Dragon Quest (NES) Play Diary #01: A Hero is Born! [Guide / Review / Gameplay] feat. Ichitama Riri & Izumi
Hey everyone~! ♪
Kon-tama~! 💖
It’s Ichitama Riri!
If you were summoned by a King and asked to “Go rescue the Princess," what would you do?
Would you say “Yes"? Or would you try saying “No"? (lol)
This time, I’m bringing you the very first entry of my NES Dragon Quest play diary! ✨
Our legendary hero’s journey begins in a harsh world where the starting rewards are just a tiny bit of pocket change and a bamboo pole (!?).
🎮 Dragon Quest (NES Version) Game Info
Title: Dragon Quest (Dragon Warrior)
Developer: Enix (now Square Enix)
Release Year: 1986
Genre: Role-Playing Game (RPG)
Platform: Family Computer (NES)
Play Environment: Famicom Mini Gold / Wii
🌟 Synopsis
A hero named “Izumi" is summoned to Tantegel Castle! By order of the King, an adventure begins to defeat the Dragonlord and rescue the kidnapped Princess Gwaelin!
To bring light back to the world, the hero sets off alone, with the King’s voice echoing behind him…!
The story has just begun! The early game is all about “training time"—mainly leveling up and grinding for gold.
Here are some highlights from my chaotic journey!
💰 The “Broke Hero" Problem
The starting funds from the King were only 120G.
I went to the weapon shop, but I couldn’t even afford a “Copper Sword." So sad… In the end, after much agonizing, I bought a “Club," “Clothes," and a “Dragon’s Scale" to boost my defense. …Wait, instead of a hero, don’t I just look like a “generic mob warrior with a stick"? (lol)
Even Slimes nearly killed me, so I spent a lot of time trekking back and forth between the inn and the fields.
🕯️ Charging into Erdrick’s Cave “In the Dark"!?
Now that I’m a bit stronger, I headed to “Erdrick’s Cave," where a hero’s proof is said to be hidden.
But when I stepped inside… TOTAL DARKNESS!!!
Even with a torch lit, you can only see one tile around you! It’s terrifying only being able to see your own feet! Watching my character stumble into walls while groping through the dark was so nerve-wracking! 💦
Everyone, make sure to buy a torch at the tool shop before you go! Without it, you literally can’t see anything but yourself.
🧚 Kol Village and the Fairy Flute
Apparently, there’s an important item called the “Fairy Flute" in Kol Village, but it’s so hard to find! I wandered around forever, only knowing it was “south of the bath."
I finally found it exactly four steps south of the bath.
Finding this without a hint would be impossible…!
By the way, the “bath" is just a single tile of water graphics! I know it’s because of the hardware limitations back then, but I really wanted to go in for a soak!
💬My Thoughts
This was my first time really sitting down with the NES version of Dragon Quest… And honestly? I found the “inconvenience" to be part of the fun!
The “STAIRS" Command: You can’t just stand on the stairs; you have to manually select the “STAIRS" command. Heroes in the old days had it rough… But the sense of achievement when I finally saved up enough for that Copper Sword might be even greater than in modern games! Watching myself get stronger, one step at a time, really made me want to cheer for “Izumi"! ✨
The Spell of Restoration (Passwords): Since there’s no save function, there’s so much tension in making sure you copy down those long passwords correctly! Nowadays, we’d just take a photo with our phones (lol).
📝 Next Time…
Next, I’ll be aiming for the town of Rimuldar!
The story starts to open up from there, so stay tuned!
A Request from Me to You!
How did you like my first NES Dragon Quest play diary?
Whether this brought back memories or it’s your first time seeing the game, please let me know your thoughts in the comments!
You can also find my gameplay video on YouTube, so be sure to check that out too!
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