My first RPG before I knew what an RPG was. I remember when Pokémon first came out and I had no idea what kind of game it was, and then once I saw someone play it, I went “oh, it’s like dragon warrior”
Exact opposite happened for me! Grew up with Pokémon's first three generations, never thought twice about it. It was Pokémon. In high school, I think my sophomore year, one of my friends was talking about JRPGs. At that time, the Vita had a much more lively offering than the 3DS for the genre, and he was playing it. I asked what it was, he said, 'You know Pokémon, right? That's a genre.' Fell in love with it ever since. Some years later, inside a GameStop was an ad for the newly released game in Japan, Dragon Quest XI. It looked amazing, and they said it wouldn't come stateside for a year. So I then looked down and wanted to forget about it. Tim Rogers posted a review of the game through Kotaku three days before launch, I found it and immediately after staying up late for those incredible 45 minutes [love that man], went to Steam and pre-ordered it. I don't pre-order anything. On my fourth playthrough. Incredible. And Yakuza Like A Dragon is some fierce competition for it too, they compliment each other so wonderfully. ❤️
@@Jerler91 Dude I’ll tell you what, I’m in the same boat where I started and stopped a couple of them and they didn’t click. Play DQ11, it’s one of the best RPG’s I’ve ever played
For me it was kinda the opposite. I saw another kid play Pokemon (though I didn't have it myself), then when I bought my own Game Boy with my allowance Wal-Mart was out of Zelda. The only other game with a fantasy theme on its cover was Dragon Warrior I & II, so I got that and looking at the back of the box I was like "Oh, like Pokemon" when I saw the combat menu displayed. RPGs have been my favorite game genre since.
@@RoninCatholic Actually just bought a GameBoy Color to complement the GameBoy Pocket I got this past September, and looking around for deals Dragon Warrior I & II was the first black cartridge I've gotten so far. Couple years ago I got the Retroid Pocket 2, and as much as I love that handheld it's such a treat playing on real hardware.
The point you made about how "grinding" isn't so tedious because you're working towards a goal is absolutely true. This goes for almost every single entry in the series, but I think it's a lot more potent in the earlier games that are more simple.
I had this game as a kid. One of the first 5 games i ever owned. Back then it was super off putting due to all the dialogue, how easy it was to die, and how easy it was to go off into the wrong area. My journey for playing most of the games in the series started with a commitment to FINALLY conquering this game as an adult. And much like you Derrick, I found zen in grinding it out while listening to podcasts. After finishing it I was enthralled with exploring the evolution of the series. It was a blast for the historian in me, and im sure it will be for you too! Enjoy, looking forward to the DQ2 vid!
I was shocked how much I enjoyed it when I played in on NES all those years ago. Especially because I bounced off of Final Fantasy 1 on NES pretty quickly. It's a comfort game for me at this point. I'm excited to cover DQ2 in the future!
Looking forward to watching this entire series. DQ needs more love from larger channels so more people get inspired to play it. Great video. Probably the best DQ1 retrospective I've ever seen.
Not just Dragon Quest, but more people need to know how incredible the Ys games are as well. No joke, I would put Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana alongside Final Fantasy VII, Dragon Quest VIII and Chrono Trigger as one of the greatest RPGs I've *ever* played. It was that stinkin' good.
The YT channel U Can Beat Video Games recently uploaded a playthrough of the original NES DQ3, just finished part 2 (defeated Baramos) and will eventually upload part 3, Alefgard soon.
What a coincidence! I just used this video as entertainment while I work on a video too! Great stuff Derrick, looking forward to the rest of the series.
Ah the original Dragon Quest. This was the third game I ever played back on the Gameboy Color thanks to its release alongside 2. I remember getting so excited about my progress through the game I'd write about it in my journal for my 7rh grade class because it was something completely new to me at the time. Before this game I had only beaten Pokémon Red and Dragon Quest Monsters so facing monsters directly, on my own no less, was quite the harrowing yet fulfilling experience. When I finally took down Dragonlord it felt so good and got my hooked on the series. Learning more about the history is fun. While I do have knowledge how things have gone for the series I never heard how Hori got his start or how Toriyama got involved. Excited for more of these, especially the next because it's the hardest entry 😅.
I played all of the Dragon Quest games in order, starting with the first one, and let me tell you, it was a marvellous experience that actually made me a big fan of video games in general. I highly recommend that you do it and see how the Dragon Quest series evolved over time,
1989: Played Dragon Warrior. 1998: Played Pokemon. Yesterday: Started Pokemon Scarlet & Violet with my wife. My life wouldn't be the same if it weren't for RPGs and all the amazing work that has gone into them!
My grandfather got my brother and I an NES in 1989, and this was one of the first games we got with it. I was 4, he was 5, and it took us months to figure out how to get out of the first room, but once we figured out how the game worked, RPGs became one of my absolutely favorite genre of games, and it still is.
Wow, this was honestly one of the best reviews of any game I've ever seen. It's long, it's detailed, it sounds professional, it's well-researched, and it segues effortlessly back and forth between history, gameplay mechanics, and personal experience. I would love to see more content like this.
i mean it's basically final fantasy but with dragon balls art style. it seriously needs more attention in the west, as both franchises are obscenely popular.
I got this game through the Nintendo Power subscription offer without knowing what it was. They just made it look cool and sound fun, and hey, Nintendo Power! This was my first console rpg and is still one of my all time favorites. I still have my original cartridge... 33 years later. I've been a fan of the series ever since, though I have only finished 5 of them. Excellent video! Thank you.
Loved this DQ video and I'm glad to see more discussion on this wonderful series among western fans. Just a couple notes from me: -The Game Boy version has unique borders when played on the Super Game Boy, making it my favorite version -You mentioned how saving Gwaelin is optional. Bringing her back to the castle once you're carrying her in your arms is also optional. You can do the rest of the game carrying her and, if you speak to the Dragonlord in this state, he thanks you for delivering the princess right into his hands
Akira Toriyama didn't JUST influence the Slime for Dragon Quest, he influenced the entire identity of a slim for ALL fantasy media across the board. Now you CANNOT watch a single Isekai or fantasy anime, read a comic or Manga or play a video game that DOESN'T have slime that look identical to Toriyama-sensei's design. I mean the second you say "Slime" to ANY anime lover, it's Toriyama's slime that will 100% of the time come to mind.
