player might be a little bit lost when faced with its 30-year old design.
Comments 72
Nintendo life reviews really need some work
Can it be changed to classic graphics?
The redrawn sprite work to generic mobile characters looks awful. Barely feels like Toriyama and looks cheap. Wish there was a classic mode.
I hate the art style, it just looks so jarring, like something out of a cheap RPG maker/flash game. I’m playing the Super Famicom versions of I&II on my SNES Classic right now and they just look so much better to me, even with the teensy character sprites.
I played through all 3 of them last week. They were ok, but I’ve heard they are missing stuff that were in the SNES remakes.
@Strictlystyles
Its one of the first JRPG's ever in the 80's, and its being released today in 2019. Its gonna have a mixed score regardless of who reviews it.
As a die hard fan who regularly beats Dragon Quest 1 remake on the SNES, it's sad to see they didn't put more work into this. I've been ready to replace the snes version with a superior version for a long time, and it seems I have to wait even longer.
They could easily just put the game in a SNES emulator with some filters for those that want and add some cheats you can enable, to make it more similar to the fantastic Phantasy Star release from SEGA Ages - That's the way you make a classic game more accessible for modern audiences.
Also, it's a shame that the reviewer doesn't mention the legacy that is Dragon Quest 1, which is basically that it is the first JRPG as we have come to know them. It went on to inspire the first Final Fantasy, though the series has stayed true to its traditions and being very conservative.
Dragon Quest 1 is a short game and it's nice because it actually isn't linear at all. The only thing stopping you from straying from the easier path are the levels of the monsters, though you can just grind and go whatever route you want before taking on the Dragonlord's Castle.
My dream remake would be the game redone in the DQ11 engine with symphonic soundtrack. Sure it's a lot of work for such a short game but well worth it, to me at least. Hopefully someone adds a MSU1 patch to the game sooner or later so that I can do that to the SNES Remake.
Have the first 3 DQ games on GBC, and it seems like I'm not missing out on anything skipping these on Switch.
It’s primitive systems wouldn’t be a turn off to me for getting to experience this classic, but those graphics... I can’t, it looks like a low budget phone game with those sprites.
Got this for free when I re upped my Nintendo Power subscription back in the day. I enjoyed it, but even with the included guide; I could never get more than about halfway through. It was definitely a thrill to stumble across the gold monster. Sometime I’ll dig out the cart and see if the internal battery still lives. Agree with everyone and the reviewer that the re drawn characters look disgusting.
@BarefootBowser I feel you buddy, I actually stopped playing fire emblem shortly for links awakening , but lucky for me I loved it so much on Gameboy I sailed through. I got xenoblade , YS lana, shining resonance, La noir, and so many others I cant keep up.
Currently I want to buy Astral chain, dameon X, Pokemon, Dragon quest 11, baldurs gate collection , icewind dale/torrment, pillars of eternitty, alliance remastered , and Witcher 3. OH LUIGI MANSION! That's just the switch still have Xbox one backlog too including Final fantasy 15 , dmc 5, and assassin creed oddessy. Good time be a gamer
@ralphdibny Nope. Gotta play it as it is.
I am surprised that the mobile version I bought years ago on Android is objectively better, with proper pixel sizing and better sprites. All they had to do is make it widescreen for Switch. Why they chose to remake the remake of a remake is anyone's guess.
Oh cool! A Dragon Quest remake for the Swi......
..... urgh..... no thanks....
I was instantly shocked at how bad the frame rate was in a game I can only imagine ran at 60fps on the old NES or Famicom. When I play it docked my TV can't dejudder it either, which makes things even worse. There is no smooth way to play this decades old game. Pretty pathetic if you ask me. I hope to God they patch the game so it can at least run smoothly at 60fps, or even lock it to 30fps so my smart TV can properly dejudder the garbage moving images of this ancient game! Maybe they could bring the original to the NES online app. Something should be done to fix the situation...
The stuttering is a real turn off for me, same for the look of the characters. As people above have mentioned, the option for classic visuals would be very welcome. Wouldn't buy the game the way it is now.
@60frames-please I hope they don’t, just to spite you
@ShadJV funnily enough, the actual cheap phone versions of these games use a consistent art style.
Sooo, they used the SNES remake backgrounds, and redrew only the sprites in MS Paint for some reason?
Square Enix's mobile ports where they use modern, higher res fonts with the original graphics look bad enough, but this?!
I may need to cancel my pre-order...
@StableInvadeel what excuse then do they have for messing THIS version up so badly? I know that seems exaggerated but it just looks very ugly, I can’t imagine anyone preferring it this way...
Distracting non-console font is distracting.
