Game:

Dragon Quest (1986)

Category:

Let's Play

Duration: 19:54

1,482 views

8

This is video #15 in my Dragon Warrior playthrough. It is now time to head to the depths of Castle Charlock to deal with the game's ultimate enemy! For this trip, you want to bring 6 Herbs, the maximum that you can carry. You need as much MP as possible to deal with the final boss, and there is no way to recover precious MP when you reach him.

From Rimuldar, Heorot heads west to Castle Charlock on the Isle of Dragons. Using Fairy Water will (hopefully) help keep enemies away.

Within Castle Charlock, the first part of the route to the bottom is the same as the route to Erdrick's Sword. Saving MP will be important here, so run from everything.

When the hero reaches level B4 (time index 3:55), he should take the northwest stairway inside the central structure. This takes him downstairs to level B5.

Level B5 is pretty straightforward (time index 4:55). Just go south, west, and north to the down staircase. If you run into any Armored Knights, RUN!

On Level B6 (time index 5:30), there are two possible entrances. If the hallway is one tile wide, you came the wrong way. If the hallway is five tiles wide, you came the correct way. In this case, the hero should simply go east and go down the next staircase.

Level B7 (time index 5:40) is all lit up, thank goodness. And that is the final boss on the eastern side of the wall, but of course the hero will have to go clockwise all the way around the room to reach him. Of course, there are also some pretty dangerous enemies to avoid here. The blasted encounter rate does not help.

I've always wondered why this floor seems to be outside. I gather that the main entrance level is on top of the mountain on the Isle of Dragons, while this level is down at sea level at the bottom of the mountain.

In the middle of the floor, there is a locked room containing several treasures (time index 6:15). Frankly, at this point the Herbs are probably the most helpful treasures. That Cursed Belt is, of course, cursed, so do not equip it.

When the hero reaches the square before the final enemy (time index 8:50), he heals up. When he is ready, he talks to the Dragonlord (time index 9:35).

The Dragonlord offers to share the world with the hero. You could say "Yes," but the monster will just stab you in the back. The correct answer is "No."

Dragonlord is a two-part boss—not bad for such an early game. Dragonlord's first form is something of a wizard. He uses physical attacks and magic. Pray that his Stopspell doesn't stick. All the hero has to do is stick him with the sword and heal. Attack magic is pretty useless.

When Dragonlord's first form is exhausted, he will transform into a big fire-breathing dragon! This monster hits extremely hard, and his fire breath can do around 50 points of damage. The Healmore spell is imperative in this battle. As before the hero should attack and heal. Use Healmore when HP is below 50.

When the Dragonlord dies, it drops the Ball of Light. This is what King Lorik wants, so this is what he'll get!

After the battle, the hero winds up outside the castle. There are no longer any enemies in the world, so it is pretty easy just to walk back to Tantegel Castle (time index 15:50).

When the hero reaches Tantegel, the final scenes, such as they are, play out. And the hero actually speaks! A true rarity in Dragon Quest/Dragon Warrior games.

This concludes my playthrough of Enix's first classic RPG, Dragon Warrior. I wonder if they realized just what they were starting with this game. Of course, the graphics are pretty primitive even by NES standards. On the other hand, Akira Toriyama's character designs give this game (and the entire series) its character. The game's soundtrack is pretty cool, too. I like how they change the cave theme and slow it down each time you go down a level, making it sound more dangerous and threatening. There is even a separate music track for the Dragonlord's second form.

My only real complaint with this game—and the other NES Dragon Quests/Dragon Warriors—is the command interface. You have to open the menu just to talk to someone, open a chest, open a door, or even take stairs. I'm glad that more recent games have overcome this.

I also like the Old English flavor of this translation, even if it is not a verbatim translation relative to Dragon Quest.

Thanks for watching!

This video is part of my Dragon Warrior Playthrough playlist. I am playing the NES version of the game released in 1989. I am playing on the FCE Ultra emulator. All characters, story, music, artwork, and other components of this game are the property of their respective owners.

Played and recorded in FCE Ultra version 2.1.5. Produced with Adobe Premiere Pro CS6.

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