I had the exact same experience with getting frustrated with 8 and putting it down after like 10 hours or so and then later picking up 9 and absolutely falling in love with it. Since then I've played so many DQ games and it's my favorite jrpg series.
Wow, what a video! Dragon Quest is one of my favorite series of all time, and seeing all of this backstory was super interesting. The music is just as iconic as the games themselves too, as you mentioned. I'm glad they still use the same opening theme in DQ XI! I know you mentioned that you really don't need a guide, which is true, but I would recommend that players either keep a map on their phone or print one out with locations listed on it. The original game came with it in the manual so it's not cheating, I swear.
Was my first RPG ever as a kid & the one that would steer my taste in games to JRPG's for life. I was hopelessly addicted to this game as a kid & still am today!
Dragon Warrior was amazing. I got it with Nintendo Power. The amount of grinding done was vast. One of my favorite games by far. I still have my original cartridge. Great video!
Great video, Derrick! I absolutely love this style of retrospective where you actually play the game and break it down alongside its history! You should do this for other games too! Dragon Quest is a series I've been sleeping on but I maybe should give one a try sometime. I'm looking forward to the next one!
Finally got around to watching this video and I loved every minute. I fell in love with Dragon Quest at the start of 2020 when my spring break (as a teacher) turned from one week into three. I binged the game and fell in love and have since bought every mainline game in the series, plus some spin-offs. I'm really excited to see you dig through the rest of the games. Also lights a fire under me to finish the games I haven't yet. Lol
Really great video! Dragon Quest is my favorite RPG series. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, but it’s always fun to learn about the humble roots of a series. Can’t wait for the 2D HD remake of 3.
I got this game for Christmas the year it came out in NA and it completely captured my imagination. Still one of my all time favs to this day. Great retrospective/walkthrough, I really enjoyed the behind the scenes bits.
"i simply must play more of the mainline series". Yup i know that feeling well lmao. I do the same wirh music. I find an arist and start from their first album and make my way to the most recent.
Dragon Warrior was my first of the Dragon Quest games, my first RPG, and one of the first games I have ever played. Many years later Dragon Quest XI stands proud as one of my favorite games ever.
One of the coolest aspects of the game was the random encounter. You never knew what you were going to fight. A new monster was always so exciting to see pop up on screen.
As someone who was there when the newest DQ game was IV, its awesome to see people still appreciating the series. The beauty of these games was , if you did the work, by the end you could lay some series smack down. The good old days when grinding was invented :)
I still LOVE these fames. They, the first four of them, originated as Dragon WARRIORs I-IV on the old NES. This classic franchise got me hooked on RPGs
I first got into the DQ series about five years ago when I found a copy of the very first NES game at a flea market for $7. I am now a huge dedicated fan who has played every main numbered game (except 10) multiple times.
A friend of mine from grade school had Dragon Warrior, but it was his dad that mostly played it. Seeing him play it got me interested in the game, eventually leading to me getting Dragon Warrior 1 through 4 for the NES. Today, I have every Dragon Quest game except 10 (localize it already, Japan!!) and I'm looking forward to hearing more about DQ12 in the future.
I played 1 immediately after I finished 11, which I played soon after Hero came to Smash Bros. I was equally as shocked at how well it held up to time and at how much the series kept it's identity over the years, but I think my favorite memories of the game is watching my brother play it for the first time, and we just have a great time creating our own sub narratives.
Great retrospective! I'm happy you mentioned the alternate universe storyline from Dragon Quest Builders. I really like Dragon Quest, but I LOVE the DQB series. I'm hoping they make a third to coincide with the HD-2D remake of Dragon Quest 3.
35:07 when I first played this game I made the choice accidentally to join him lol. Really great video btw thanks for sharing this. This was my first ever RPG and my childhood.
A friend got this game with his Nintendo Power. He played a little and wasn't interested. I traded a duplicate Mega Man 2 for it. I remember playing it for months after school and even got my grandparents interested in playing it. It was simple and completely different from everything else I had ever played. By the time I was able to play another game in the series, the SNES was already a huge hit, and the same friend I traded with was selling his NES games so he could buy more SNES games. I bought a bunch of games from him, but to this day, I am most grateful that I bought Dragon Warrior 3. This is my favorite game of all time and solidified my love of all things Dragon Quest!
Japan: "Western RPGs are too complex for Japan, we need to simplify them." Also Japan: "Japanese RPGs are too complex for the West, we need to simplify them."
couldnt have timed this better since i just beat DQ1 (snes version) for the first time today! looking forward to playing more in the series and watching your videos!
Great video! Always nice to see people making videos on the early DQ games. I've been doing Dragon Questober for the last 2 years, which have featured videos on the first 2 DQ games and others, but barely anyone watches my stuff so good to see bigger channels spreading the greatness of Dragon Quest!!!
Engrossing review and overview of the game, and this is from someone who really couldn’t ever get into Dragon Quest. I do love gaming history, and this had a wonderful balance the history and the game itself
One of my favorite games EVER, possibly my favorite DQ game! First time I played the NES version, I hated it, cuz I didn’t get it. I’ve since beat it 4x on mobile, Switch, GBC, and Super Famicom. For my b-day, my bro got me a complete boxed version of the original NES version, and I’m currently working towards finally finishing that. It’s definitely still a grind, but it’s a fun and charming one. I just love this game so much!
I haven't enjoyed the video yet, but I just wanted to add that there's a great autobiographical manga about the dragon quest creators called Road to Dragon Quest! I finished translating the last 2/3 of the manga and it's totally worth a read for any dragon quest fan. It's available on mangadex.
Finished watching the video, I enjoyed the personal story parts too! Dragon Quest 11 was my first DQ game, and after finishing 11, I pretty much bought all the other games to play lol.
Ah Dragon Warrior. My first game ever played back in 1989. Always loved the franchise and played every mainline game with the exception of 10. I still own the nes carts of the 1st 3 games. Such great games!
