Dragon Warrior III (1988)

So DWIII, after playing II and I definitely made some upgrades; you can finally choose your class! Except for the main character who will always start off as the hero (which isnt a bad thing, the hero is super strong compared to the other classes). You can also pick the gender of each character, which is a nice addition. Although, the female sprite for the hero looked weirdly male..

The world is even bigger than in II this time, which isn't a good thing in my opinion. There was SO much to do, it was kind of overwhelming. Sometimes, finding your way is also very arbitrary, as you only get vague hints on what to do. I just pulled up a walkthrough from the very beginning to make it a bit easier on myself. Also, the grinding???? It's actually insane. I already had to grind a lot in I and II and i'm not averse to grinding at all, but in this game I had to grind at more spots than just the beginning and before the last boss. It took so goddamn long. There's also so much up to chance, especially in the end game: whether an enemy will attack you for 50 damage and you live, or they use this stupid ass move called limbo that instantly removes one of your characters and you have to go back to the first town to get them in your party again. If youre balls deep into the last castle, this shit genuinely sucks, and there's nothing you can do to stop enemies from hitting this (except stopspell, but that has to hit and you have to move first).

Another thing you can do is change classes. You go back some levels, but your class is different, while still retaining the skills from the previous class. This is cool in concept, as you can build up your characters' skills, but from what I've gathered it's really not worth it to change your classes that much in the OG NES version. I ended up only changing my wizard to a sage, as that was quite literally an upgrade since wizard stats are shite.

Anyhow, small things like this irked me. I still think it's a cool game, but it didn't add much besides the party system and class changes compared to the previous two. 6/10

Preliminary: Welp, this will certainly be a long one (if I stick through it). Such an important series for JRPGs and RPGs in general. This is where I left off last time I was playing the DQ series, I swore I had a print out of a guide but I guess not. As usual, I am playing a fan translation of the very original Feb 1988 Japan-only release, to fit with the chronology project. I'm a bit nervous about that because I see the exp and gold rates are much lower and it's generally more difficult, especially at the start. Here goes nothing.

(Wellll, turns out that Spinner 8 and friends translation is unfinished, so it's all garbled lol. So I guess I will have to play the 1991 NA NES version relocalized, while having the Cutting Room Floor page up to list the differences. I already notice a lot of changes so this may not work out. Hmmm. Either way what I saw of the original Japanese version was quite disappointing compared to the likes of Phantasy Star. The title screen has no audio and is so bland and sad.

Day 1

I'll spare you guys an actual day-by-day for such a long game, but yeah. So far I'm oddly not loving the initial grind. I'm sure I'll get more into it. Not sure why the experience chart is so odd/different for each character or something? I want my main character up to Level 4, as the guide suggests, but everyone else is leveling up--not me. Hm. (Literally the next battle after typing that, I leveled up lol. Reminding myself, after such a fast-paced action-adventure/shmup hybrid like Guardian Legend, it's time to get back in the patient JRPG mode.

Welp, I finished that initial grind and am getting a bit more into it. At least my Wizard stopped dying left and right :-p Cool that it has the choice to just use the premade characters/classes OR create your own. I of course went with the premade ones but still. I'm going to give this an earnest shot, while trying to recognize that this is a 1991 release--3 years ahead--but just a localization of a Feb 1988 game. Hm. Anyway, I will try not to blabber too much here, just every few play sessions to update how things are going or great screenshots etc..... or if I drop it.

There doesn't seem to be any way to check how much Gold you have in the menu? Or am I missing something? And already in the first Tower, I learned the lesson I keep relearning in early RPGs: always stock up on antidotes to Poison. I'm glad both the Hero and the Wizard learn Heal so early, but sure would be nice to be able to get rid of Poison with a spell early :-p (And I wound up taking this advice even further and just stocking up on any item that seems to heal a status ailment, like Holy Water in Reeve :-p )Welp, I ended the night still not really enjoying this game. Already on my 2nd long grind, and it just feels blah. Maybe cuz it's not as fresh as the first 2?

