Dragon Warrior III

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Dragon Warrior III

Developer(s) Chunsoft
Heartbeat (SFC)
TOSE (GBC)
Publisher(s) Enix
Designer(s) Yūji Horii
Artist(s) Akira Toriyama
Composer(s) Koichi Sugiyama
Series Dragon Quest
Platform(s) Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Famicom, Game Boy Color
Release date(s) Nintendo Entertainment System
JP February 10, 1988
NA June 12, 1991
Super Famicom
JP December 6, 1996
Game Boy Color
JP December 8, 2000
NA July 7, 2001
Genre(s) Console role-playing
Mode(s) Single-player
Rating(s) Game Boy Color
ESRB: T
Media 2-megabit FC cartridge
4-megabit NES cartridge
32-megabit SFC cartridge
32-megabit GBC cartridge

Dragon Warrior III, known in Japan as Dragon Quest III Soshite Densetsu e… (ドラゴンクエストIII そして伝説へ… Doragon Kuesuto Surī Soshite Densetsu e…?, lit. "Dragon Quest III: And into the Legend…"), is a console role-playing game developed by Chunsoft and published by Enix (now Square Enix). It is the third installment in the Dragon Quest series (then known as Dragon Warrior in North America), first released for the Famicom in Japan, and then the NES in North America. The game later was ported as an enhanced remake on the Super Famicom in late 1996 and then on the Game Boy Color.[1] This is the final game in the Loto trilogy. This game was never released in Europe.

Dragon Warrior III introduces a Class system, which is later seen in Dragon Quest VI and Dragon Warrior VII, that allows the player to customize his or her party. This game remains close to the previous games in the series, keeping battles turn-based and in first-person.

The story follows the traditional Dragon Quest Hero, who is on an adventure to save the world from evil. Putting together a party of assorted classes, the Hero must travel the world, stopping at various towns and other locations, eventually making his or her way to the Demon Lord Baramos' lair.

Contents

[edit] Gameplay

The Hero speaks to the townspeople.

Dragon Warrior III is noted for greatly expanding upon the original Dragon Warrior and Dragon Warrior II. The game uses basic console role-playing game conventions, such as leveling up by gaining experience points and equipping items.[2] Battle is turn-based, like the other games in the series.

Dragon Warrior III adds a class system, in which each character has a certain class. While the hero always keeps the Hero class, the other characters can choose among the following: Soldier (Warrior), Fighter, Pilgrim (Cleric in the Game Boy Color version), Wizard (Mage), Merchant (Dealer), Goof-Off (Jester), and Sage (not initially selectable). The choice of class greatly affects the character's stats and spells he or she can learn. Furthermore, upon reaching level 20, a character may change classes at the temple of Dhama.[3]

Another innovation is an arena where the player can place bets on the outcome of monster battles.[4] Dragon Warrior III features a much larger world than its predecessors, as well as a much larger array of items, equipment, magic, and enemies.

The remakes incorporated some interface changes from later games in the series, such as simplified door opening, the bag, which replaced bank item storage, the item sorting "Tidy Item" and "Tidy Bag" commands and the "Full HP" command, which can be used outside of combat to automate the process of casting healing and status restoring spells.

[edit] Classes

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In the game, the player starts out as a single hero, male or female. When the quest begins, the player can eventually build up a team of diversified heroes through the local tavern in Aliahan. This team can be made up of Wizards, Pilgrims, Thieves, Goof-offs, Fighters, Soldiers, and Merchants in either male or female form. After selecting a character in the remake, the player can change the person's starting abilities with five magical seeds, given by the tavern listrar of heroes. The Hero cannot change classes, all other characters can change classes at Dharma once they have reached level 20, and can change classes any number of times, a character who changes classes has their stats halved and restarts at level 1, retaining their spells and, in the remakes, their personality.

Hero (勇者 Yuusha?): The Hero is the most well-balanced of the characters and is restricted to the main character.[3] He or she can be equipped with either heavy or light armor, and can use a variety of weapons. The Hero also is given such magical abilities as Blaze and Heal for defensive and offensive purposes. Some of the most powerful healing, defensive, and offensive spells in the game are exclusive to the Hero class, including Ironize, which makes the party completely invulnerable for a short time, HealUsAll, which completely restores the group's HP, and the lightning spells Zap and Thordian. The Hero can use a variety of outside abilities as well, such as Return (which allows the player to travel to cities already visited).

