Dragon Warrior III

Dragon Warrior III is one of the best RPGs ever made. Even though it never seemed popular at the time, it certainly deserves more praise than it was given. This game is one of my personal favorites and this particular title was the one that got me interested in RPGs.

Dragon Warrior III introduced a higher standard for graphics in the Role-Playing game industry. Even though they may seem very simplistic today, at the time they were lightyears ahead of the competition. The graphics were rarely bland and had multiple textures used at once.

The towns in this game were many times larger than in the previous.

As you can see in the image to the right, textures were used everywhere. Before, there was darkness in the unseen areas. This was replaced in many areas by water, rock, or sky effects. Darkness was still present in a lot of places however.

That water texture adds a nice touch, eh?. . . . . . . . ..

The overworld in this installment of the Dragon Warrior series was humungus. Even when you think you've seen it all, there's more. The overworld even has a new day-night effect. This will have an effect on the monsters that you fight as well as the activity inside the towns and castles.

A novelty in this game was the fact that one could create their party members at a local eatery. There were several classes to choose from. Each class had their own special abilities. The Soldier: Strong attack power; The Pilgrim: healing abilities; The Wizard: Strong attack magic; The Figher: The ability to have many critical hits; The Merchant: Has the ability to appraise objects and find money after battles; The Goof-off: The ability to increase chances of escaping battle. Finally, there is the Sage: Has the ability to learn all Wizard and Pilgrim spells.

The battles in Dragon Warrior III were more complex than the previous. One would have a party of four, instead of three. However, one would also fight many more monsters at once. Battles would consist of several different monster classes at once and with differnt abilities. The monsters were much more detailed and more intelligent then before.

The Story

In the beginning you witness the battle between your father, Ortega, and a fire breathing dragon. Ortega cuts off the dragons wing and stabs it through the chest. Still struggling to stay alive they continue to fight and they both fall into a volcanic crater.

Baromos, the king of the monsters has released his monsters across the land. His evil will surely destroy the world.

It is your sixteenth birthday and the king has summoned you to his castle. He comments on the bravery or your father and wishes you luck on your following in his footsteps. He wishes you luck in your quest to defeat Baromos. Good Luck!

Ratings

The overall rating does not reflect the other ratings, but the overall feeling of the game. The Story of this game is lacking, but is much better than some of the other stories of the time. The gameplay is simple. The graphics are better than most of its time. This game has some catchy tunes that will make you hum. This is an excellent game that should definitely be checked out. If you can find it, buy it!

If you have anything to add or would like to comment on this page,
email me at: [email protected]

Back to the RPG Archive

Back to the main page

This page was created on November 30, 1998.