I found that many people didn’t like the Switch (Mobile) port, but in reality I prefer it because it uses the original hand drawn artwork from Toriyama, which I loved. Think about it, the NES versions had to use sprites, but these ports use the original artwork. Dragon Quest II is the most chore of the bunch. I enjoyed it, it made a few surprises, and research the puns of the green brother because he's always dying. Now, DQIII is a beast. I was super surprised is a game that still holds today. You get to understand how it shaped modern RPGs, all done in a NES game, it really surprised me, and I am excited for the HD remake. Having said that, IV story is amazing. I loved the format and that intro and that ending made me cry, which is impressive to itself. But the best one in my opinion is V, which you appreciate more after playing all the previous ones. The story is just amazing, my favorite, with the best story, best plot twists, and most rewarding by the end. That's why it was remade for PS2 (I played the DS versions, beautiful animations), and that's why they made a movie about it, which while good in my opinion, could have been better, but still good nonetheless.
Dragon Warrior was my first RPG at like 3 years old, I remember wandering around and it was fun, then I ran into a green dragon, and i thought it was the last boss because of the box-art and thought the game was too hard for me and stopped playing. Finally actually played through it like a year or two ago, and really enjoyed it.
Dammit, dude. I still have mild ptsd from all the grinding I had to do in this game as a kid. But your video pretty much cemented the fact I’m going to have to go back in for another round. Look forward to playing this as an adult. I remember loving it in ‘89 and then Final Fantasy soon after.
As far back as I can remember, my first tango with Dragon Quest was the Slime as a guest character in Mario Sports Mix (with Hoops 3-on-3 being, as far as I can remember, my first exposure to Final Fantasy). For years, I’d heard about that franchise here and there, but never really payed much mind to it. It wasn’t until around 2018 that I started playing RPGs that weren’t the Mario & Luigi Series, Pokémon, or SMRPG, starting with Xenoblade Chronicles on Wii. In late 2018, I found a TH-cam channel by the name of RamZaes (now Ram Revie), whose style of content caught my interest. Around early 2019, he made a video on Dragon Quest XI, thus marking the first time I ever got a good look at the series. Then Hero was announced for Smash and that really caught my eye, along with DQXIS on Switch. After I finally got a Switch in mid-2020, during the later part of the year, while browsing the eShop for demos, I found XI S, and said why not, and downloaded it. The main thing that stuck with me about that demo is how long it was. I never beat it, but I think I might have an idea of when it ends. Anyway, a few weeks later, while out shopping for a game or two, I found the full version. I bought it alongside Zelda: ALBW, and spent the entire pandemic chipping away at it, alongside XC: DE. About that last point, I had stopped playing Xenoblade around the point where you go looking for Melia in the Royal tomb. Right when I was thinking of getting back into it, DE was announced. So I decided to cancel those plans and wait for DE to come out to start over. After spending almost a full year on Dragon Quest XI S, it quickly became one of my favorite RPGs I ever played. And something about it was so addicting, that I actually went through the effort of 100%ing it (well, almost. I think I’m missing one accolade, more on that later). When I finally finished on July of 2021, I already knew that I had become a Dragon Quest fan. After that, a bit happened. I started becoming more acquainted with the rest of the series via TH-cam. I played the mobile game Tact, and played the Game Trial for Builders 2, managing to beat the story for the first island before it expired. I played the demo for Monsters 3. And the only other full version of a game I have is Dragon Quest Treasures. I got it as a Christmas gift last year, and only really started playing it yesterday. As of now, I’m waiting for the remake of 3 to come out before playing another mainline entry, but I will be there (hopefully) Day 1. Now regarding XI S, the accolade I think I’m missing is the one for beating the Ultraboss quickly (someone let me know if you get an accolade for getting all others). Once I beat Treasures, I’ll be going back to attempt getting that final accolade before attempting a full replay of the game before 3 comes out (I most likely won’t succeed, but oh well).
Great Video! Such a Big Fan of this series. Looking forward to the rest of the videos to this series! It would be cool to have Brandon on one of these videos because I know he is into the series as well. Keep up the great work.
That was a cool video. Some history and story of the game are impressive. Always wanted to play these games but never get around to it with an ever growing backlog. Gonna check out some more of your videos
like so many others, got this w/ Nintendo Power and I think it was my first RPG as well. Didn't have a computer yet, just a Nintendo. Got into this series and soon after Final Fantasy. Good memories!
I started playing the series a little over a year ago, and I recently finished DQ 5 (I picked Nera, in case anyone was wondering). It's an absolutely fantastic series so far, and I can't wait to get to the ones that everyone seems to love, like 8 and 11. I'm currently going back and forth between Dragon Quest and Etrian Odyssey, so it'll take a little while. There are two things that made it easy for me to get into Dragon Quest that also make it difficult for me to get into Final Fantasy: Art style and combat. Dragon Quest's art style is just so comfy in a way I can't describe, and for the record, I've never watched Dragon Ball, so it's not nostalgia. Final Fantasy, on the other hand, just has some intangible quality that turns me off from it. Then there's the turn-based combat in Dragon Quest that is so much more appealing to me than Final Fantasy's pseudo-turn-based combat, which in recent games, from what I understand, has just devolved into pure action. It's the same reason I didn't like Chrono Trigger as much as I hoped I would; the "Active Time Battle" system didn't leave me feeling like I had any time to make decisions, whereas in Dragon Quest I'm able to strategize carefully. That's also the same reason I'm playing the Etrian Odyssey and Disgaea series. Anyways, I loved the video, and I look forward to the next one! Just don't put out videos faster than I can beat the games. 😉
Really interesting to hear about mechanical aspects of the NES version, I just played the GBC port in November when my Analogue Pocket came in. A lot of the modern simplicity menu options and slightly helping out the money grinding were addressed in that port. But beyond that it's still the exact same scope of video game, all while sharing cartridge space with its sequel!
One cool and fairly obscure thing about Dragon Quest 1 is that your character's name actually impacts their stats and what levels they gain spells at, so if you play it multiple times while giving your character different names you'll have somewhat different experiences.
I remember renting this from the local Blockbuster back in the day. Not sure how many people kept playing this one save file, but it had been grinded up to level 27. At that level, you are pretty equal in strength to the Dragonlord. I got my own copy from the Nintendo Power promotion, but I never went that far in leveling, and I was surprised how much harder it is at level 20 to beat him.
I was 5 years old when he started working on this game and I bought my NES when I was nine and got a free subscription to Nintendo Power add Dragon Warrior as a free gift this was the first RPG I ever played and I could not put it down this ended up being a gift that turned me into a fan of Toriyama and Japanese RPGs for the rest of my life
I still regularly play the Randomizer for this game, & it's a TON of fun! I strongly recommend fans of this game to look into the Randomizer. It breathes new life into the game & gives you a brand new adventure every time you play!