Mage (魔法使い Mahoutsukai?, localized as Wizard in the NES version):[3] Mages specialize in destructive magical spells such as Blaze and Boom. Mages also have the abilities to use spells in the outside world. Such spells as Outside and X-Ray will help the player advance in caves and while adventuring. The Mage is given excessively strong magical abilities when leveled fully, including BeDragon and Explodet. The Mage also has the Chance spell introduced in Dragon Warrior II, which has a large menu of possible random effects: some very good, some very bad. Though Wizards have high Intelligence, they are physically frail and cannot equip heavy weapons such as swords, axes, spears, or heavy armor.

Cleric (僧侶 Souryo?, localized as Pilgrim in the NES version):[3] Clerics are on the other side of the magical spectrum from Mages, as they specialize in healing and fortifying spells rather than attack magic. Introductory spells such as Heal and SpeedUp are useful in the early stages of the game, but as the player advances, the spells become more versatile. Like Mages, Pilgrims cannot equip heavy armor, but they can use weapons much like a Hero or a Warrior can. Pilgrims do have initially more strength, agility and vitality than Wizards.

Thief (盗賊 Touzoku?): The Thief was a new class added to the Super Famicon version of Dragon Quest III and retained in the Game Boy Color version. Thieves have high speed and agility but average attack power and defense. They have the ability to steal items at the end of a fight. In addition, they are decent combatants that can use whips and chains to attack multiple enemies at once. In the outside world abilities such as Eagle Eye allow the player to locate villages and nearby towns.

Jester (遊び人 Asobinin?, localized as Goof-off in the NES version):[3] Jesters, although pretty much useless on the battle field, have a great amount of luck. This allows them to deal critical amounts of damage more often than other characters. The trade-off for this is the fact that Jesters have minds of their own, and the player cannot always control their actions. Jesters are the wild cards of the game, as they sometimes do damage to themselves instead of attacking enemy characters. Jesters is the only class that can turn into a Sage at Dhama Temple without a Zen Book / Book of Satori.

Fighter (武闘家 Butouka?): Fighters have a great amount of speed, agility, and strength. They can deal devastating amounts of damage from a single strike, and can be equipped with a variety of weapons. However, if equipped with a sword or other bladed weapon, a Fighter's abilities will actually decrease, as his or her attack power will lower considerably. This is because Fighters prefer to attack with their bare hands, and so only claw type weapons will make their attack power rise.

Warrior (戦士 Senshi?, localized as Soldier in the NES version):[3] This class, which focuses on strength and defense, allows you to recruit basically another hero, but without the inherited magical abilities. Their physical abilities are higher than other classes, but they suffer from relatively low agility.

Dealer (商人 Shounin?, localized as Merchant in the NES version):[3] Merchants have two unique outside abilities: Excavate (which allows the player to dig underfoot for treasure) and YellHelp, which summons a shopkeeper in the field. They also have the ability to pick up money from after a battle and can appraise items free of charge.

Sage (賢者 Kenja?): The magical abilities of a Sage are comprised of the skills belonging to both Clerics and Mages. This class is not initially available, but a player can transform a leveled up Jester into one at the Dharma Temple. If the player has a rare item called the Book of Satori (or the Zen Book in the remakes), any character holding it (except the Hero) can also become a Sage.[3] Unlike Clerics and Mages, Sages are more powerfully built, allowing them to equip heavier armor and strong weapons.

[edit] Story

[edit] Characters

The game starts with just the Hero, who then may recruit a party of three at the local tavern. Unlike most Dragon Quest parties, aside from the Hero, the party is not made up of characters involved in the story. Although only four people can be in the party at a time, members of the party can be kept at the tavern, allowing room for new recruits.[5]

[edit] Plot

Dragon Warrior III is set many years before the original Dragon Warrior in a world separate from the first two games.[6] A wicked fiend, Baramos, threatens to destroy the world.[7] The Hero, son or daughter (the player can choose to be either male or female; the only gameplay effects of gender on a character is that a few items, like the feathered cap, can only be used by female characters and some dialogue changes with the gender) of the legendary and recently deceased Ortega,[8] recruits up to three travelling companions and sets out to defeat Baramos.