...Just play the NES version. It's probably around the same price if not cheaper on the NES to this day.
@ShadJV oh yes I don't get it either, the mobile port of this looks perfectly fine with the big pixels on the character sprites. The ones here look like they upsized the same sprites and then went and thinned the outlines in paint. I absolutely have no idea why would they do this for this version.
The mobile version is like almost half the price of this one, and it being such a simple game, it's perfectly suited for mobile. So in case anyone wants to exeperience the game, I completely recommend it on mobile.
I wish they'd just port the NES versions Dragon Warrior 1-4 and let you save anywhere. Similar in structure to the NES Online games, I would happily pay for that.
Shut up.
It's Dragon Quest.
I beat this one and I am currently working on Dragon Quest 2. I agree, the graphics suck, but the game is still playable even if less than ideal.
Hopefully the NES versions will make it to the Switch at some point, I miss those graphics!
These graphics suck:
https://images.nintendolife.com/screenshots/100109/900x.jpg
But these are amazing:
http://www.retrogameguide.com/images/screenshots/nes-dragon-warrior-1-7.jpg
What the...?
If you ask me I see a ton of people here are in desparate need of new glasses.
Aren't these just the mobile versions with unpixelated art and an adjusted interface anyway?
Why not use the NES rom instead of this?
@SKTTR
You can’t compare one screenshot and competently assess a game’s art style. The biggest problem is how this game looks in motion, with constant stuttering rendering it very unpleasant to look at. As far as the art style goes, it’s not consistent across all elements of the game, which again makes it visually disappointing, especially when this “new improved” version looks worse than basically all previous versions. I found the stuttering so irritating as to make the game unplayable.
The monster sprites look great, though.
@Strictlystyles Lol all those problems but 6/10 when final fantasy 3 has more jobs/characters. I hated the last hour dungeon stretch but damn my standards improved big time.
@mauhlin12 Why not gbc 1-3? That is far better apparently. 4 had been on Ds, maybe optional old school port
@MrVariant For 4 you want the mobile port. The DS version removed the party chat for some reason
I've owned the original Dragon Warrior on NES, Dragon Warrior 1 & 2 on GB/GBC and unfortunately purchased the Android version of Dragon Quest. The GB/GBC version (which I know was based on the SFC version) manages to beat this version despite the small screen.
As for the game itself, they did modernize it a little over time. Go watch a replay the original Famicom version, and you will quickly see just how much it was improved. At the same time, it is a game of it's time and historically important for the development of the jRPG genre.
Luckily, I still have my Dragon Warrior guidebook Nintendo gave me all those years ago.
Pre-order cancelled
I don't like this art style, at all. Too much like RPG Maker VX.
I'm playing through this now and I'm enjoying it quite a bit. The art style doesn't so much clash for me as it does remind me of old Japanese PC games. That's a really specific example, so it may not have the same charming effect it does on me. It would have been really nice to see a speed-up or zero encounters option like we're seeing in the Final Fantasy Switch ports, but overall this has been a fun, pleasant, surprisingly open-world experience.
I might pick this up when on sale, but I wish it was the SNES versions.
@bimmy-lee I only got so far into the game too. And I had the same thrill when finding the gold monster. And the game was how I got a subscription to Nintendo Power. It was a good promotion. Funny story about the game: I knew a guy who got all the way to the end of the game, but couldn't beat it. I convinced him to let me try, so he got back to the final boss and gave me a shot, certain that I had no chance. And somehow, I beat the final boss for him. It was pretty funny.
They should had let ArtePiazza handle the remakes of these DQ trilogy games. 2D Mode in Dragon Quest XI S and the DS / 3DS DQ games were awesome because of AP and is what these remakes are suppose to look and play like. It's a shame Square Enix choose to be cheap and just dump some mobile ports on us instead of making any actual improvements. Not a huge loss though since Dragon Quest III is at least decent but the first two are disgustingly terrible.
Beat the NES version via emulation earlier this year. (What a grindfest!)
Hope they release the original versions, though. Then I’d consider giving DQ2 a chance.
Thoughts on if you haven't played any of the early Dragon Quest games? XI was my first one. If I have nothing to base the games on, would I enjoy these recently released ones?
@Nintendofan83 1 is old, and has its age really shows, but is still pretty fun to play. 2 is an improvement over 1, but is not very memorable. 3 is still one of the best on the series, but I would recommend other versions of 3 over this one.
The carelessness of these re-releases led me to putting the SNES ROMs on my SNES Mini. I bought all three, enthusiastically anticipating experiencing the original JRPG and its earliest adventures for the first time, but I need to agree with the others here: These look and feel like phone games in the absolute worst sense; inconsistent (cheap-looking) art styles, performance issues, lack of features, etc. These are awful. Dragon Quest deserves better and so do its fans.
