Dragon Warrior

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Title Screen

Dragon Warrior

Also known as: Dragon Quest (JP)
Developer: Chunsoft
Publisher: Enix (JP), Nintendo (US)
Platform: NES
Released in JP: May 27, 1986
Released in US: August 1989

GraphicsIcon.png This game has unused graphics.
RegionIcon.png This game has regional differences.
Carts.png This game has revisional differences.

Dragon Warrior was released in Japan as Dragon Quest, and sparked a long line of popular games...at least over there. It took a while elsewhere, and Europe tended to get screwed over.

Contents

Unused Graphics

Town Overworld Tile

Dragon quest castle block.png

An overworld tile for a castle that strangely goes unused.

(Source: The IT from the Sprite Database)

Regional Differences

Title Screen

First and foremost, the name alteration: while called Dragon Quest in Japan, in America there were some trademark issues over that name; as a result, the American releases began as Dragon Warrior.

Dragon Quest has the logo on a solid-color background, while Dragon Warrior has a more generic logo on a somewhat more interesting background. It also moves all the options to menus following the title screen.

Japan US
Apparently the logo isn't trademarked, either Licensed *and* trademarked to Nintendo.

Saving

While Dragon Quest used a password-based system, Nintendo replaced it with a battery-backed SRAM system.

Japan US
This is a joke, right Menus within menus

Sprites and Graphics

Dragon Quest used sprites much like older PC RPGs (such as the early Ultima games), in that characters did not face in a particular direction, but instead always face forward. Dragon Warrior uses more space for graphics, so characters are able to face in all directions. (The graphics were given a bit of an upgrade, too.)

Japan US
Doesn't have a face anyway Look at me, I can look at chests

Further, when you talk to someone in Dragon Quest, you have to choose a direction first. Due to the new sprites, Dragon Warrior removes the concept and the direction you face is used. (Additionally, in the control menu, the locations of "SEARCH" and "DOOR" {しらべる and とびら, respectively} were switched due to the longer English text.)

Japan US
Making up for having fewer menus at the start It's like talking to a brick wall

The directional differences apply to all mobile NPCs as well:

Japan US
The Latin alphabet font was also changed. The people in the castle have changed, but the castle hasn't.

Further, the additional graphic space allowed for actual coastlines, instead of the somewhat more abrupt water-land transitions of the Japanese release.

Japan US
ああああ is Japanese for AAAA, by the way It's like being at a real ocean!

Interestingly, some townspeople sprites from the Japanese version are present in the monster graphics of Dragon Warrior, unused.

Revisional Differences

The two American releases are mostly the same, minus two text changes.

PRG0 PRG1
Really getting our money's worth with this image Nintendo can grammar

The title screen corrected an error, changing "to" to "of" in the PRG1 version.

PRG0 PRG1
AAAA's Greatest Hits I was wondering what that P was there for

The battle damage was changed from "Hits" to "Hit Points".

(Source: Acmlm)
The Dragon Warrior / Dragon Quest series
NESDragon Warrior • Dragon Warrior II • Dragon Warrior IV
MSXDragon Quest II
SNESDragon Quest I & II • Dragon Quest III • Dragon Quest V • Dragon Quest VI
Game Boy (Color)Dragon Warrior I & II • Dragon Warrior III • Dragon Warrior Monsters • Dragon Warrior Monsters 2
PlayStationDragon Warrior VII
PlayStation 2Dragon Quest V
Game Boy AdvanceDragon Quest Monsters: Caravan Heart
Nintendo DSDragon Quest IV • Dragon Quest V • Dragon Quest VI • Dragon Quest IX
Retrieved from "http://tcrf.net/Dragon_Warrior"
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