Early Game Thoughts

Not impressed with the music/Sound, but it's not bad either I suppose. I wish I could understand the original Japanese version in case the music is a bit better. For the most part, not much had changed from the earlier games, apart from the day/night feature and monster arena. The addition of the gambling arena is sort of neat, and the day/night factor is also kinda neat... I prefer Castlevania ii's tho haha. Cuz it felt like this just made you sleep at an Inn when you don't need to.

It's weird seeing myself type this but the grinds are too long, I can only imagine the original Japanese exp rate. I'm all for slow exp rates but I dunno, these just felt less rewarding than grinds I've put myself through. Maybe it's because this combat system and Look felt interesting enough the first 2 games, but now feels tired? I dunno. I think I blame the character sprites in FF and exciting graphics of Phantasy Star... Or maybe it's that RPG is now a hit or miss genre for me when it used to be my all time absolute favorite... Seems action-adventure or platformer will have to fight for that label

I had a bit of fun with the Monster Arena, I kept getting lucky with the low chance enemies, but then lost some money and moved on heh. There seems to be a common theme of thieves stealing from thieves/randoms and so then we steal the things back. The frequency of Poison is quite annoying. They should give more inventory space for all these status ailments! (Luckily I learned Antidote spell soon after, tho now Numbness is hell.) Another hell is that these edges in the image below let you walk off the towers, which is nice to leave but also really annoying to discover by accident ha

Welp, finally at my first boss (Kandar in that tower screenshotted above). It was tough! And finally an example of a somewhat interesting use of the day/night feature: a weapon shop that's only open at night. If only it were Earthbound-esque where it's a shady Weapons Dealer or something :-p But either way, I was officially in that addictive rpg mode I get, tho not necessarily loving the game or finding anything about it uniquely good.

Mid Game Thoughts

Quite annoying you can't throw out useless key items. At least there's a vault/bank mechanic.. I'm really just not enjoying this game. The enemies are too many in one screen and just annoying. I dunno, it's odd that I'm not clicking with it, but like often happens with action-adventures and RPGs, I can't seem to completely drop it. I keep giving it one more play session's chance heh. It just feels unimaginative, the storyline meandering, the combat system blah, and the music/Look unimpressive (tho the enemy sprites are sometimes cool, and I loved the Flying Cats lol).

Welp, I wound up dropping the game after getting the Pepper. The combat mechanics exploited most of my least favorite parts of early RPGs and, put simply, I just wasn't having fun. Time to move on!

Look: 7/10 Incredibly similar to the original DQs, but I have a soft spot for the Look of the towns and whatnot from my RPG Maker days

Sound: 7/10 Some good jams in there (I listened through the original Japanese OST to be sure), but how it plays out actually in the game itself, it's blah. Maybe it's the random encounter rate, I dunno, but just couldn't get into most the music. The credits music is solid tho.

Play: 6.5/10 I love that your characters attack an actually existent enemy instead of just missing like in Final Fantasy if another character kills it. Allows for much simpler grinds. But other than that, meh. The random encounter rate is too high in some places like the Pyramid. Frustrating combat mechanics dragged down the game.

Feel: 6.5/10 One of those games I wanted to like more than I did.

Attachment: 6/10 If only it had markedly good Look or Sound , or it was the first of a certain kind, but retrospectively it just isn't that great. It'd be one thing if it just wasn't clicking with me this time but uh, truth be told, I had started this game during my FF/DQ phase and I believe I quit either at Phantom Ship or Sunken Shrine. I have a feeling I'd like the Game Boy Color remake better, because I even marked that as the version I'd play if I ever returned to it. But in keeping with the chronology project, I had to play the original release... And I wasn't feeling it (again).

Overall: 6.6/10

Completion: Just received the Pepper after fighting Kandar again

(played the English translation of the Super Famicom Japanese version)

Like Dragon Quest 1 & 2, this is a fairly barebones 2D JRPG without a lot of complex mechanics. You have basic random encounters, turn-based battles, very few status effects, and a mostly-useless battle magic system (aside from spamming heals during boss battles).

The graphics on this installment actually exceed Final Fantasy at times -- with enemies having multiple different attack animations, which are fluidly drawn by Dragon Ball animator Akira Toriyama. The music is probably the best representation of classically-arranged symphony music I've heard on the SNES.

For the first third of the game, the gameplay design, pacing, and signposting are brilliantly done. And then you get the boat...