I was one of those who got DW with Nintendo Power. RPGs were new to me, at first I couldn't figure out where level 2 was. I ended up loving the game and finally finished it. Didn't play another DQ until IX and XI, looking forward to the new III remake.
One is one of the few DQ games I've beaten too. All I did was speed it up a little for grinding. It really feels like an adventure compared to the standard RPG formula even later ones have.
I used to rent this game from a local video store back in the day. I never got very far but loved the game all the same. I eventually got the game free from Nintendo Power and never looked back. I still have that copy and its sequels.
Dragon Quest/Warrior 1 was the first RPG I played after Pokemon, but initially I was looking for another type of Dragon Quest/Warrior game… I saw one of my classmates playing Dragon Warrior Monsters on my 5th grade class field trip to Washington DC and it looked like a much more complicated and better Pokemon and I had been obsessed with Pokemon since I got red version for my birthday the year before so I naturally had to get this game and I made note of “Dragon Warrior” to tell my mom about later. Months later I was graduating elementary school and my mom said I could get one game for my graduation gift and I naturally chose that “Dragon Warrior” game because I was a spoiled kid who always got everything I wanted and that was what I wanted and still didn’t have, so my dad and I went off to Toys R US to get it and I didn’t see the exact game I was looking for but I did see Dragon Warrior 1 and 2(for game boy)and I recognized the monsters on the cover so I figured it must be a sequel or something and I got it instead of Dragon Warrior Monsters by pure happenstance forever changing my idea of what a classic JRPG was supposed to be. I tried playing both games hilariously wondering when monsters were going to join my party and wondering why humans were fighting the monsters instead(little did I know that Dragon Quest V would feature this exact premise), but Dragon Warrior 2 was a bit too hard for me at first with the multiple enemies attacking my one guy so I played Dragon Warrior 1 for hours and hours grinding and traversing the world map and accidentally finding things like the Loto armor because I didn’t understand that the NPCs were super important in older RPGs and eventually I got stuck and decided to play Dragon Warrior 2 until I got stuck there too trying to find the seals and that was when I decided to get Dragon Warrior Monsters and eventually Dragon Warrior 7 completely blew my mind so I didn’t play Dragon Warrior 1 and 2 again for decades later. I actually didn’t finally beat Dragon Quest 1 and 2 until a few years ago when the mobile versions happened. I was determined to finally beat these games so I beat DQ1 on mobile and then I found out that the mobile version of DQ2 was garbage so I instead got my old gba out and put my even older Dragon Warrior 1 and 2 in the cartridge slot and I finally beat them both to get clear files on both games on my original cartridge.
I always get a little bit of a warm fuzzy when I hear the intro song. If you are a returning player to enjoy the game, as I have numerous times over the years on different versions, and you want something a little different... Try this. It is best performed on the mobile but doable on all Editions... rescue the princess and then carry her with you everywhere you go the rest of the game. The quick save feature that the mobile allows, makes this more plausible to do early but if you are playing on the older edition, I would do it toward the end of the game after you know you are super strong and have no real chance of losing. Because in order to do this, you have to give up the opportunity to save. It is worth it! There is unique text with the dragon lord not only once you arrive with the princess, but if you... Well, I should let you find out yourself. Choose Wisely!
Pokemon FireRed was my first rpg. I recently bought DQ1 remaster on switch and had a blast with it. I feel great knowing the roots of my love for rpgs.
Dragon Warrior was the first game I remember playing, while I'm not sure if it was THE first, I feel like it was at least one of the first, like I also have a memory of playing Adventure island when I was very young, but I darn well liked Dragon Warrior more. I couldn't read, or write my name at the time, so I'm guessing my name was AAAAA, and I had to ask my mom to tell me what I got swords from, but I didn't really care about that, it was the monsters! There is a long story about how I just thought my character got really mad, when I ran out of HP and that's why the screen turned red and I went "home", and fist fighting Slimes without any armor, but I think I've made my point. Everything about this tickled me as when I played it, the music, the monsters, the color of it all, and the "Stairs" I never learned how to use them, but once you're out of the castle, you don't need to use stairs. I think I was 2 or 3. Dragon Quest rules, but I never got into part 2, or really liked 6, pretty as it was for the time, and for obvious reasons, part 10. Wait, also the DQ: Monsters for the Android.
My first RPG before I knew what an RPG was. I remember when Pokémon first came out and I had no idea what kind of game it was, and then once I saw someone play it, I went “oh, it’s like dragon warrior”
Exact opposite happened for me!
Grew up with Pokémon's first three generations, never thought twice about it. It was Pokémon.
In high school, I think my sophomore year, one of my friends was talking about JRPGs. At that time, the Vita had a much more lively offering than the 3DS for the genre, and he was playing it.
I asked what it was, he said, 'You know Pokémon, right? That's a genre.'
Fell in love with it ever since.
Some years later, inside a GameStop was an ad for the newly released game in Japan, Dragon Quest XI. It looked amazing, and they said it wouldn't come stateside for a year. So I then looked down and wanted to forget about it.
Tim Rogers posted a review of the game through Kotaku three days before launch, I found it and immediately after staying up late for those incredible 45 minutes [love that man], went to Steam and pre-ordered it. I don't pre-order anything.
On my fourth playthrough. Incredible. And Yakuza Like A Dragon is some fierce competition for it too, they compliment each other so wonderfully. ❤️
Pokemon was my first rpg, and i was immediately hooked on rpgs. Still havent finished a dq game yet.
@@Jerler91 Dude I’ll tell you what, I’m in the same boat where I started and stopped a couple of them and they didn’t click. Play DQ11, it’s one of the best RPG’s I’ve ever played
For me it was kinda the opposite. I saw another kid play Pokemon (though I didn't have it myself), then when I bought my own Game Boy with my allowance Wal-Mart was out of Zelda. The only other game with a fantasy theme on its cover was Dragon Warrior I & II, so I got that and looking at the back of the box I was like "Oh, like Pokemon" when I saw the combat menu displayed.
RPGs have been my favorite game genre since.