@Anri02 thanks for the comment. Where do you recommend playing these games? Are they available else where on modern consoles or do I need a NES/SNES?
@jerrycoeurl how are you playing dq 1 and 2 on the SNES classic, I have one and they aren't on it. Or is it just in the famicon version or hacking?
@ShadJV It's literally a direct port of the version designed for mobile interfaces and phones, just cleaned up a bit to adapt to a traditional controller setup.
if you were expecting another remaster on the scale of the SNES conversions, I'm sorry you were disappointed. But based on pre-release screenshots and footage from the JP Direct, this is exactly what you should've been expecting
@BlueBlur101 according to others, it’s not the mobile version, the mobile version uses more consistent graphics.
Though I was never expecting a remaster, I was expecting the original game.
@ShadJV It looks really similar to the mobile version from what I've seen
I think its the oily filter thats placed on the character sprites and overworld map stuff
The stuff they claim will "smoothen" the graphics
They pulled a Chrono Trigger Steam Port-job on this I guess
@BlueBlur101 yeah and the graphics look worse for in IMO. That’s all.
I really wish the game was just the old looking game but like - widescreen.
the game actually looks worse that the original
I bought the first three on the switch and they give me a headache
I’d prefer they just rerelease the GBC versions. I have true nostalgia for those.
@Doofenshmirtz Easy hacking, takes minutes and makes the system worth owning.
A classic RPG ruin by a few modern art choices. Still, seems like it be a decent game to play at least once.
@sdelfin - Ha, that’s a funny story. At least you got to see the ending that way. I bet your friend was glad you could help, but also secretly resented it a bit. I always heard the final fight was super difficult. Instant sweaty palms when I’d encounter the gold monster. He packed a wallop, but so much goooold. It didn’t matter half the time anyway because I’d usually get taken out in a random encounter on my way to save. That was a great promotion. Blew my mind to get a NES cart for free in the mail. My NP sub was my birthday gift for years.
I tried the original DW. It was absolutely awful.
@Nintendofan83 You’d either have to find old versions of the game, emulate them, or buy these three.
@Doofenshmirtz hacked SNES Classic with translated Dragon Quest I & II rom for Super Famicom
The game boy versions are surprisingly better.
I was tempted to import the physical triple pack from Play-Asia (I've never played a full version Dragon Quest game before), but the clash in art styles looks absolutely horrendous, so this is an easy skip.
They could have just expanded the aspect ratio whilst retaining the pixel art, and this would have been a tempting blind buy. Oh, well.
I still don't care for the character sprites, but I was much more forgiving of the monster drawings when I realized they were done directly from Toriyama's original concept art. I'm working through DQII now and having pretty good time.
It's a shame, but they should have kept the previously released mobile version, which had an art style based on SFC remake.
I guess I'll end up buying it, but now I'll really wait for a heavy discount or an official physical Western release.
As per the game itself, nothing new. That's how DQI was anyway. And DQ fans know it's primitive, but a DQ nonetheless. It can't be blamed for being the first, and this way the enhancements in gameplay and scenario are noticeable in DQII and III.
> It doesn’t look good, and often feels like you’re playing an off-brand, free JRPG you could download on your phone’s app store.
I actually grew to love the art, it looks like a handrawn version of everything from the 3d models of XI.
It is a mobile port with mis-matched art styles. I would rather have the OG Dragon warrior style than this.
@Nintendofan83 As others have said, the mobile versions are better than this. Personally I don't think much of touch controls so I'd have to connect a controller via bluetooth and maybe stream the phone to my tv.
If you're willing to go further I'd try to get the fan translated version of the snes remake. It's quite okay to play without cheats like double exp, half encounter rate, and/or double the money, though if I were to have someone unfamiliar to old rpgs play it for the first time I might add those cheats for them.
I'll probably still get these sooner or later. I have the iOS versions of 1 and 2, but I think I'm more likely to actually play them on the Switch. You've just got to calibrate your expectations and pay what you think they're worth.
@jerrycoeurl Ah ok, thanks for answering
@Doofenshmirtz Cheers! I am enjoying them quite a bit and recommend it if you haven’t played them before
I played this back in the ‘80’s and there is no way it deserves a rating as high as 6/10. The old Dragon Quest games have not aged well and the first has aged worst. At least 90% of the game consists of wandering around in circles fighting the same three or four random encounters over and over until you have enough gold and levels that you can survive walking to the next town and walking around in circles near that town. There is no way this “classic” has stood the test of time.
Hunt down the GBC port, or use an emulator. The re-drawn art in this Switch port looks awful and cheap.
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