Eventually, some of the ultra-obtuse old-school Dragon Quest mechanics start weaseling their way back into the game. Key items are hidden in completely random unmarked tiles somewhere in the massive world. The new day/night mechanic makes it so certain story-advancing events don't take place unless you're in the right place at the right time.

For example, for a certain story beat, you have to visit a certain map location five different times, waiting a certain random amount of time between each visit; and then the last visit has to take place at night. What I'm saying is that you'll need a guide at some point; and that's just not fun.

Surprisingly, I didn't need to do much dedicated grinding for XP. That may simply be due to the hours & hours & hours I spent (33 hours, to be exact), aimlessly wandering the map (and fighting random battles along the way) while trying to figure out what exactly I needed to do advance the story. I don't know what kind of Nazis come up with mechanics like that which totally do not respect your time.

Overall, this game was a satisfying early experience that eventually becomes tedious, and further confirms my suspicions that I don't like the open-world part of open-world games.

PROS

• Hugely expands on the ideas set forth by the first two games
• The scenario writing is significantly more developed and nuanced
• Lots of choice regarding party makeup and size
• Exploration is highly rewarding and much more challenging than previous games
• Dungeons finally start getting injected with some personality and interesting twists
• Day/night cycle and job systems are great additions to the DQ formula
• The call to adventure is irresistible, there's just so much to discover
• Art and music are great (as always)

CONS

• Party members other than the hero have no plot significance whatsoever, which feels like a narrative step backward
• Some of the objectives are a teensy bit too vague, leading to aimless wandering
• Maybe it's just me, but is the encounter rate EVEN HIGHER than before??
• Maybe it's also just me, but holy crap you have to grind hard in this game

Because I am such a shameless Smash Bros fanatic, when a character joins the illustrious halls of the roster, I make a point to play a game that the character hails from. So far the only gaps remaining are Bayonetta, Wii Fit Trainer, and Lucas. When DQ Hero was added, I finally got around to acquiring the SNES version of Dragon Quest III (a Japan-only release.) I was very eager to finally play the game that that one "Gohan-lookin guy" Erdrick was from.

The graphics are gorgeous, with each monster having detailed and animated sprites. Akira Toriyama's trademark style is flawlessly replicated in 16-bit splendor. The game does not hold your hand. Every sliver of info, including "where do I go now", is in the possession of various NPCs sprinkled throughout the towns, and the world at large. If you talk to everyone, you should have no problem progressing through the game. Exploration is what made this game fun for me. However, I never finished Dragon Quest III, having gotten less than half-way through. This was due to one glaring issue.

The main "problem" I have with the game isn't really a problem. Rather, it's a fundamental element of any Dragon Quest / RPG. The grind is real. Whenever you get to a new area, the monsters have a notable uptick in level and damage, which necessitates a grinding session between half an hour and an hour before you can even reasonably hope to explore. I do not find grinding levels fun, at least not in this game. There is nothing special to the combat. You attack X enemy with Y skill and it does Z damage. No weakness mechanic to quicken the pace (like in Persona or Pokemon, for instance.) I loved exploring the world and advancing the plot, but the grind simply became too much for me. It felt like the game and my excitement would zoom, and then halt repeatedly, causing a major case of emotional whiplash. The big con outweighed the many pros, which honestly bums me out. If I could cut out the excessive grinding, I would finish this game 100%.

If you're reading this and thinking I'm a big belly-achin' baby-boy that turns tail at the first sign of a little grinding: first off, you're absolutely correct in your assessment, and secondly, please play this game! You'll love it. It's challenging, and the world is expansive and colorful. Have all the fun that I couldn't. Meanwhile, I'll be taking stocks at 0% with Twack in SSBU. lol

bretty good dragon quest game. much better than 1 and 2, but I don't like it as much as the later games like 5. I think I prefer the more story driven, linear appear Enix got into with those titles.

The game is fun but becomes kind of a slog when you reach the underworld.

Played using the 1.1 english translation of the SFC version (had to patch it myself, the available rom titled 1.1 was really 1.0) and am glad I did. Much prettier than the GBC or NES versions.

