Dragon Warrior III

"More party-based Dragon Warrior for you!"

Dragon Warrior III for the GBC is actually not only a enhanced port of the NES game, but a prequel to the original Dragon Warrior as well. DW III carries on the simple Dragon Warrior rpg experience but also adds the ability to select and train party members in certain jobs. Here's what I thought of DW III:

Story: 5/10

You are the son of a the legendary hero Ortega, how had previously set out to rid the world of the great evil Baramos. Having not returned, your father is presumed dead. After you come of age you take his place and assemble a team of warriors together. Eventually you learn that to reach the great evil, you need to acquire six colored orbs, so you and your party set out to find them.

It's a pretty generic, unexciting story really, and is made even more frustrating by often not knowing where to go to advance the story. Even knowing how to obtain certain items is a daunting task that often requires talking to out-of-the-way npc's that you wouldn't think of talking to. Thankfully the hero eventually learns how to remember things that people tell him (which is a godsend for anyone who happens to put the game down for more than a day). Your main objective is eventually revealed after solving about a dozen town's problems, and actually starts to pick up after that. I personally prefer the stories of Dragon Warrior II and IV, this one is too vague and just doesn't pull you in.

Gameplay: 8/10

For what the story lacks, the gameplay tries it's best to pick up. Like I mentioned before, this IS your typical Dragon Warrior: you fight to gain experience and gold, learning spells and finding better equipment along the way. However, taking a cue from "Final Fantasy", you can now customize your party by hiring mercenaries at the local pub (this includes warriors, fighters, thiefs, clerics, mages, dealers, and jesters). The best part is that you can even change the jobs of your characters AGAIN after they reach a certain level, meaning you can make your cleric a warrior. They will also retain any magic they learned and start off at level one again while retaining half of their stats. This allows for a very customized party.

Almost every other aspect of DW III retains series hallmarks, from roaming around the world map and dungeons, to how you fight. As you progress through the game your transportation options will also change, but this is similar to DW II. A couple of new editions are the parchisi tracks around the world which allow you to win some cool items, collecting monster medals (if you're the collector type), and collecting mini medals which you can use to gain new items. Overall the gameplay is a bit better than the previous two entries, mostly due to the great party customization.

Graphics: 7/10

Pretty average NES graphics, really, comprised mainly of sprites moving around and animated-monsters during battle. The colors are bright and vibrant during the day and rather dark and bleary during the night and in dungeons. A lot of famous monster designs return to the series, while the townsfolk look roughly the same as DW II. There's really not too much more to say here, the graphics are of course dated a bit but look decent enough for any old-school rpg fan.

Music/Sound Effects: 8/10

The series has always had very good music, often symphonic quality strings with very memorable tunes, and DW III caries on this tradition. Dramatic battle music will carry you through your fights as well as the familiar (to veterans) sound effects of sword swipes and spell casting. Of course you'll listen to the over world and ship music so much that you'll also have them stuck in your head for awhile after finishing the game. Certain sound effects span the entire Dragon Warrior series and are instantly memorable to any fan. You won't mind keeping the volume on for this game.

Re-playability: 8/10

A lot of the re-playability in DW III comes from the innovative party system (which Final Fantasy III copied as well), as that alone can keep you coming back, mixing and matching classes. I should also mention for detailist's that you can even change your characters temperament by reading special books which affect your stats on level-ups (a god-send for the stat junkie). Besides being a lengthy game (a bit longer than DW II), there are also a few optional side-quests that you can participate in as well, not to mention the monster medals you can collect.

Overall: 7/10

Overall DW III is a good game, featuring great party customization and a rather boring story. It would be a lot better if the game flowed a bit better and made it crystal clear what you had to do at all times. Other than that, DW III makes for a good history lesson for fans of the genre, and is a must-play for DW fans. Have fun and keep playing!

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/05/09

Game Release: Dragon Warrior III (US, 07/16/01)