The Hero travels from his/her home country of Aliahan to explore the world and acquire two of the three keys needed to open doors throughout the game. After saving two people of the town of Baharata from the rogue Kandar, the Hero receives Black Pepper, which he/she then trades for a sailing ship at Portoga.[9] With the ship, the Hero acquires the Final Key and the six mystical orbs which are used to revive the legendary bird Ramia (in later versions, Lamia). Ramia takes the Hero and his party to Baramos's castle. After a ferocious battle, the Hero's celebration is cut off as Zoma, Baramos's master, attacks and opens the pit to the Dark World. The Dark World is in fact Alefgard (of the previous installments of the series), where the Hero must acquire most of the artifacts that need to be collected in the original Dragon Warrior, including the Sun Stone and the Rain Staff.[9] These items, as in the original game, create the Rainbow Bridge, which leads the Hero to Zoma's castle for the final confrontation. For his or her bravery, the Hero receives the title of Erdrick (or in later versions, Loto).

[edit] Setting

The game starts in the castle town of Aliahan. Like the rest of the Dragon Quest world, this castle is set in a medieval time period, complete with knights and magicians. Unlike games like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest III's' world has no modern technology, using horses for travel and torches for light.

The party explores several caves, ruins, and castles during the adventure. The geography of Dragon Warrior III largely corresponds to the actual geography of the world[10], with the exception of Aliahan as a continent located in the South Pacific Ocean. In addition, many towns correspond to their real-world cultures, including "Romaly" for Rome, "Assaram" near present-day Iraq (perhaps derived from "Assyria"), "Jipang" for Japan and even a "New Town" in eastern North America that experiences a revolution against an overbearing ruler.

The quest takes the characters from Aliahan to an Egyptian themed area, complete with a pyramid, to the northern tip of the world, where the land is frozen and snow covered. Once the party gains a boat, they can travel to far away islands not on the starting continent, and once they can ride Ramia, they can travel over tall mountains, opening up even more territory.

[edit] Development

[edit] Production

As with the other main games in the Dragon Quest series, Dragon Warrior III's scenario was designed by Yuuji Horii,[11] whereas the artwork was done by Akira Toriyama, of Dragon Ball fame.[12] Koichi Sugiyama composed all the music for Dragon Warrior III.[13]

[edit] Remakes

Battle from the enhanced Super Famicom version.

The Super Famicom version, released in late 1996, the last days of the SNES in North America, was never brought to North America, due to Enix America Corporation's closure in 1993. By the time Enix of America returned, the SNES left the North American market. In 2009, it was unofficially translated into English [14]. However, the next remake, for the Game Boy Color, was released in both.[1] The Game Boy Color version is based on the Super Famicom version. For the North American release of the Dragon Warrior III Game Boy Color remake, Enix decided to give the packaging an anime feel, due to fan demand on Enix's message boards.[15] Both remake versions of Dragon Quest III offer many new features and changes. No version of Dragon Quest III was released in Europe. As of now[when?], Square Enix has no plans for a future version of the game.[citation needed]

Many of the names of the classes were changed in the English localization of the Game Boy Color version, such as Soldier to Warrior, and a new class, the Thief, was added to the roster. Also, in the new versions was the ability to change into the Jester class at Dhama, which was not allowed in the original.

New mini-games were added to the remakes, including Pachisi (called Suguroku in Japan), which is a giant board game style adventure from which the player can win items.[4] This game is based on Horii's series Itadaki Street.[16] The Tiny Medal system, which lets players collect hidden medals, seen in later Dragon Quest games, was added.[4] This system was also included in the remakes of the previous Dragon Quest games as well. Another medal system, Monster Medals, lets players collect medals from fallen enemies, was also added. In the Game Boy Color version, two players could trade Monster Medals via a Game Link Cable.[17] Two bonus dungeons become available after the main quest is over.

The remakes feature updated graphics.[16] An overhauled introduction for the game was made, similar to the one in the original Dragon Warrior III, which included Ortega's battle with a dragon. Monster and attack animation in battles were added,[6] a feature first introduced in Dragon Quest VI.[18]

The personality system was put into the remakes of the third Dragon Quest. A pre-game sequence in which the player answers to moral dilemmas similar to that in Ultima IV determines the Hero's personality. For the other members of the party, the personality is determined by the seeds that the player gives them upon creation. Personalities determine which stats increase when a character levels up.[19]

[edit] Reception

 Reviews (Game Boy Color)
Aggregate scores
Aggregator Score
GameRankings 87%[20]
Review scores
Publication Score
Electronic Gaming Monthly 7 of 10
GamePro 4 of 5
GameSpot 7.6 of 10[21]
IGN 10 of 10[22]
Nintendo Power 4 of 5

