Vizzed is truly a magnificent website. I first joined to play Dragon Warrior III and I just loved the game. Considering the sheer number of RPGs I decided to try them all! With the “Dragon Warrior” name stuck to it, Dragon Warrior V surely had high expectations from me. Fortunately, despite many flaws, this game is a gem.

Graphics: 6/10

I do not know why, but Enix always seemed to lag behind its main competitor, Squaresoft. It is especially obvious in the graphic department even on the SNES.

They are inferior in almost every way imaginable. First, there is absolutely no use of 3D in the game. Considering that the game was made in 1992, it is a big disappointment. Final Fantasy IV was made in 1991 and was able to incorporate 3D effects very well. This makes the game frustrating in many instances in DW V. For example, you have to wait until very late in the game to get something to fly (a magic carpet), and it does not even get over forests. This makes the flying very difficult since you have too many obstacles; hell you can not even get outside the vicinity of El Heven because it is in a valley. And when you do get your ultimate “vehicle” (a dragon) it looks rather ugly. Its wing flapping seems to be taken out of the 8-bit era, like Strago in Paladin’s Quest (another Enix game).

Overall the graphics are average. Your characters have more realistic measurements than on the NES and finally have more realistic colors (Ragnar’s purple mustache and armor, anyone?).Since the main hero becomes an adult both sprites can be distinguished easily. However their looks are inferior to Square products. When walking around the characters barely more at all; in FF IV you could at least see the legs, and sometimes the hair move. In DW V, you can barely see their arms move.

Villages are rather small and do not have much to explore. Granted, pots and drawers may hold surprises but it seems to be a lesser percentage than FF IV. At least the design is good and each village is distinct. “Rural” areas, along with a different music, all have plenty of agriculture to see, something even Final Fantasy V did not do. Coastal towns have port with lots of piers, and could can even (sometimes) see the passing of the seasons. Unlike Phantasy Star III, for example, when the environment is wintry the towns all actually have snow (Frigidia cities had climate control for some reason).

Speaking of environment, there is still a neat distinction between night and day, a crucial point Square never integrated in it games. It makes all the difference in the world when you try to obtain certain objects or even get information – or access certain places. It also makes a difference by bringing certain monsters, but I never really noticed a difference.

Still about the environment, the overworld map is nicely done for an Enix game. The tiles are more finely detailed and drawn than on the NES. That includes the damaging tiles/obstacles which can kill you very quickly if you are not careful (like the Demon Tower before the end of the second part). However there is a lack of diversity for towns; castles and towns all look the same (hell, castles ALL have the same anarcho-communist flag). Lufia and the Fortress of Doom did it better by making villages smaller in size. Also dungeons still have that annoying transitions between rooms, which usually prompts fights.

Finally combat situations are as primitive as they were on the NES. You do not see your characters whatsoever, and the enemies are merely flashing when they are attacking (red for magic, white for attack and blue for special attacks). They do not even appear to be floating. The combat screen pops out almost like Dragon Warrior I, with a screen covering where you were walking.

Fortunately it is not all bad. There is a neat distinction in the weapon animation: swords do not look like staves, boomerangs do attack everyone and whips attack an entire group as a whip should. In addition attack magic was done well to. I did not use it much (later bosses all reflect magic) but what I saw was decent enough. Fire looks every hot, especially when casting Bedragon. When casting decrease you see blue lines going down, a little like Breath of Fire II.

Music: 7/10

The overall soundtrack was better than PQ, but it is still not up to FF.

The arrangements were better than the graphics, with obviously realistic instruments like violins and trumpets. However they are lacking the Uematsu kick to them. For example, the overworld theme, while sounding nice, does not have the usual epicness of overworld themes (PQ did it better), and there are only two – there could have been at least another one once the hero escapes slavery. The Dark World one sounds mysterious enough, but it does not sound “dark” enough. The castle music has a regal feel to it, but the “trumpet solo” sounds annoying in the end. The final boss theme is a huge deception; Dragon Warrior IV had it much more dramatic without the muted brass that always play the same notes. The only interesting tracks to me were the ordinary battle theme (nice and upbeat), the town and village themes and the Zenithia Castle (VERY epic, almost religious).

On their side sound effects are just average. Since weapons have different animations they also have (slightly) different sound effects. The little magic that I saw had realistic sounds (fire sounds very hot, lightning is truly shocking). Unlike the NES, if you hit an obstacle you only hear the sound once which is a relief. Damaging tiles do sound like they hurt a lot, and the more damage the louder the sound. Finally the slots in the casino sound weird; it is as if their stopping completely immobilized then, like rusted cogs.

Addictiveness: 10/10

NOW the game is starting to shine.

For me, the general story line was enough to get me hooked (see sections below). Its plot is easily comparable to the depth and plot twists of FF IV. I can even say that it is one of the best scenarios of the 16-bit era.

Still about the story, its logical continuity is astounding. Late in the second generation, for example, you meet a boy who wants to become a soldier. You can meet that same man in the third generation; he is now all grown up and ready to join your team! You and your friends’ children do look like you and their mothers too.

