Dragon Warrior III

"Almost like a totally different game from its NES incarnation"

Dragon Warrior III holds a special place in my heart as being one of my favorite RPGs in the early days of the NES. While Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy were my first two, Dragon Warrior III always topped both with its lengthy quest and its unique (for the time) class system. Even when the SNES was the dominant system and FF6 was just coming into homes everywhere as Final Fantasy III, I would still pop Dragon Warrior III into my old NES every now and then for a spin.

It should therefore come to no surprise that when Dragon Warrior III was announced for the Game Boy Color, it immediately hit my wish list. The greatest NES RPG of all time with new features and on the small screen? I am SO there! I knew that the Game Boy Color version of DW3 would be great.

I just had no idea how great it was. It lived up to my expectations and then some.

You are the son (or daughter) of the great hero Ortega, who died in battle many years ago fighting against a powerful monster. On your sixteenth birthday your mother takes you to the King of Aliahan, who charges you with the mission of picking up where your father left off. Your goal is to defeat the Demon King Baramos, who is relatively unknown in the world, but it is feared that his evil will soon spread. It's your job to get rid of him before that happens.

Not exactly much for a storyline, is it? Add to that the fact that your teammates are all characters that you create at Ruida's place, and you would think that the game's plot would be a bust. Well, to be honest, it is kind of weak, but bear in mind that this was back before games like Final Fantasy IV. And there are a lot of twists and interesting subplots to save the main plot. The plot is quite interesting if you've ever played the previous two Dragon Warriors (which are also on GBC in one package), especially near the end, when everything will look VERY familiar.

The graphics of Dragon Warrior 3 are nothing short of great (never thought I'd ever say THAT for a Dragon Warrior game). Compare this to the original NES version and you'll see what I mean. They're not just better. It's like Enix game the entire game a facelift. The large houses, castles, mountain ranges, forests, and other tidbits look FAR better than the tile system of the NES games. The monsters are another nice touch. When attacking, the monsters animate fluidly and vibrantly. It's very impressive.

The game's interface is also a LOT better than in the NES game. The menu is gone completely, replaced by an action button and a subscreen that is similar to the old menu, but without the talk and search commands. In addition, your characters now walk MUCH faster, so getting from one place to another isn't so tedious. The encounter rate in the NES version was nothing short of sadistic, but it's much easier to deal with in this version, and the difficulty level, while still challenging, doesn't require mindless level-building anymore. You also have a bag that holds excess items, so you won't find yourself running back to Ruida's tavern to store many of the key items that take up space until you need them. Nor will you find yourself with no room for items anywhere, as the bag can hold an unlimited number of items. When buying weapons and armor for your characters, you can see how much they will improve (or reduce) your attack and defensive power, so you know you won't buy a horrendously expensive piece of armor only to find that it's not as great as you'd like. You'll also get a world map relatively early on in the game, which is something else not included in the NES version. The one thing I really like about the map is the fact that areas you haven't yet explored are darkened. This really helps after you get the ship, when the linearity of the game gets thrown out the window. To sum it up, just about everything that was flawed in the original NES version has been fixed.

The job system, while not as deep as in future Dragon Warriors, is still interesting. Your companions can be Warriors, Fighters, Clerics, Mages, Dealers, Thieves (which weren't in the NES version, by the way), and the seemingly useless Jesters. Each class has its own strengths and weaknesses. Later you'll find the Dharma Temple, where your characters can change classes, retaining all of the abilities and some of the stats of the old class. This is useful, as it can give you a Fighter that can cast Cleric spells or a Mage with much more stamina than normal. It helps to plan ahead in your classes early on in the game, as there are certain classes, such as Dealers and especially Thieves, that you'll want for their abilities, but not at the end of the game.

Combat is turn-based and first person, just like in all Dragon Warrior games. It would have been nice if they'd included the tactics system present in all Dragon Warrior games from 4 on, but they didn't. It'd also be nice if they gave Fighters and Warriors some abilities like the ones they get in future Dragon Warrior games, but again, they didn't. Still, it's a good battle system, and has room for a lot of strategy given the large number of spells you can learn. It's also not tedious like it was in the NES game, due to the fact that the encounter rate is much lower.

The one thing that really sets this game apart from its NES counterpart is the amount of new stuff they put into the game. First off, you have the TinyMedals. Remember the Small Medals in the NES Dragon Warrior IV? Same thing here, except there are a lot more of them. You can exchange the medals for prizes by taking them to the Medal Collecter in Aliahan. Some of the prizes you get you won't find anywhere else. There are also Monster Medals, which you sometimes win by defeating enemies. There is one for each monster (over 150 of them), and it can be a big challenge just trying to get all of them. There's also the personality system. When you begin the game, you'll be asked many questions and given a scenario that will determine the personality you're given at the beginning of the game. While it may seem trifle, your personality can determine the stats you are given as your level increases, and can also change what some people say in conversations. Certain classes work better with certain personalities. Obviously, the Smart personality wouldn't work well with a Warrior. There are also Pachisi tracks that you find at various points in the game. For one Token, you can play on a huge board game where your character is a playing piece. You roll a die, collecting monsters and fighting enemies as you go, trying to reach the goal, where a big reward lies. It's a lot of fun to play and can be a big diversion. There are also a ton of new items added to the game. A lot of them are personality altering items, such as books and accessories. There's even a new bonus dungeon you can access after you beat the game.

Last but not least is the game's translation. Believe me when I say that I wasn't expecting it to be this good. Having only previously played the orginal NES version (keep in mind this was at a point in time when Nintendo was still very much in their ''censor anything'' phase), the GBC version did a much better job of telling a story, so much so that it was like watching a director's cut of a movie. There are also a few name changes from the orginial NES version. Luisa's Place is now Ruida's Place and is actually a tavern and not an ''eatery''. The great hero Erdrick is now given his original Japanese name of Loto. The Mirror of Ra is now the Lar Mirror. There are a few other things to watch for as well.

In short, Dragon Warrior III for Game Boy Color is almost like a totally different game from its NES incarnation. If you've never played this game or any other Dragon Warrior game, you should definitely get this, as it's one of the best RPGs on the small system. Even if you have played the NES version, there are so many new things in this version that you owe it to yourself to have this game. Given the choice, if I was forced to live the rest of my life on a deserted island with only a Game Boy Color and one game to play, this would be that one game. It's a lengthy and rewarding game that keeps going long after the quest is over.

Presentation: Forget everything you know about the NES version. Everything that could have been improved upon in the old 8-bit system has been improved. It's improved so much it's astounding. (10)

Graphics: Excellent for a Game Boy Color title. While the characters don't animate very well with their two sprite walk animation, the game makes good use of the limited colors available in use. Plus the monsters have excellent animation. (9)

Sound: The battle theme has always been one of my all time favorite tunes. Nothing really spectacular here, but it's solid nonetheless. (8)

Control: Near perfect. Much better than the NES version with the faster walking speeds.
(9)

Replay: Quite a bit, considering that after your first try, you can try out the class system to see what works. And you will spend a lot of time getting those monster medals, as well. (9)

Lasting Appeal: With all the extra diversions that were put in this game, you'll find yourself playing it a lot. Whether it's getting more Monster Medals, or playing Pachisi, or going through the bonus dungeon, this game doesn't disappoint. (10)

Overall: As one of the last RPGs on the Game Boy Color, it's an incredible game that will keep you busy for a long time. It's one of the few games that manages to do everything right, and because of that, it's one of the few games that I have ever given a perfect rating.

Final Rating (not an average): 10

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/16/01, Updated 11/16/01