@@RoninCatholic Actually just bought a GameBoy Color to complement the GameBoy Pocket I got this past September, and looking around for deals Dragon Warrior I & II was the first black cartridge I've gotten so far. Couple years ago I got the Retroid Pocket 2, and as much as I love that handheld it's such a treat playing on real hardware.
First the SMT history and now this?? Derrick you are a legend
They’re both very influential titles that have affected literally every game since
Dragon Quest and FF's impact is more well known then megatens but megaten is just as important to gaming if not moreso then FF@@gabagoo_grimbo
The point you made about how "grinding" isn't so tedious because you're working towards a goal is absolutely true. This goes for almost every single entry in the series, but I think it's a lot more potent in the earlier games that are more simple.
I had this game as a kid. One of the first 5 games i ever owned. Back then it was super off putting due to all the dialogue, how easy it was to die, and how easy it was to go off into the wrong area.
My journey for playing most of the games in the series started with a commitment to FINALLY conquering this game as an adult. And much like you Derrick, I found zen in grinding it out while listening to podcasts. After finishing it I was enthralled with exploring the evolution of the series. It was a blast for the historian in me, and im sure it will be for you too! Enjoy, looking forward to the DQ2 vid!
I was shocked how much I enjoyed it when I played in on NES all those years ago. Especially because I bounced off of Final Fantasy 1 on NES pretty quickly. It's a comfort game for me at this point. I'm excited to cover DQ2 in the future!
Got any podcast recommendations?
Reading was off putting? Typical American.
Was really hard for me as a little kid, especially when your game would crash and I couldn't read yet.
@@gutterspeak the first RPGs were developed by Americans, lol, and they took even longer to catch on in Europe
Comparing this to 11, its amazing how much the series has improved while remaining faithful to what made the original so successful
RIP Akira Toriyama (1959-2024) You Will Be Missed
Looking forward to watching this entire series. DQ needs more love from larger channels so more people get inspired to play it. Great video. Probably the best DQ1 retrospective I've ever seen.
Agreed!
Not just Dragon Quest, but more people need to know how incredible the Ys games are as well.
No joke, I would put Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana alongside Final Fantasy VII, Dragon Quest VIII and Chrono Trigger as one of the greatest RPGs I've *ever* played. It was that stinkin' good.
The YT channel U Can Beat Video Games recently uploaded a playthrough of the original NES DQ3, just finished part 2 (defeated Baramos) and will eventually upload part 3, Alefgard soon.
What a coincidence! I just used this video as entertainment while I work on a video too! Great stuff Derrick, looking forward to the rest of the series.
I really liked the structure of this video. Putting your experience of the game throughout the video was a great way to relive the game once more.
Ah the original Dragon Quest. This was the third game I ever played back on the Gameboy Color thanks to its release alongside 2. I remember getting so excited about my progress through the game I'd write about it in my journal for my 7rh grade class because it was something completely new to me at the time. Before this game I had only beaten Pokémon Red and Dragon Quest Monsters so facing monsters directly, on my own no less, was quite the harrowing yet fulfilling experience. When I finally took down Dragonlord it felt so good and got my hooked on the series.
Learning more about the history is fun. While I do have knowledge how things have gone for the series I never heard how Hori got his start or how Toriyama got involved. Excited for more of these, especially the next because it's the hardest entry 😅.
dragon quest is still the best jrpg saga out there. can't wait for 12
I played all of the Dragon Quest games in order, starting with the first one, and let me tell you, it was a marvellous experience that actually made me a big fan of video games in general. I highly recommend that you do it and see how the Dragon Quest series evolved over time,
1989: Played Dragon Warrior.
1998: Played Pokemon.
Yesterday: Started Pokemon Scarlet & Violet with my wife.
My life wouldn't be the same if it weren't for RPGs and all the amazing work that has gone into them!
Now THIS is the content I want to see. Keep the Dragon Quest stuff coming. 👍
the only one worth it is one, or maybe the first 3 or 4
@@ginxxxxx They're all good! Shut yer mouth!
My grandfather got my brother and I an NES in 1989, and this was one of the first games we got with it. I was 4, he was 5, and it took us months to figure out how to get out of the first room, but once we figured out how the game worked, RPGs became one of my absolutely favorite genre of games, and it still is.
Wow, this was honestly one of the best reviews of any game I've ever seen. It's long, it's detailed, it sounds professional, it's well-researched, and it segues effortlessly back and forth between history, gameplay mechanics, and personal experience. I would love to see more content like this.
Great video! My hype for DQ3 2D/HD cannot get any higher. I look forward to part 2!
if I had unlimited time, I'd play more dragon quest, the series is just so charming
i mean it's basically final fantasy but with dragon balls art style.
it seriously needs more attention in the west, as both franchises are obscenely popular.
@@supersmashbro596 Gotta heavily disagree there. Maybe its comparable to the first half of the FF series. But definitely nothing like later entries.
DQ was around before FF bro... there would not be FF without DQ like no Tekken without Virtual Fighter @@supersmashbro596
I got this game through the Nintendo Power subscription offer without knowing what it was. They just made it look cool and sound fun, and hey, Nintendo Power! This was my first console rpg and is still one of my all time favorites. I still have my original cartridge... 33 years later. I've been a fan of the series ever since, though I have only finished 5 of them.
Excellent video! Thank you.
I love inside perspective videos like this! Seeing what went on behind the scenes at that time 😁
Loved this DQ video and I'm glad to see more discussion on this wonderful series among western fans. Just a couple notes from me:
-The Game Boy version has unique borders when played on the Super Game Boy, making it my favorite version
-You mentioned how saving Gwaelin is optional. Bringing her back to the castle once you're carrying her in your arms is also optional. You can do the rest of the game carrying her and, if you speak to the Dragonlord in this state, he thanks you for delivering the princess right into his hands
fantastic video! cant wait for more!
Great video and I love the idea of docuLPs for games that are less entertaining to watch for people who aren't major fans of the games already
Literally just beat this game for GB last week. Working on the sequel now. What are the odds
I am SO down for this series yesssssss thank you Derrick for the wonderful content
Akira Toriyama didn't JUST influence the Slime for Dragon Quest, he influenced the entire identity of a slim for ALL fantasy media across the board. Now you CANNOT watch a single Isekai or fantasy anime, read a comic or Manga or play a video game that DOESN'T have slime that look identical to Toriyama-sensei's design. I mean the second you say "Slime" to ANY anime lover, it's Toriyama's slime that will 100% of the time come to mind.
