The fourth and final installment of the Dragon Warrior series for the NES console. This one… this one is a winner, ladies and gentlemen, as far as the NES installments go.
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This game sets off a new storyline entirely from the first three games. (Generally with DQ/DW you would see a trio of games having an interconnected storyline/timeframe)
This game has 5 chapters. The first introduces Ragnar, a soldier of Burland, who must find the cause of children disappearing and rescue them. I’ll let you play the game to learn the rest, but I will say this– chapter 5 will introduce not only your final permanent character, but re-introduce everyone else from chapters 1-4. In other words…
This game, not even counting temporary chapter members in any sense, has 8 playable characters.
This was quite a few for a game of this technological level, considering they all had pre-made stories, motivations, etc. This game is not short at all either, so there is a lot to take in and enjoy. Seriously, if you have the time, check this one out. You do not have to have played any previous Dragon Warrior game to play this, because again, it begins a storyline completely different from the first three.
This game is unique, you could say, in that it was for the longest time in re-translation hell. It was never made available ported to the SNES, like 1-3 were. And it’s Playstation re-release never made it to US shores either, which personally disappointed me when I was younger. The DS has finally solved this, but if you want to experience it in it’s original integrity I encourage you to do so.
I go on too much. Go check this out!
If you like the old-school RPG “flava,” than you will love Dragon Quest V. This is the first Dragon Quest game to appear on the Super Famicom, so it isn’t that innovative compared to the NES installments. The graphics are barely a step up from Dragon Quest IV, and the basic game engine is still the same (not that it has undergone much change at all to this day, besides the addition of a Job system in DQVI and DQVII).
The story revolves around the son of Papas, who is either a King or a wandering mercenary. That’s for you to figure out. Of course, you play as Papas’ son. The beginning part of the game focus on your (mis) adventures as you follow Papas around while he carries out various jobs, at the tender age of six. This abruptly ends when tragedy strikes and you end up in bondage (no, not THAT kind of bondage). You eventually escape via a plot device stolen entirely from J.R.R. Tolkien, and arrive back at your hometown some ten years later, only to find that the region has been more or less turned upside-down in your absence. You of course have to set things right, and this of course sends on a much larger quest, eventually following the footsteps of your father.
![Job Job](/uploads/1/2/5/2/125207767/637755328.jpg)
One of the interesting things in Dragon Quest V’s game play that makes it slightly more than a beefed-up Dragon Quest IV is the ability to capture monsters after battle. Now, monster capturing does appear in all of the later Dragon Quest games, but it plays a much larger role in this installment, since for most of the game at least one of your two companions in battle will be a monster you captured. It adds a little depth to your battle strategy because anywhere that your carriage is accessible, you can hot-swap monsters in and out of the fight. This becomes necessary because monsters all have strengths and weaknesses that can either help or hinder you. And you have to choose wisely whom you take into dungeons and towers since you can’t usually hot-swap once you’re inside. You’re stuck with whom you take, so choose wisely.
All in all, this is a very enjoyable game. As of this writing, there are two translations available for the game, and both are well done and will see you through to the end.