Pros:
+ Fantastic soundtrack that is both memorable and iconic

+ Vibrant, colorful sprites, towns, background and battle animations

+ A multitude of towns to visit and dungeons to explore

+ Easy-to-follow storyline

+ Battles never feel tedious or too repetitive

+ Challenging boss fights

Cons:
- There is a LOT of potentially frustrating luck based RNG in the game

- The mage class is almost useless and mage spells as a whole are a complete gamble on whether they hit or not

- Attack order is seemingly completely random

- Difficulty spikes just a few hours into the game, which may turn some off

- The second world felt a bit like an afterthought, losing some of what made the first 75% of the game feel special

Final Thoughts:
Having played through the first two games in the series, I can easily say that this has been the most enjoyable experience thus far. I had a great time with DQ3, with some gameplay sessions lasting well over 4 hours. The day and night cycles were a great touch, as it not only made the game look and sound different, but also gave a reason to revisit towns and other locations. Battle backgrounds were really detailed and also change depending on the time of day. Monster animations were fluid and detailed as well. Considering the game was a remake of the NES title, I was actually quite surprised at the sheer amount of content the game offered.

Something else that I enjoyed was being able to create my own party from scratch. The game can even be soloed, if that's your thing. It also has a LOT of hidden goodies to find, which kept me pretty busy as I bumbled around towns mashing the search button. I found the townspeople's/king's requests and the overall story to be pretty charming. The only things I really had an issue with was just how useless battle magic felt towards the latter half of the game and how you'd NEVER know what the attack order was. Most monsters and bosses give zero shits for your end-game, screen shattering magic. As far as attack order is concerned, it was frustrating to get hit by a monster that does multiple attacks per turn, just for your healer to get killed off the following turn despite having the entire party attempt to heal them. The pachisi mini-game is another game feature that can cause a lot of grief, as dice rolls truly are completely random.

Despite those shortcomings, there's really not much to dislike about this game unless you're one a' dem JRPG haters. It's a great remake that was able to keep things from feeling "too 8-bit," despite the fact that games like Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger were already out by this game's release. The only downside now is that I have to play either the gimped DS Dragon Quest IV or the disgusting touch-based (only!) mobile port that has more/better content. Why the hell didn't anyone fan-translate Dragon Quest IV for PS1?!

After the bare-bones interface of Dragon Quest and the grind-fest that was Dragon Quest II, the third game in the series finally marks itself as a quality RPG. Being one of the first to sport a basic job system that allows manageable strategy of party setup works well (at the cost of characterization in narrative, but hey) and allows the player to make a dream team of up to four warriors. Combat is still the same, but feels a bit more balanced and involves less grinding in between spots.

The game is also quite expanded, featuring a return from a previous world in the series that further increases the amount of exploration; the battles do get exhausting over time but aren't as nauseatingly repetitive as Dragon Quest II.

What's left to say about it? The tale as old as time hasn't reached high quality in narrative yet, but the polish is definitely showing in this installment. Definitely recommended.

History:

I was meant to play this game on the NES list, but decided to skip it so as not to play the same RPG twice in such a short time span. Never played this one either way.

Expectations:

Hmm... I've played three Dragon Warrior games so far and I haven't been able to finish any of them. I just found them so incredibly boring. I hear nothing but great things about the third entry though, and what I know about it sounds compelling, so I'm cautiously optimistic...

Day 1:

Wow... Thanks, game... Arrogant, sure. Narcissistic, absolutely. Generally an all around asshole? You betcha! Vain? Eh... Regardless of what the game might think of me, I'm actually liking what I'm seeing so far. Visually it looks more refined than the Dragon Warrior I & II port which is nice.

Chrono... Wake up Chrono...

Seriously!? Random Guard #4802? You weren't even THERE for the intro! Either way, after being given a very vague idea of what my quest is I'm able to create a party. I went with the simple Mage/Cleric/Thief set up and started talking to the townsfolk. I guess I'm avenging my father, or something, but I'm never told where to go to get started. A random villager tells me there's a town to the North, so I figure that's where I'm heading.

The combat starts out pretty rough, and I still hate that white battle background. Still, the enemies are more colorful than before, as well as more animated. I had to start the grinding out very slowly, as I often couldn't go more than a couple battles without having to rest at an inn. Luckily it only took one level fore my characters to gain a solid chunk of HP and defense.