Woo! Can't wait for this one! I love this series and wish there was more videos on it!
I had the exact same experience with getting frustrated with 8 and putting it down after like 10 hours or so and then later picking up 9 and absolutely falling in love with it. Since then I've played so many DQ games and it's my favorite jrpg series.
I have vivid childhood memories of playing all of these games with my dad when they first came out.
Wow, what a video! Dragon Quest is one of my favorite series of all time, and seeing all of this backstory was super interesting. The music is just as iconic as the games themselves too, as you mentioned. I'm glad they still use the same opening theme in DQ XI!
I know you mentioned that you really don't need a guide, which is true, but I would recommend that players either keep a map on their phone or print one out with locations listed on it. The original game came with it in the manual so it's not cheating, I swear.
Great retrospective. I would absolutely love to see more like it. Thanks for making such a wonderful video.
Was my first RPG ever as a kid & the one that would steer my taste in games to JRPG's for life. I was hopelessly addicted to this game as a kid & still am today!
I'm a HUGE fan of Dragon Quest. DQ11 is one of my favorite games, of all time.
Let's GOOOOOO.
Dragon Warrior was amazing. I got it with Nintendo Power. The amount of grinding done was vast. One of my favorite games by far.
I still have my original cartridge.
Great video!
Salute to DQ! Still using turn-based battle system until now.
Great video, Derrick! I absolutely love this style of retrospective where you actually play the game and break it down alongside its history! You should do this for other games too! Dragon Quest is a series I've been sleeping on but I maybe should give one a try sometime. I'm looking forward to the next one!
Finally got around to watching this video and I loved every minute. I fell in love with Dragon Quest at the start of 2020 when my spring break (as a teacher) turned from one week into three. I binged the game and fell in love and have since bought every mainline game in the series, plus some spin-offs. I'm really excited to see you dig through the rest of the games. Also lights a fire under me to finish the games I haven't yet. Lol
I love this series! So glad your doing this!
Really great video! Dragon Quest is my favorite RPG series. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, but it’s always fun to learn about the humble roots of a series. Can’t wait for the 2D HD remake of 3.
I got this game for Christmas the year it came out in NA and it completely captured my imagination. Still one of my all time favs to this day. Great retrospective/walkthrough, I really enjoyed the behind the scenes bits.
"i simply must play more of the mainline series". Yup i know that feeling well lmao. I do the same wirh music. I find an arist and start from their first album and make my way to the most recent.
Love these deep dives
Dragon Warrior was my first of the Dragon Quest games, my first RPG, and one of the first games I have ever played. Many years later Dragon Quest XI stands proud as one of my favorite games ever.
This is very educational. Tells a lot about gaming history. (he said from his work account to make it look work relevant)
One of the coolest aspects of the game was the random encounter. You never knew what you were going to fight. A new monster was always so exciting to see pop up on screen.
Dragon warrior monsters 2 was my 1st dq game and I fell in love with it immediately
As someone who was there when the newest DQ game was IV, its awesome to see people still appreciating the series. The beauty of these games was , if you did the work, by the end you could lay some series smack down. The good old days when grinding was invented :)
I still LOVE these fames. They, the first four of them, originated as Dragon WARRIORs I-IV on the old NES. This classic franchise got me hooked on RPGs
Great video, I personally put DQ1 as one of the three best games ever made. So perfect.
I first got into the DQ series about five years ago when I found a copy of the very first NES game at a flea market for $7. I am now a huge dedicated fan who has played every main numbered game (except 10) multiple times.
A friend of mine from grade school had Dragon Warrior, but it was his dad that mostly played it. Seeing him play it got me interested in the game, eventually leading to me getting Dragon Warrior 1 through 4 for the NES. Today, I have every Dragon Quest game except 10 (localize it already, Japan!!) and I'm looking forward to hearing more about DQ12 in the future.
I played 1 immediately after I finished 11, which I played soon after Hero came to Smash Bros. I was equally as shocked at how well it held up to time and at how much the series kept it's identity over the years, but I think my favorite memories of the game is watching my brother play it for the first time, and we just have a great time creating our own sub narratives.
Great retrospective! I'm happy you mentioned the alternate universe storyline from Dragon Quest Builders. I really like Dragon Quest, but I LOVE the DQB series. I'm hoping they make a third to coincide with the HD-2D remake of Dragon Quest 3.
Just finished this one and I'm surprised at how well it holds up. Still really charming.
I loved playing this on the GBC bundle cartridge. DQ3 in the GBC was the first game I played in this franchise, and I've been hooked ever since!
Dragon Quest IX was also my first DQ! Loved it!
Nicely done! You do a great job explaining why people love these games.
35:07 when I first played this game I made the choice accidentally to join him lol. Really great video btw thanks for sharing this. This was my first ever RPG and my childhood.
So did I....
A friend got this game with his Nintendo Power. He played a little and wasn't interested. I traded a duplicate Mega Man 2 for it. I remember playing it for months after school and even got my grandparents interested in playing it. It was simple and completely different from everything else I had ever played. By the time I was able to play another game in the series, the SNES was already a huge hit, and the same friend I traded with was selling his NES games so he could buy more SNES games. I bought a bunch of games from him, but to this day, I am most grateful that I bought Dragon Warrior 3. This is my favorite game of all time and solidified my love of all things Dragon Quest!
Japan: "Western RPGs are too complex for Japan, we need to simplify them."
Also Japan: "Japanese RPGs are too complex for the West, we need to simplify them."
lol 😭
couldnt have timed this better since i just beat DQ1 (snes version) for the first time today! looking forward to playing more in the series and watching your videos!
Great video! Always nice to see people making videos on the early DQ games. I've been doing Dragon Questober for the last 2 years, which have featured videos on the first 2 DQ games and others, but barely anyone watches my stuff so good to see bigger channels spreading the greatness of Dragon Quest!!!
Engrossing review and overview of the game, and this is from someone who really couldn’t ever get into Dragon Quest. I do love gaming history, and this had a wonderful balance the history and the game itself
One of my favorite games EVER, possibly my favorite DQ game! First time I played the NES version, I hated it, cuz I didn’t get it. I’ve since beat it 4x on mobile, Switch, GBC, and Super Famicom. For my b-day, my bro got me a complete boxed version of the original NES version, and I’m currently working towards finally finishing that. It’s definitely still a grind, but it’s a fun and charming one. I just love this game so much!
