https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yaNd6O5AfA

After a rather insanely difficult first game, Enix was able to produce a much better second game with Dragon Warrior II. It had better graphics, two other team members (which made fighting much easier) and was a continuation of the first opus. It also had a much better soundtrack.

It first shows up with the dungeons. The game started the distinction between underground caves (Underground) and above ground towers. The former sounds much more mysterious when it “separates” the repeated beat in the first part of the loop (and when it concludes the loop). The first part can get annoying with its continuous, monotonous arrangements but the track overall is excellent. For Ever Upwards (in towers), I had always been under the impression that you hear an electric razor. Anyway, its tempo is slower and more mysterious than Underground; the drums in the background give it just the right touch.

It also shows up on the overworld map. There are two main themes. A Lonely Youth plays whenever there are not three living members in your party, and I definitely preferred this one. It sounds like a remix of Journey in Alefgard from Dragon Warrior I and definitely sounds more epic thank to more complex arrangements. It even sounds kind of jolly. Traveling with Friends (when you reunite with your cousins) unfortunately lost the epicness of its predecessor. That one sounds too jolly to be an overworld theme, plus the background arrangements are extremely repetitive – they slightly vary in the second part of the loop. As a bonus (if you so wish to explore) you will even hear the actual Alefgard theme. It’s slightly better than the original with its improved arrangements, but it remains as repetitive.

The arrangements for the battle theme (Demon Attack) are also much better. The tempo is faster and actually feels like a battle; the middle even sounds epic with its higher-pitch arrangements. However it did end a little dryly. Malroth – The True Evil (final boss fight), although it sounds more epic than the Dragonlord Theme, still feels a little empty especially in the second part of the loop. The tempo is kind of slow for such a fight, especially since it was released in 1990. In comparison the boss themes (released and unreleased) in Final Fantasy II were much more elaborate and epic.

However this soundtrack does have my favorite DW village theme ever (up to VI). Busy City Streets is the perfect name for this track; you really feel like you are in a city full of life with merchants at every street corner and people creating a thriving economy.

Kudos also to All Hope Is Lost (death theme). It loops quickly (23 seconds) but the slow, heavy arrangements make it one of the most memorable such themes ever composed. It’s a perfect fit in the introduction when Moonbroke is under attack, with the arrangements stretching their notes.

In short, Dragon Warrior II is a good addition to your 8-bit sound library. Its arrangements are superior to its predecessor, it has more variety and introduces a few classics like Saint’s Prayer (resurrection), Victory and Friendship.