GAMES .: REVIEW
GAMEBOY COLOR

November 2001
By Jae Lurman

DRAGON WARRIOR III

To be honest, I'd never even touched a Dragon Warrior game before now. I was well aware of the phenomenon, at least on Japanese soil where eager gamers cause near riots come launch day of a new Dragon Quest (as it is known in its homeland). The fact that this was my first, albeit late, exposure to the series it didn't stop me from devoting endless attention to stop me from devoting endless attention to this enjoyable title like any full-fledged Dragon Warrior nut.

Along with Pokemon, whom is solely responsible for spawning an entire subgenre, DW3 stands at the forefront of an often lacking Gameboy RPG industry. Needless to say, Nintendo have been milking the Pokemon franchise, warranting new sequels with mere superficial improvements. The saturation of monster collecting games left a great hole in the market. Perhaps Enix recognized this because DW3 easily fills the void. In stark contrast to the many failed attemtps to bring a true rpg experience to the handheld. It is effectively setting a new standard, a remarkable feat when you consider the game itself is over a decade old.

With the original Japanese Famicom Dragon Quest 3 released in 1988 (DW3 made it to the American NES in 1992), it appeared again in a special remix on the Super Famicom in 1996. DW3 now finds itsel on the Gameboy Colour colser to the SF remix than its NES original.

The story of the game entails you, the only child of the great hero Ortega, being summoned to the King's throneroom. Your father Orteta embarked on an ill-fated journey many years before to defeat the evil Lord Baramos and bring peace once again to Aliahan and it's inhabitants. Sadly your father never returned, but you are now 16 and determined to finish what he could not. With the King's blessing you begin preparation for your adventure ahead. Upon seeking like-minded comrades at the local Tavern you set out with your new friends to put an end to Baramos.

The attention to detail Enix have shown in developing DW3 is evident right from the get-go. Upon starting your game file you are met with a series of personal questions. You then find yourself in a created scenario. For example, an old man asks you to retrieve a purse from his house. When doing so you are arrested for theft. Do you accept responsibility? Do you flee? Or do you plead innocent, claiming you were tricked? The answers to the questions and actions you take are a psychological exam of sorts, the outcome of which determines your hero's starting personality.

Another feature of the game is the interesting character classes. In addition to the usual fighters, mages, clerics and thieves, you can also generate warriors, sages, dealers and even jesters to accompany you. Better yet specific personality types apply best to each class. Enix also made advances in the item department. Classic swords, shields, armours and accessories are expected, but what about bikinis, punk rings, mohawk wigs and tattoos? Sounds like a bad music/fashion revival I know but all these details give a distinctively new twist to the traditional stylings of a medievil RPG.

You'll be sidetracked alot in this game. Gambling your blood money away at monster arenas, playing the Pachisi Track boardgames, exploring for over 100 hidden Tiny Medals (which can be traded in for rare weapons and items), collecting and swapping Monster Medals via a link cable with friends, or just revisiting towns and castles after sunset to sneak around. At one point you are able to change your parties appearance. Changing into a demon and scarring colourful townsfolk has hilarious effects. Nothing keeps you away from the involving quest at-hand though, which isn't finished even after defeating Baramos and his minions. People, this game is M A S S I V E.

The heavy 32 megabit cartridge size boasts some of the best graphics wittnessed on any Gameboy thus far. Notably the lush landscapes and detailed towns, caves and towers. The battle animation of the monsters during battles is impressive. One thing missing however is the lack of backgrounds during battles, probably because of cartridge memory restrictions. To compliment the sights, the sounds are of equal quality. Joyful orchestrial tunes flow throughout the game, inescapably catchy and never becoming tedious.

Once again, DW3's brialliance shines through in its depth and attention to detail. Because you may be playing this game out in public, Enix included a temporary quick-save feature so you can resume your progress from any point in the game. You can even memorize and later recall what various people say, keeping your hands free of note-taking. As another example, you can store every single gathered item into a trusty carry bag. The carry bag's contents can then be sorted by type or aplhabetically. These small but valuable additions alone puts DW3 ahead of just about any RPG out there today. Reminiscent of the 16-bit greats, Dragon Warrior 3 is a superbly polished game and will no doubt remain a timeless classic.

Genre - RPG

Developer - Enix
Publisher - Enix
Release - July 18 2001

Players - 1

Link Options - Trade Monster Medals (multi-pak)

Save - Battery
(3 save positions)

TIP
Search everywhere that seems suspicious, there are plenty of secrets and surprises to uncover!

EXTRA MEDIA

(Box Art)
Famicom Jap
Super Famicom Jap
GBC Jap

Look, its Aliahan (NES)

Mum, im comin' home (SF)

Beginning your adventure, remix style (SF)

INTERESTING FACTS
All the box / game manual art as well as character and monster designs were penned by none of than Akira Toriyama of Dragon Ball Z fame.

Enix changed "Dragon Quest" to "Dragon Warrior" for the American series because TSR, known for their Dungeons & Dragons franchise, owns the trademark for "Dragon Quest".

A law in Japan prohibits Enix from releasing a Dragon Quest game on any day other than a weekend or public holiday, because so many people cut school / work to get a new DQ game on launch day.

LINKS

Official Site

A great DW Fansite

Collection of DW artwork

Graphics - 8.5
Lush and beautiful, you almost mistake it as being a GBA game at times.

Sound - 9
Well composed orchestrial styled tunes.

Gameplay - 10
More depth, extra features and character customisation than your average flashy Play Station RPG.

Lastability - 9
Easily 50 hours of gameplay on the just the main quest alone.

Characters - 9
Plenty of interaction with townspeople. Interesting personalities of companions. Excellent humour.

Overall - 9.5/10
Probably the most in-depth and enjoyable RPG ever for the GBC.