I haven't enjoyed the video yet, but I just wanted to add that there's a great autobiographical manga about the dragon quest creators called Road to Dragon Quest! I finished translating the last 2/3 of the manga and it's totally worth a read for any dragon quest fan. It's available on mangadex.
Finished watching the video, I enjoyed the personal story parts too! Dragon Quest 11 was my first DQ game, and after finishing 11, I pretty much bought all the other games to play lol.
Please do the history of Dragon Quest 2 & 3!! 🙏
Love that genuine review of DQ. A lot of nice details about the development and a good gameplay description. One of my favorite games from de NES!!!
Ah Dragon Warrior. My first game ever played back in 1989. Always loved the franchise and played every mainline game with the exception of 10. I still own the nes carts of the 1st 3 games. Such great games!
I found that many people didn’t like the Switch (Mobile) port, but in reality I prefer it because it uses the original hand drawn artwork from Toriyama, which I loved. Think about it, the NES versions had to use sprites, but these ports use the original artwork.
Dragon Quest II is the most chore of the bunch. I enjoyed it, it made a few surprises, and research the puns of the green brother because he's always dying.
Now, DQIII is a beast. I was super surprised is a game that still holds today. You get to understand how it shaped modern RPGs, all done in a NES game, it really surprised me, and I am excited for the HD remake.
Having said that, IV story is amazing. I loved the format and that intro and that ending made me cry, which is impressive to itself. But the best one in my opinion is V, which you appreciate more after playing all the previous ones. The story is just amazing, my favorite, with the best story, best plot twists, and most rewarding by the end. That's why it was remade for PS2 (I played the DS versions, beautiful animations), and that's why they made a movie about it, which while good in my opinion, could have been better, but still good nonetheless.
Dragon Warrior was my first RPG at like 3 years old, I remember wandering around and it was fun, then I ran into a green dragon, and i thought it was the last boss because of the box-art and thought the game was too hard for me and stopped playing. Finally actually played through it like a year or two ago, and really enjoyed it.
Hype to watch these! Hope they get enough support to continue!
Great retrospective, thank you!
Dammit, dude. I still have mild ptsd from all the grinding I had to do in this game as a kid.
But your video pretty much cemented the fact I’m going to have to go back in for another round.
Look forward to playing this as an adult. I remember loving it in ‘89 and then Final Fantasy soon after.
As far back as I can remember, my first tango with Dragon Quest was the Slime as a guest character in Mario Sports Mix (with Hoops 3-on-3 being, as far as I can remember, my first exposure to Final Fantasy). For years, I’d heard about that franchise here and there, but never really payed much mind to it. It wasn’t until around 2018 that I started playing RPGs that weren’t the Mario & Luigi Series, Pokémon, or SMRPG, starting with Xenoblade Chronicles on Wii.
In late 2018, I found a TH-cam channel by the name of RamZaes (now Ram Revie), whose style of content caught my interest. Around early 2019, he made a video on Dragon Quest XI, thus marking the first time I ever got a good look at the series. Then Hero was announced for Smash and that really caught my eye, along with DQXIS on Switch.
After I finally got a Switch in mid-2020, during the later part of the year, while browsing the eShop for demos, I found XI S, and said why not, and downloaded it. The main thing that stuck with me about that demo is how long it was. I never beat it, but I think I might have an idea of when it ends. Anyway, a few weeks later, while out shopping for a game or two, I found the full version. I bought it alongside Zelda: ALBW, and spent the entire pandemic chipping away at it, alongside XC: DE. About that last point, I had stopped playing Xenoblade around the point where you go looking for Melia in the Royal tomb. Right when I was thinking of getting back into it, DE was announced. So I decided to cancel those plans and wait for DE to come out to start over.
After spending almost a full year on Dragon Quest XI S, it quickly became one of my favorite RPGs I ever played. And something about it was so addicting, that I actually went through the effort of 100%ing it (well, almost. I think I’m missing one accolade, more on that later). When I finally finished on July of 2021, I already knew that I had become a Dragon Quest fan.
After that, a bit happened. I started becoming more acquainted with the rest of the series via TH-cam. I played the mobile game Tact, and played the Game Trial for Builders 2, managing to beat the story for the first island before it expired. I played the demo for Monsters 3. And the only other full version of a game I have is Dragon Quest Treasures. I got it as a Christmas gift last year, and only really started playing it yesterday.
As of now, I’m waiting for the remake of 3 to come out before playing another mainline entry, but I will be there (hopefully) Day 1. Now regarding XI S, the accolade I think I’m missing is the one for beating the Ultraboss quickly (someone let me know if you get an accolade for getting all others). Once I beat Treasures, I’ll be going back to attempt getting that final accolade before attempting a full replay of the game before 3 comes out (I most likely won’t succeed, but oh well).
Thank you for your new video I always appreciate them
Great Video! Such a Big Fan of this series. Looking forward to the rest of the videos to this series! It would be cool to have Brandon on one of these videos because I know he is into the series as well. Keep up the great work.
That was a cool video. Some history and story of the game are impressive. Always wanted to play these games but never get around to it with an ever growing backlog.
Gonna check out some more of your videos
like so many others, got this w/ Nintendo Power and I think it was my first RPG as well. Didn't have a computer yet, just a Nintendo. Got into this series and soon after Final Fantasy. Good memories!
great video as always derrick!
Loved this, can't wait for more DQ content
I started playing the series a little over a year ago, and I recently finished DQ 5 (I picked Nera, in case anyone was wondering). It's an absolutely fantastic series so far, and I can't wait to get to the ones that everyone seems to love, like 8 and 11. I'm currently going back and forth between Dragon Quest and Etrian Odyssey, so it'll take a little while.
There are two things that made it easy for me to get into Dragon Quest that also make it difficult for me to get into Final Fantasy: Art style and combat. Dragon Quest's art style is just so comfy in a way I can't describe, and for the record, I've never watched Dragon Ball, so it's not nostalgia. Final Fantasy, on the other hand, just has some intangible quality that turns me off from it. Then there's the turn-based combat in Dragon Quest that is so much more appealing to me than Final Fantasy's pseudo-turn-based combat, which in recent games, from what I understand, has just devolved into pure action. It's the same reason I didn't like Chrono Trigger as much as I hoped I would; the "Active Time Battle" system didn't leave me feeling like I had any time to make decisions, whereas in Dragon Quest I'm able to strategize carefully. That's also the same reason I'm playing the Etrian Odyssey and Disgaea series.
