#451 Game Theory 23 | Dragon Quest I & II
Come to think of it, I forgot to introduce this game.
I will introduce Dragon Quest I & II, which was released in December 1993.
(I thought it was much later, but it was actually this long ago...)
What is Dragon Quest I & II?
It was a nice plan where Dragon Quest I, released on the Famicom (FC) in 1986, and Dragon Quest II, released on the same console the following year in 1987, were re-released on the latest hardware, the SFC (Super Famicom), allowing you to play both titles on a single cartridge.
Starting with this I & II collection, past numbered titles began to be released on different hardware, and III was also released on the SFC after this.
I believe IV was on the PS.
At that time, I had already cleared Dragon Quest V, but since I hadn't had the chance to play I and II, I remember being genuinely happy, and I also remember borrowing it from a friend who bought it.
Game Introduction
Dragon Quest I
Looking at this game with today's values, one might feel it is low-spec, but in an era where the concept of an RPG was unprecedented, Dragon Quest I was born by utilizing limited bit counts and specs to pack in the bare minimum story, and it became the foundation for a massive hit.
The story is simple: as a hero descended from the legendary hero "Loto," your goal is to rescue the princess kidnapped by the "Dragonlord" and defeat him. However, this title is a solo play where the protagonist (the hero) fights alone from start to finish.
I remember I really couldn't find the location of the "Loto's Token" and gave up there at first, haha.
What's famous about this game is this very suggestive line from the innkeeper after you rescue Princess Gwaelin and stay at the inn, haha.
Also, the final boss, the Dragonlord, offers a deal, saying, "If you become my subordinate, I will give you half the world." There was also a development where if you accepted the Dragonlord's offer, you would meet a tragic end. It was avant-garde.
I also love the story behind the production of Dragon Quest I.
I love stories like how Dr. Mashirito, an editor at Shueisha at the time, had Akira Toriyama do the character design for Dragon Quest to get him to shell out (?), how Koichi Sugiyama set the BGM to a slightly darker tone because "a protagonist setting out on an adventure should feel anxious," and how, due to lack of capacity, they thought of names for towns, characters, and spells using limited katakana.
Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line
And as for Dragon Quest II, I remember it being the only one out of I through IX that I played but couldn't clear. I got bored halfway through, haha.
This story is set 100 years after the previous game, and the main plot involves three descendants of the hero and Princess Gwaelin—the Prince of Midenhall (the protagonist), the Prince of Cannock, and the Princess of Moonbrooke—defeating the resurrected evil priest, Hargon.
The previous game was solo play, but from this one, you could form a party. The characters are also distinct: the hero (protagonist), who is the only one in the series who cannot use spells and is purely physical; the Prince of Cannock, who masters support spells; and the Princess of Moonbrooke, who masters attack spells.
While the fun is doubled in that sense, it is also famous as a work where the difficulty level has increased significantly. Among them, the
Cave to Rhone is famous; it seems its name was an homage to the idea that it was "too difficult, you'd get sick of it," and besides that, it is a parade of brutal developments.
This manga tells the story in various ways, so please be sure to check it out.
Summary
Dragon Quest I & II are like that, but it is excellent that the same rules as today (though I haven't played the recent ones) were already present back then.
Ra's Mirror and such have been used forever, so when you think about it, that's amazing.
Anyway, I wanted to play it again after a long time, so I tried downloading the DQ Portal app, but it required a small fee, so I gave up. I'll try again if I get another chance, haha.