"Pika-who??? A game that beats pokemon in ALL ways."

One RPG I might recall when I was young was none other than the unnoticed Dragon Warrior Monsters. It beats Pokemon in almost ALL aspects, and is a far better game in all areas. Enveloped, and unnoticed by the fever of Pokemon Gold and Silver, You still can enjoy yourself with the game even till this game.

General Gameplay 10/10

The game has almost NO flaws or glitches. It's similar to Pokemon, but obtaining monsters are a whole new difference. You don't shove it in a ball; you give it treats to LIKE you. Your main hunting grounds are called Travelers Gates, which is a portal leading to another map. You beat the boss of the gate, and return with the monster or defeat it. You also can access the gate again, so the entrance is unlimited. Your only source of money is by picking up items at gates and selling them, so that's not much of a toughie. You can also enter tournaments and raise your tamer rank, and become the best monster tamer.

Battle Gameplay 10/10

The Battle also is more advanced than Pokemon gold or silver. Up to a 3:3 battle is possible, and all your monsters (even the ones in the stable <where you put monsters that don't go on the adventure with you>) receive experience. Sometimes you encounter Foreign Masters, other skilled monsters and you battle them for immense experience and prizes. You can even give treats to their monsters and “Steal” or make them like you better, and take their monsters. The monster's skills evolve into a better skill if the Level, MP and Intelligence hit a certain mark. Skills evolve such as Heal-Heal More-Heal All. The monster's personality change due to battle techniques. If the technique is set to CHARGE, the monster becomes more brutal and uses attack moves. The personality turns into violent ones such as reckless, daredevil … etc. If they are set at MIXED, they become thoughtful, using stat up techniques like Increase defense. They turn out to have personalities like whiz kid or sly. If they are set at CAUTIOUS, they use backup spells, such as healing, reviving or antidote. They become personalities like cool/calm or whimsy.

Story 8/10

The story is not that impressive, although not flamed for plagiarism like a few other games. Original, not too interesting, but you can stick with it well. The general story is that your sister is kidnapped, you jump into a dresser (which happens to be a portal), and you must be the victor of the Starry Night Tournament in order to get a wish granted, apparently being reunited with your sister. A truly original story, and not that bad.

Graphics 9/10

The monsters are very, very detailed. Although the background is not that well designed and kind of look similar, the more you progress in the gates, different backgrounds will appear, from fields to Greek pillars, magma fields to icy plains. But the monsters are EXTREMELY well drawn, and highly detailed. The monsters even have their own mini-sprite that follow you around, while Pokemon only has 7 or 8 mini sprites distinguishing it from other types of monsters.

Music/SFX 9/10

The music and SFX are well above normal games at the time for a Gameboy game. The travelers gate music (except for the pre-boss music) and the battle music doesn't change once throughout the game, but still doesn't get old. The SFX is awesome, and sounds very much like the technique would.

Replay Value 10/10

There are over 200 monsters to obtain and breed, some only obtainable by breeding, some only obtainable in the wild, some only obtainable by snatching them from foreign masters… but still, it you want to use a good portion of a year in a game, this is the game. I only came across this game because I bought a multi-game cartridge, but I was very impressed with the game.

Buy or Rent?

Buy. Definitely buy. You can even play it after a few years, as it doesn't get old. A rent will leave your heart empty, so definitely a buy.

Overall Score 10/10

The first game I ever give a 10 to. If it were more marketed, it would have overthrown Pokemon. It beats Pokemon in all aspects, and is going to stay with your collection for a long time.

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