Features:

  • Embark on a journey to explore the land, seas and skies of the DRAGON QUEST universe in this grand entry from the Zenithia Trilogy. Soon to follow are DQ V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride and DQ VI: Realms of Reverie, never before released in North America
  • Indulge in the colorful DRAGON QUEST world created by Yuji Horii, combined with the charming characters and monsters designed by Akira Toriyama and memorable soundtrack from famed composer Koichi Sugiyama to create an unforgettable gaming experience
  • Experience the world of DRAGON QUEST through the perspectives of multiple characters with a unique, chapter-driven storyline while you journey through a beautifully rendered 3D world, with dynamic dual screen presentation and newly animated monsters
  • Enjoy an all-new English translation that incorporates 13 known dialects from around the globe, bringing the diverse world and characters of DRAGON QUEST to life
  • Unravel the ancient mystery behind a cursed kingdom by expanding your town via Chance Encounter mode, available through local wireless connection
Dragon Warrior Redux

It is good to have this excellent RPG back in circulation. The story and gameplay are intact, with the handful of new features we have come to expect with 2000's reissues of 1990's games: a tough bonus dungeon, a town to develop as in Dragon Warrior 7, and lots more statistics-keeping. Also, one of the original DW4's weak points has been eliminated; you can now control all characters in the last chapter. The strong point of this game, as of all Dragon Warrior/DragonQuest games except DW1, is the battle gameplay. The variety of different groupings, spells, and abilities that the enemies bring to bear on each instance of combat bring interest even to the lengthiest level-building sessions. The updated graphics vary from excellent (the battle backgrounds and monster portrayals/animations) to dreary (the towns). The one thing undone I wish they had done is to rethink the whole story structure. Since the least interesting section of an RPG tends to be the beginning levels, when characters have the fewest spells and abilities and face the weakest and smallest groups of monsters, it is of questionable gaming value to make us go through these stages five times. Still highly recommended, especially for those who have not played the original DW4.

Good update if you ignore the silly accents

I'm a HUGE fan of Dragon Warrior IV on the NES. This is an updated version. Dungeons seem shorter, but are laid out exactly the same. I think that shorter impression is due to the double screen on the DS...sometimes it's easier to not walk into dead ends which saves some time. Also, the characters walk a lot faster than the original NES game which makes dungeons seem a lot shorter. The difficulty has been weakened in the early chapters, especially IMO Chapters 1 & 2. There's more money being handed out for sure, which also makes the curve easier as most of the time you can afford the best equipment - or get it pretty easily. This did mean I got through the whole game with very little grinding of any sort. Chapter 5 remains difficult at times. The tough spots in the original remain so. Unlike the earlier chapters, many Ch. 5 bosses are still tough and killed me on occasion. The end boss seemed a bit toned down but still tough - it took me twice to beat him using some very careful play the second time. Overall, it's a very good update of the best NES RPG. Difficulty is a bit easier but bosses can still be tough. Cons: The new accented translation ranges from silly to, in the case of the Ch. 2 area, downright awful. The easier difficulty is a minor con for me because I like games to stay tough, but it will probably be fine for DQ4 newbies or folks used to newer, easier games that seem to be the trend these days.

Loved it from start to finish

It was about time that this game was finally brought over to our shores. For some many people that didn't get to play it previously. The game is done very well with a classic, yet updated feel to the game as well. I really enjoyed being able to play the game from the beginning not as the hero. but as the people that were along for the ride as well. It was cool to see what they went through to come to that point of aiding the hero and putting their life on the line. I also enjoyed later on in the game being able to create/populate your own town with different characters. That were wandering around aimlessly in different parts of the world..some you encounter on your way through the game. While others you have to get to via talking up or doing other things to get them interested in your bustling town. The story was done well even though we've heard the "one" hero that can save the world from annihilation angle. It is handled very well here and it doesn't feel like a rehash at all. As there are so many other things to do in the game that will keep you occupied and interested throughout. Your the hero and monsters are on the rise in your land, the culprit a crazed and out there villain by the name of Psaro is your adversary. But along the way through many trials and tribulations. You grow stronger on your quest to defeat him and his cohorts. Yes, the slimes are in this one. What would DQ be without them. Great game, very solid story and engaging characters make Dragon Quest IV something that should be added to anyone's gaming list.