Anyways, I loved the video, and I look forward to the next one! Just don't put out videos faster than I can beat the games. 😉
Really enjoyed this one! Good job
Awesome video! Definitely got a lot of Good Vibes from it 😁
Really interesting to hear about mechanical aspects of the NES version, I just played the GBC port in November when my Analogue Pocket came in. A lot of the modern simplicity menu options and slightly helping out the money grinding were addressed in that port. But beyond that it's still the exact same scope of video game, all while sharing cartridge space with its sequel!
One cool and fairly obscure thing about Dragon Quest 1 is that your character's name actually impacts their stats and what levels they gain spells at, so if you play it multiple times while giving your character different names you'll have somewhat different experiences.
Great work, Derrick!
I remember renting this from the local Blockbuster back in the day. Not sure how many people kept playing this one save file, but it had been grinded up to level 27. At that level, you are pretty equal in strength to the Dragonlord. I got my own copy from the Nintendo Power promotion, but I never went that far in leveling, and I was surprised how much harder it is at level 20 to beat him.
I was 5 years old when he started working on this game and I bought my NES when I was nine and got a free subscription to Nintendo Power add Dragon Warrior as a free gift this was the first RPG I ever played and I could not put it down this ended up being a gift that turned me into a fan of Toriyama and Japanese RPGs for the rest of my life
I still regularly play the Randomizer for this game, & it's a TON of fun! I strongly recommend fans of this game to look into the Randomizer. It breathes new life into the game & gives you a brand new adventure every time you play!
I was one of those who got DW with Nintendo Power. RPGs were new to me, at first I couldn't figure out where level 2 was. I ended up loving the game and finally finished it. Didn't play another DQ until IX and XI, looking forward to the new III remake.
RIP Toriyama San.
The first dragon quest got me back into retro games when I was like 14. I'm now 30 😆
One is one of the few DQ games I've beaten too. All I did was speed it up a little for grinding. It really feels like an adventure compared to the standard RPG formula even later ones have.
I used to rent this game from a local video store back in the day. I never got very far but loved the game all the same. I eventually got the game free from Nintendo Power and never looked back. I still have that copy and its sequels.
Dragon Quest/Warrior 1 was the first RPG I played after Pokemon, but initially I was looking for another type of Dragon Quest/Warrior game…
I saw one of my classmates playing Dragon Warrior Monsters on my 5th grade class field trip to Washington DC and it looked like a much more complicated and better Pokemon and I had been obsessed with Pokemon since I got red version for my birthday the year before so I naturally had to get this game and I made note of “Dragon Warrior” to tell my mom about later.
Months later I was graduating elementary school and my mom said I could get one game for my graduation gift and I naturally chose that “Dragon Warrior” game because I was a spoiled kid who always got everything I wanted and that was what I wanted and still didn’t have, so my dad and I went off to Toys R US to get it and I didn’t see the exact game I was looking for but I did see Dragon Warrior 1 and 2(for game boy)and I recognized the monsters on the cover so I figured it must be a sequel or something and I got it instead of Dragon Warrior Monsters by pure happenstance forever changing my idea of what a classic JRPG was supposed to be.
I tried playing both games hilariously wondering when monsters were going to join my party and wondering why humans were fighting the monsters instead(little did I know that Dragon Quest V would feature this exact premise), but Dragon Warrior 2 was a bit too hard for me at first with the multiple enemies attacking my one guy so I played Dragon Warrior 1 for hours and hours grinding and traversing the world map and accidentally finding things like the Loto armor because I didn’t understand that the NPCs were super important in older RPGs and eventually I got stuck and decided to play Dragon Warrior 2 until I got stuck there too trying to find the seals and that was when I decided to get Dragon Warrior Monsters and eventually Dragon Warrior 7 completely blew my mind so I didn’t play Dragon Warrior 1 and 2 again for decades later.
I actually didn’t finally beat Dragon Quest 1 and 2 until a few years ago when the mobile versions happened. I was determined to finally beat these games so I beat DQ1 on mobile and then I found out that the mobile version of DQ2 was garbage so I instead got my old gba out and put my even older Dragon Warrior 1 and 2 in the cartridge slot and I finally beat them both to get clear files on both games on my original cartridge.
It CAN be understated. Overstating is the thing you *can't* do.
I always get a little bit of a warm fuzzy when I hear the intro song.
If you are a returning player to enjoy the game, as I have numerous times over the years on different versions, and you want something a little different... Try this.
It is best performed on the mobile but doable on all Editions... rescue the princess and then carry her with you everywhere you go the rest of the game.
The quick save feature that the mobile allows, makes this more plausible to do early but if you are playing on the older edition, I would do it toward the end of the game after you know you are super strong and have no real chance of losing.
Because in order to do this, you have to give up the opportunity to save. It is worth it!
There is unique text with the dragon lord not only once you arrive with the princess, but if you... Well, I should let you find out yourself.
Choose Wisely!
just cant wait for 2!
Pokemon FireRed was my first rpg. I recently bought DQ1 remaster on switch and had a blast with it. I feel great knowing the roots of my love for rpgs.
Dragon Warrior was the first game I remember playing, while I'm not sure if it was THE first, I feel like it was at least one of the first, like I also have a memory of playing Adventure island when I was very young, but I darn well liked Dragon Warrior more.
I couldn't read, or write my name at the time, so I'm guessing my name was AAAAA, and I had to ask my mom to tell me what
I got swords from, but I didn't really care about that, it was the monsters! There is a long story about how I just thought my character got really mad, when I ran out of HP and that's why the screen turned red and I went "home", and fist fighting Slimes without any armor, but I think I've made my point.
Everything about this tickled me as when I played it, the music, the monsters, the color of it all, and the "Stairs" I never learned how to use them, but once you're out of the castle, you don't need to use stairs. I think I was 2 or 3.
Dragon Quest rules, but I never got into part 2, or really liked 6, pretty as it was for the time, and for obvious reasons, part 10. Wait, also the DQ: Monsters for the Android.