Dragon Quest III sold over 3.8 million copies in Japan.[23] It is often mistakenly known as being the game that caused in 1988 the Japanese government to outlaw further releases of Dragon Quest games on school days, a law still in effect today. In truth, Enix themselves also decided to hold off the release of future Dragon Quest games until weekends.[24] A survey conducted by the magazine Famitsu in early 2006 among its readers placed Dragon Quest III as the third best game of all time, being preceded by only Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy VII，[25] and the best game on Famicom.[26] In Japan, the Super Famicom remake sold 1.4 million units, with nearly 720,000 units sold in 1996 alone.[27][28] The Game Boy Color version sold a lower 604,000 copies in Japan by the end of 2001.[29] However, together, with the sales of the remakes, Dragon Quest III is the most successful title in the series and one of the best selling role-playing games in Japan.[30]

[edit] North American release

As is the case with other North American releases of the series, Dragon Warrior III did not come close to meeting the success of its Japanese counterpart, although the Game Boy Color remake received very good reviews from critics. GameSpot gave the Game Boy Color version a "good" 7.6/10, saying that "DWIII is a worthy port of its old NES ancestor, but its firm grounding in the RPG old-school means that only the hard-core need apply."[6] Nintendo Power gave the remake a respectable 4/5, while IGN gave the game a perfect 10/10.[31]

[edit] Soundtracks

As with every Dragon Quest title, Koichi Sugiyama composed the music and directed all the associated spinoffs. Dragon Warrior III's music is featured on Dragon Quest Game Music Super Collection Vol. 1, Dragon Quest Game Music Super Collection Vol. 2, and Dragon Quest Game Music Super Collection Vol. 3, each album a compilation of music from the first six Dragon Quest games.[32][33][34] This game's music has also been featured on other Dragon Quest compilation albums, such as Dragon Quest on Piano Vol. II, which was released in 1990,[35] and Dragon Quest Best Songs Selection ~Loula~, released in 1993.[36]

A compilation of Dragon Warrior III's music was put on Dragon Quest III ~And Into the Legend…~ Remix Symphonic Suite. The album was published by Sony Records in 1996.[37] Here is the tracklisting of the Symphonic Suite:

Cover of the Symphonic Suite
  1. Roto (1:41)
  2. Prologue (3:58)
  3. Rondo (2:59)
  4. Around the World (Around the World ~ Town ~ Jipang ~ Pyramid ~ Village) (6:48)
  5. Adventure (3:09)
  6. Dungeon ~ Tower ~ The Phantom Ship (5:34)
  7. Distant Memories (2:52)
  8. Requiem ~ Small Shrine (3:11)
  9. Sailing (2:53)
  10. Heavenly Flight (2:44)
  11. Grueling Fight (4:05)
  12. Zoma's Castle (3:30)
  13. Fighting Spirits (Battle Theme ~ In Alefgard ~ Hero's Challenge) (5:41)
  14. Into the Legend (3:01)