Upon reaching the town of Reeve, I was able to visit the local weapon shop where I couldn't afford a single thing. I was told there was a cave to the south that led to an island with a tower on it, and in that tower was the keeper of the Thief Key. I also remember a guard in the starting city telling me I should get a Thief Key, so, there's my next quest. I did some grinding around the town area until I could afford to get my Thief a Copper Dagger.

This visuals in this game, while still not fantastic, are a big step up from Dragon Warrior I & II, and the map design is generally better, making playing the game a bit more enjoyable. The enemies start getting much more difficult and numerous between the cave and the tower, but I'm somehow able to keep it together long enough to reach the old man.

By this time, despite being just about out of MP across the board, my characters are leveled enough that I can see a marked improvement, which is really nice. I take my new key back to Reeve and call it a night.

First impressions of this game are actually really good, which of course has me worried...

Day 2:

Spent some time on this one during my lunch break and realized I missed a few NPC's who would have shed a bit more light on what it is I'm actually trying to do. I'm looking to re-open the Travel Gate to the outside continents, but the route has been sealed shut. The only way to break through the barrier is with a Magic Bomb. Once I got the Thief Key I was able to break into the home of the bomb's creator, and he happily gave it to me, because RPG.

The barrier itself was hidden away in a cave behind a spring, east of where I was. The monsters here were a lot tougher than those I've encountered so far, so a bit of grinding for XP and new gear may be in order. As unprepared as I was I ended up losing two of my party members, setting me back 80g to revive them.

Later...

After doing some better prep work, specifically shopping around for some better equipment, it was back off to the ruins in search of the Travel Gate. The monsters just got tougher and tougher, but just like before their difficulty began to wane after a few levels. Having my Mage learn her first AoE attack in Fireball was imensly helpful as well, as was my Cleric learning a control spell.

I would eventually make it to the Travel Gate, which would lead me to one of the outer continents. Apparently, this particular kingdom has been awaiting my arrival, and I've been tasked with recovering the king's crown, stolen by bandits.

There's some really nice, and really expensive equipment in town, so I'll either buy what I can and head off, or stay close ot the castle and farm some gold. I'm at the point now where monster groups are giving me about 25g each, making the grind a lot less painful at the moment.

Day 3:

I decided to stick around and earn some gold, but only enough for a few items including the Spear, best available weapon for my hero right now, as well as armor for my hero and Cleric. After that it was time to head North to the next town.

A winner is you, buddy.

On the way I got to stop for my first game of Pachisi, which earned me a nice 100g but came to an abrupt end when I made the mistake of investigating a blank square I had landed on. Now I know for next time.

Reaching the town provided some more information as to where I'd find the bandits I'm looking for, and the weapon shop there offered the Chain Whip for a hefty 1000g. Regardless, I plan on farming up the gold for that before I move forward. Not only does it hit multiple targets, but it's a sizable damage increase for my Thief regardless!

Day 4:

Grind and grind and grind and grind and grind, for my entire lunch hour. All I need is another 900g for two more Scale Shields for my Cleric and Thief, and then another few hundred gold to get my Cleric a spear. I am actually kind of regretting taking a Cleric, as she's often left with little to do, but when I need her I REALLY need her, so I still think it was the right choice.

I also just realized my hero has the Return ability, which allows me ot warp to any town or castle I've visited so far! I'm actually really surprised I missed this as I'd been waiting for this kind of ability for a very long time now. Now that I know I can port around, that means I can go back and pick up some of the armor I missed out on for my Mage... which means... more grinding...

Day 5:

After finally farming up enough gold to equip all my party members with their best possible gear, it was off to the west, to the Champane Tower. Apparently, the bandit I'm looking for has holed up in there with the king's crown.

The tower itself was pretty straight forward, and I ended up with a sizable chunk of change just for exploring it, as well as learning the hard way that I could fall off the ledge of any given floor and have to start the whole thing over! After searching around for a long time for the door to the final floor, it was time for the first boss fight of the game!

Nothing too crazy, just the bandit leader who hit like a truck and his three henchmen. One thing I'm noticing about this game is that I'm making much more use of control, buff and debuff spells than I used to in JRPG's. I don't know if that's me changing as a gamer, or if it's just more necessary in this game specifically. Either way, after increasing my party's speed and defense, and putting the henchmen to sleep, I was able to take down the whole group with little difficulty.

