"Two really great RPGs for the price of one!"

I had some credits to burn at FuncoLand, and I wondered what I should get. As my eyes skimmed over the used game display, I fell upon DW 1 and 2. I thought “Wow! Two games in one! I should buy it!” I did, and brought it home and played it right away. I am a huge fan of RPGs, and this one didn’t let me down. First, I’ll review DW 1, then I’ll review DW 2.

DRAGON WARRIOR 1

DW 1 STORY
Dragon Warrior 1 has an interesting and exciting story line. You see the story through some kick ass cut scenes at the start of the game. The Light Orb has been stored away in your father’s castle for a long time now, to keep evil beings away from its unlimited and ultimate power. Alas, the evil Dragon Lord and his army attack the castle, breaking the walls in a search for the Light Orb. They find it, and steal it, kidnapping the Princess Lora in the process. Dragon Lord has hidden Princess Lora somewhere in the world, and you must find her, the Light Orb, and destroy Dragon Lord to restore peace to the land.

Here is some gold and a weapon, now get the hell out of my castle and save the world.
That is pretty much what DW 1 does to you. The King gives you some gold, a weapon, armor, and tells you to go save the world, basically. You leave, and wander around, leveling up and beating monsters. Some people found this interesting, because it drug you deeper into the story line and gave it a more realistic feel. I found it tedious. You wander around the over world map for hours at a time, looking for some town or house that you can go into and talk to the people there, and pray that they give you some sort of clue as to where to go next. 9 times out of 10, they don’t, leaving you cursing and wondering where the hell to go next.

Retarded Monks, Recycled Enemy Models, and graphics far as the eye can see!
The hero looks like a retarded monk without any armor or a weapon. When you first equip a weapon, your hero will be carrying a sword from then on out. Equip armor, and your hero will be wearing a cape and a helmet. The recycled enemy models aren’t as bad as FFL 3, but they got annoying to look at. Let’s say you fight a Slime monster early in the game that is green. Later in the game, you’ll fight the same model but the color will change, and the enemy will have a different name. Want some eye candy? This game has quite a bit of it. The over world map looks pretty, and it is densely populated with trees, mountains, and swamps. The mountains are impassable, and the swamps take HP away from you as you walk through them. When you get to a battle, you’ll see a small side background that looks like where the battle is taking place. Get attacked in the forest, and a neat forest background is in the battle scene. Get attacked in a swamp, and you’ll see a red, murky side background. The towns and buildings are all detailed, as well as the people. The game actually looks like a spiffed up version of the NES game.

The RPG elements are all firmly in place.
You start out weak and level up by beating monsters and creeps. You earn gold when you beat a monster, and you use that in towns and shops to buy items, herbs, and weapons. You get a storage system available in some towns to store some of the useless items you get on your quest to return the Light Orb. As you level up you get to learn magic spells, ranging from the powerful Fire Bane to the useful Heal.

Hey, I pressed the D-Pad left and it waited 2 tenths of a second and then moved my hero!
You got some eye for detail. It is true, though. There is a SMALL lag in the controls, and that gets a teensy bit annoying. The menus took some getting used to, but once you learn them you’ll never have a bit of problems with them again. The controls are pretty much like any other RPG, a tad difficult at first but not difficult at all once you get them down pat.

Sounds good, too.
The music fits every area to a tee. A cave will have slow, dark music in it while a town will have bright cheery music. The slashing of the swords in battle sound like they would in real life. When you use a spell like Heal, you’ll hear a bright ding sound. Use something like Fire Bane, and you’ll hear a whoosh of fire. Speaking of the battles, the battle music is tense and well done. The music is surprisingly well done, and is a pleasure to listen too.

Will I play it again after I beat it?
Odds are you won’t want to. The game gets tedious and boring, and there aren’t many secrets to find.

OVERALL DW 1 SCORE (9/10)

DRAGON WARRIOR 2

DW 2 STORY
A surprise attack by Lord Hargon on Moonbrook castle starts the story. Hargon has sent his troops to destroy the castle as a warning to everyone. The King of Moonbrook and his daughter are in the castle courtyard when some flying bird monsters soar down and attack. The King orders his daughter to run and hide in the cellar to be safe. She does so, and the King manages to kill a few of the monsters before he falls down in battle. The monsters destroy the castle and turn it to ruins. The Princess has disappeared, but where is she? Your father, King of Lorasia Castle, hears of this and tells you about Moonbrook’s terrible demise. He tells you of Hargon, and his quest to destroy the world. He sends you off to help the world and destroy Hargon, and bring peace back to the land! While you are traveling, you can find two other people who are willing to travel with you on your journey to destroy the mad man Hargon… but who are they?

Travel to Leftwyne. You’ll learn where to go from there…
DW 2 isn’t as bad as the first in terms of not knowing where to go. More people tell you where to go, and give you general directions, such as “Leftwyne is to the north of here.” The towns and castles are closer together then the ones in DW 1, and that made it feel less tedious and frustrating. Another big plus is the addition of the World Map, which you can view once you find it. The World Map shows where you are at, and, duh, a map of the world. Also, you can find a ship you can use to sail around the world, and that makes the game easier and helps you find towns and secrets better.

More recycled enemy models, but the better graphics more then make up for them.
Yeah, it is true. The enemy models are recycled here again, but the other graphics more then make up for it. The towns are all spiffy looking, and the characters are detailed well. The hero no longer looks like a freaky monk, and looks normal. The water on the over world map looks like water should on a GBC game, not like it does in FFL 3. Same mountains, trees, and deserts around the world. But they decided not to put the side backgrounds in DW 2 this time! The backgrounds are white, until you reach the end of the game when the final bosses have the side backgrounds. Everything looks… well… spiffy and is pleasing to the eye.

Same RPG elements here… plus more secrets!
Just like the first, you level up and earn gold by beating the snot out of monsters. Unlike the first, however, you get to have two other members join you in your quest to destroy the evil Hargon. The game is fairly non-linear, and allows you to explore and choose what you want to do and when you want to do it. Like I said, there are much more secrets in this game then the first, and I guarantee that you won’t get all of them the first time you play.

Same small lag, and a little confusing menus.
The short lag is here again, and the small confusing menus. Once you get the menus down, navigating them is a breeze.

Sounds even better, too!
Some cool heroic tunes play as you wander around the world. The swoosh and clash of the weapons and swords in the battles sound even better then the ones in the first! The magic sound effects are much clearer, and sound much, much better then the first. The battle music is just as good, too!

Look, there is a secret over there!
This game is chock full of secrets and extra weapons and armor to find, and I highly, highly doubt that you’ll find everything the first time you play.

OVERALL DRAGON WARRIOR 2 SCORE (10/10)

OVERALL DRAGON WARRIOR 1 & 2 SCORE (9/10)

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/03/01, Updated 09/03/01