Other than an excellent story, there is a casino where you are sure to lose a lot of money if you do not use savestates. But if you do, you will find that winning at the slots will be fairly easy and you will be able to grab the King Metal Sword in no time. But if you want more honest playing, you can bet on slime racing (!!) and the classical monster arena.

Speaking of monsters, you can actually catch them and have them fight with you. Controlling them is hard in the beginning (lower intelligence means they act more independently) but having them is almost vital, if only to have more people to stuff on (very) limited inventory. At many points in the game the monsters will actually be your only teammates, so take care of them.

The Small Medals have also been greatly expanded. There are over 50 of them scattered on the planet (and the bonus dungeon), and as long as you have to correct number you can buy whatever you want, however many times you want. Note that the Mimic glitch (fighting them over and over to get small medals) does not work on this rom.

Finally – and I have not explored the matter enough to confirm it – DW V seems to be a distant sequel of DW IV. I mean, the Zenithia Castle is EXACTLY the same, including the secret passage behind the throne. When I realized that my interest for the game increased.

Story: 9/10

The story is divided in three main parts, all logically following the other (I can not talk much about the last part as it would spoil too much).

In the first part you follow your father Papas, who seems to be on a quest to find something. He tries to find it in the village of Santa Rosa, while you wander around and rescue a man who was trying to find herbs to cure Bianca’s father. You bring the cure in Alpaca, where Bianca will dare you to go to a haunted castle in order to save a panther cub. You will be able to, of course, and you will find a mysterious shining orb. After that quest you are summoned to Reinhart Castle to take care of the little brat Prince Henry. However things turn sour as Henry gets captured. But when you try to rescue him a villain of some sort captures you and will kill you unless Papas lets the villain’s posies kill him. They do, but before Papas dies he makes a shocking revelation.

The second part starts with you and Henry, 10 years after being bonded to build a temple for the Order of Light. You will be able to escape, and once you have recovered you will ask around to confirm your father’s affirmation before he died. In Santa Rosa you will also find out what he was looking for, and so you will look for “it” too.

Depth: 10/10

Although the summary seems long, it is not even 25 percent of the whole game I just described. Your youth is a rather short quest, but what happens there (and what you learn) will be crucial for your quest during the second and third generations.

As I mentioned above the logical continuation of the people and events you meet and see is astounding. When you come back to Santa Rosa in the second generation people will still remember you, and you will finally be able to see what Pappas was looking for. When you go back to Reinhart, Dale will (reluctantly) be king while the Evil Queen Mother is pulling all the strings. When you visit Reinhart during the third generation Dale will already be an “old king”, showing that he really aged. You will also get to meet the fairies in the third generation, and they will fulfill their promise to help you since you helped them restore spring in the first part.

Furthermore, the plot twists in the game will throw you off your chair. From Pappas’ revelation to the meeting of old friends (both humans and *otherwise*) later in the game and, most importantly, to how you actually get the Zenithia Castle to fly once more (I still can not believe that one), these twists almost make Final Fantasy games look childish.

Speaking of childish, the scenario in this game his highly mature and I really wonder if it would have been released on the SNES in America. I am not talking about dialogues, which can easily be toned down. The second generation starts with you being a slave, and there is nothing pretty about it. You wear raggedy clothes, have one hp and you can hear the whipping effects all around. Most slaves look like they have been there for so long that they all look lifeless as, I can imagine, long-term slaves must have been like. The overseers are very cruel and manipulative, making vague and fake promises of emancipation to “motivate” you. And do not forget that this bondage lasted TEN years, which means that you started as a child. I can not think of another game with such a daring scenario.

Difficulty: 7/10

Like most RPGs, DW V requires hours upon hours of leveling up if you want to progress through the game with ease. It will be especially difficult without savestates, since the only monsters worthy of grinding against (metal slimes and babbles, King Metal) escape very quickly, leaving you with two or three times the amount of grinding to do.

But even with savestates the game is very hard. Starting with Ivol (the Grand Priest inside the temple) it will be nearly impossible to control the action bosses do. The final boss’ (and bonus boss) first action is almost always the same; savestates can only control their second action. So even with savestates you will need to be at least at level 40 or 50 to win.

Furthermore the plot can be hard to resolve at times. Starting after your escape from slavery, finding your way might be hard without a guide (coming soon). It is especially true if you do not grasp the concept of day and night; for example you will only be able to obtain your caravan to carry more members in your team at night. Getting some clues as to where to go next is also easier at night sometimes.

Fortunately ordinary fights are easy to manipulate. You can start fighting metal slimes as early as Santa Rosa (second generation) where you can grind your level with ease. Also, savestates makes winning at the casino slots a breeze. You can buy the King Metal Sword and plenty of elven medicine (fully restore mp).

In short Dragon Warrior V is a masterpiece if you look past its technical inferiority. It has a very long, complex story that spans over three generations, there are many plot twists that will surprise you and you will be amazed and the temporal logic. Plus, the many sidequests like the casino, monster “rearing” and small medals will keep you busy for a long time.