After returning the crown to the king I learned of a village up north that was supposedly put to sleep with Elf magic, so, guess I'm going there!

Day 6:

I swear I have some sort of mental block when it comes to Dragon Warrior, but I am just NOT feeling this game and I don't know what it is.

It's the grinding. I feel like the mandatory grinding does a really good job of killing the pace of the game. I don't mind a bit of grinding, and I understand how it can be important, and sometimes even fun. That said, I'm finding that I'll sometimes spend so much time grinding that by the time I'm at an acceptable point I'll have forgotten what I was actually doing in the story! I think a lot of that has to do with how un-intuitive the combat, specifically the targeting, feels to me. Maybe it gets better, but right it's killing my motivation.

Case in point, I spent an entire day of my playtime grinding XP and farming enough gold to take on the bandit tower, which I was able to do. Once all that was over I set off for the cave near Elfheim to progress the story where I was promptly destroyed. Not only did I lose 1000g for dying, but I'm apparently now expected to grind even more to get further in the game...

Later...

Surprise! Not only did I lose a thousand gold but my whole party is dead, and each resurrection costs between 130g-160g. You're probably thinking, why not just reset? Well, when you come back from a wipe the king immediately asks you if you want to save. I had no idea my party was dead and I lost half my gold, so of course I said yes...

Losses cut and wounds licked, I decide to head back out into the field. This time I'll play it safer. I'll heal at 50%, I'll cast defensive magic off the bat. This time... This time will be different!

...Or the very first encounter will sleep lock me, reduce my defense to zero, and destroy me.

Screw you king!

Conclusion:

I tried, damnit I tried! I wanted so badly to love this game like everyone else does, and it's just not clicking for me. I actually went around looking for bad reviews of Dragon Warrior III and couldn't find any!

I'm fine... It's everyone else who's crazy!

I love the way this game looks and sounds. The colors are vibrant. The character sprites look just fine and the monsters look fantastic. The score is among my favorites, and honestly I'd take the opening track from Dragon Warrior over Prelude any day!

The game itself has some fantastic ideas. It took Final Fantasy's class system and cranked it up to 11. It... It... Has Pachisi? Just like Dragon Warrior I & II, Dragon Warrior III's story just feels so flat that it can't make up for the hours of grinding necessary to get through it. Combat is boring, though the enemies are admittedly well animated, and without said hours of grinding the difficulty of the game is incredibly steep.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to single Dragon Warrior III out or anything. Final Fantasy was just as grindy, and I'm having a hard time coming up with a reason for thinking it was more forgivable in that game than in this one. Maybe when it comes down to it, it was more important for me to finally say I've beaten the first Final Fantasy game than the third Dragon Warrior game...

Another issue is that I'm judging this game more as a console RPG than a portable RPG. If I still took the bus to and from work I'd have another hour and a half or so a day to just doddle around and grind levels. Since I'm sticking the cartridge in a console and playing on a TV, these issues are amplified.

Dragon Quest VIII, #11 on the PS2 list, just five consoles away!

...

Liked:

- Great graphics and sounds for an RPG on the GBC.
- Awesome class system with the ability to dual class later on in the game.

Disliked:

- While better than Dragon Warrior I & II, the story in this game wasn't very exciting, and didn't do enough to keep you interested.
- So much grinding! You'd spend two hours grinding just so you could do 30 minutes of the main quest, then back to grinding.
- If you didn't spend 90% of your time grinding, the monster encounters would crush you, setting you back thousands in gold.

Personal Score:

Day 6:

I swear I have some sort of mental block when it comes to Dragon Warrior, but I am just NOT feeling this game and I don't know what it is.

It's the grinding. I feel like the mandatory grinding does a really good job of killing the pace of the game. I don't mind a bit of grinding, and I understand how it can be important, and sometimes even fun. That said, I'm finding that I'll sometimes spend so much time grinding that by the time I'm at an acceptable point I'll have forgotten what I was actually doing in the story! I think a lot of that has to do with how un-intuitive the combat, specifically the targeting, feels to me. Maybe it gets better, but right it's killing my motivation.