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "Dragon Quest III data". 2002. http://www.planetnintendo.com/alefgard/dw3/. Retrieved on August 15 2007. 
  2. ^ Enix, ed (2001). Dragon Warrior III (GBC) North American instruction manual. Enix. p. 5. 
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Prima Games, ed (2001). Dragon Warrior III Official Strategy Guide. Prima Publishing. pp. 8–13. ISBN 0-7615-3638-8. 
  4. ^ a b c Prima Games, ed (2001). Dragon Warrior III Official Strategy Guide. Prima Publishing. pp. 90–95. ISBN 0-7615-3638-8. 
  5. ^ Enix, ed (2001). Dragon Warrior III (GBC) North American instruction manual. Enix. pp. 14–15. 
  6. ^ a b c Brad Shoemaker (2001). "Dragon Warrior III preview". http://www.gamespot.com/gbc/rpg/dragonwarrior3/review.html. Retrieved on August 28 2007. 
  7. ^ King of Alianhan: Thy enemy shall be the Archfiend Baramos. Enix. Dragon Warrior III. (Enix). NES. (2007-08-27)
  8. ^ King of Alianhan: It is said thy father Ortega met when he fell into a volcano's crater at the end of a battle. Enix. Dragon Warrior III. (Enix). NES. (2007-08-27)
  9. ^ a b Prima Games, ed (2001). Dragon Warrior III Official Strategy Guide. Prima Publishing. pp. 18–22. ISBN 0-7615-3638-8. 
  10. ^ Kalata, Kurt (2008-02-04). "The History of Dragon Quest". Gamasutra. Gamasutra. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3520/the_history_of_dragon_quest.php. Retrieved on 2008-07-20. 
  11. ^ "Dragon Warrior III at IMDB". 2007. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0302510/. Retrieved on August 24 2007. 
  12. ^ "Akira Toriyama at IMDB". 2007. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0868066/. Retrieved on August 24 2007. 
  13. ^ "Koichi Sugiyama at IMDB". 2007. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0837543/. Retrieved on August 26 2007. 
  14. ^ "Game Review". http://ww2.0wnag3.biz:82/mediawiki/index.php/DQIII. 
  15. ^ "Interview with Enix". 2001. http://www.rpgfan.com/features/e32k1-enix/index2.html. Retrieved on August 30 2007. 
  16. ^ a b Craig Harris (2001). "IGN Dragon Warrior III Preview". http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/136/136206p1.html. Retrieved on August 28 2007. 
  17. ^ Enix, ed (2001). Dragon Warrior III (GBC) North American instruction manual. Enix. p. 35. 
  18. ^ (1995) in Nintendo Power: Volume 81. Nintendo of America, pages 64-67. Retrieved 2007-4-6
  19. ^ Enix, ed (2001). Dragon Warrior III (GBC) North American instruction manual. Enix. pp. 10–15. 
  20. ^ "Dragon Warrior III Reviews". Game Rankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages4/450388.asp. Retrieved on 2008-04-14. 
  21. ^ "Dragon Warrior III for Game Boy Color Review - Game Boy Color Dragon Warrior III Review". Gamespot.com. 2001-08-01. http://www.gamespot.com/gbc/rpg/dragonwarrior3/review.html. Retrieved on 2008-04-14. 
  22. ^ "IGN: Dragon Warrior III Review". IGN.com. 2001-07-20. http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/166/166206p1.html. Retrieved on 2008-04-11. 
  23. ^ "Dragon Quest History". 2002. http://www.planetnintendo.com/alefgard/dqhistory.asp. Retrieved on August 15 2007. 
  24. ^ "Student Arrested In Dragon Quest Death Threat". http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=5000. Retrieved on August 15 2007. 
  25. ^ Collin Campbell (2006). "Japan Votes On All Time Top 100". http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2401&Itemid=2. Retrieved on August 15 2007. 
  26. ^ John Szczepaniak. "Form is Superior to Mass: Famicom History". NTSC-uk. http://www.ntsc-uk.com/feature.php?featuretype=ret&fea=FamicomHistory. Retrieved on 18 December 2007. 
  27. ^ "Japan Platinum Game Chart". 2007. http://www.the-magicbox.com/topten2.htm. Retrieved on August 27 2007. 
  28. ^ "1996 Top 30 Best Selling Japanese Console Games". The-MagicBox.com. http://the-magicbox.com/Chart-BestSell1996.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-12-21. 
  29. ^ "2001 Top 100 Japanese Console Game Chart". The-MagicBox.com. http://the-magicbox.com/Chart-BestSell2001.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-12-21. 
  30. ^ "RPGFan News". 2000. http://www.rpgfan.com/news/2000/1600.html. Retrieved on August 30 2007. 
  31. ^ "Dragon Warrior III Reviews". 2004. http://www.gamespot.com/gbc/rpg/dragonwarrior3/review.html?mode=web. Retrieved on August 28 2007. 
  32. ^ Damian Thomas (2006). "Dragon Quest Game Music Vol. 1". http://www.rpgfan.com/soundtracks/dqmusic1/index.html. Retrieved on August 30 2007. 
  33. ^ Damian Thomas (2006). "Dragon Quest Game Music Vol. 2". http://www.rpgfan.com/soundtracks/dqmusic2/index.html. Retrieved on August 30 2007. 
  34. ^ Damian Thomas (2006). "Dragon Quest Game Music Vol. 3". http://www.rpgfan.com/soundtracks/dqmusic3/index.html. Retrieved on August 30 2007. 
  35. ^ Patrick Gann (2006). "Dragon Quest on Piano Vol. III". http://www.rpgfan.com/soundtracks/dq-piano2/index.html. Retrieved on August 30 2007. 
  36. ^ Patrick Gann (2006). "Dragon Quest Best Songs". http://www.rpgfan.com/soundtracks/dq-songs/index.html. Retrieved on August 30 2007. 
  37. ^ Damian Thomas (2006). "Dragon Quest III soundtrack". http://www.rpgfan.com/soundtracks/dq3-ss/index.html. Retrieved on August 21 2007. 

[edit] External links

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