An enjoyable RPG

It took me until recently to discover the Dragon Quest series. I played IX right before playing this one. I enjoyed IX a lot and was worried that the older DQ games wouldn't measure up to the newer ones. Although IV is inferior to IX in terms of graphics, and I miss some aspects of IX's battle system, the plot in IV is far better. I love that I get to play through all the party members and see their personal quests first hand. I recommend this game to those that enjoy RPGs as well as re-makes of older games. I'm currently playing Dragon Quest V and look forward to the release of VI. I made sure to have VI pre-ordered.

A classic remade

A remake of the classic NES game Dragon Warrior 4. It looks much nicer, has more content and is just over all a fantastic product, My only complaint is that it uses both screens as a viewscreen, and I hate when DS titles have their game screens stretch across the dual screens. Still, it's a small annoyance for such a perfect game. As an added bonus, stylus interaction doesn't seem to be used in the actual game. Overall, I am loving this and looking forward to playing the rest of the game series.

A tedios start - a wow finish!

I missed out playing this game on the NES because it wasn't widely available, and, to be honest, I had given the Dragon Quest games a pass since until I played the Sentinals of the Starry Skies game, which I liked so much I replayed it upon finishing! I then picked up Dragon Quest VI and enjoyed it equally as much, but when I found out it was the last chapter of a trilogy, I went back and purchased the first two games and decided to play them in order. The Dragon Quest games are much more lighthearted and humorous than their more famous competition (read that Final Fantasy) and unlike the FF games, don't take themselves too seriously. Also, they are, for the most part, significantly shorter, which I appreciate since I no longer have 100+ hours to devote to a single game. And, except for the Dragon Quest game that was released for the PS2 the difficulty hasn't been increased for the American audience to the point that the game becomes virtually impossible to beat, like most FF games unless you cheat or spend 50+ hours leveling up just so you can beat the final boss. If you encounter a boss you can't defeat, in a DQ game, you only need to level up one or two levels and you'll have a chance to win the fight. Chapters of the Chosen is unique in that it is divided up into 5 distinct chapters (6 if you count the bonus chapter you get after defeating the main game). This means that you have to begin leveling up your party from level 1 five times, the only thing really annoying about this game. If you like starting over and over and over again, this game is for you! Almost all the Dragon Quest games have characters and monsters designed by Akira Toriyama, the artist who drew the Dr. Slump and Dragon Ball manga, and his style is instantly recognizable. All your favorite monsters are here, from the simple slimes to dangerous dragons. The designers of this game took the final boss to extremes, and I think they are poking fun at the RPG cliche where the final boss resurrects three times. Pisaro the Manslayer has no fewer than seven resurrections but he isn't impossible to beat. You have to carefully manage your resources to beat him, though. I managed on my second attempt. It's a pity that this game is becoming difficult to find in the stores. It's a fun game and well worth playing. This makes it difficult to get any benefit from the online portion of the game because you aren't likely to find another DQ IV player to connect with. I have to admit, I haven't finished the last three Final Fantasy games I started and the Dragon Quest series has supplanted Final Fantasy as my RPG series of choice.

A unique camera and visual design makes this a must play!

DQIV DS version is cool because it looks like a 2d game but you can actually move the camera in 3d with the left and right triggers and the top screen shows what you can see in the distance while exploring. It has all the charm of a 2d game with the added depth of a semi 3d polygonal experience. A highly recommended classic JRPG experience. The first part in the second trilogy of Dragon Quest games. (Erdrick/Loto trilogy I-III. Zenithian trilogy IV-VI.)

Excellent update of a fantastic title!

I considered the original NA release of "Dragon Warrior IV" my favorite game of the 8-bit NES era. This Nintendo DS port of the PSX re-release is quite excellent. Graphics are great. The beautiful 2D sprites have been updated to include animation. The towns/castles/dungeons/towers are now 3D (you can rotate the camera 360 degrees). Music is slightly reworked, and still wonderful. The battle, boss battle, and dungeon/tower tunes are among my favorite of any RPG. My only possible disappointment is that the names of some characters and monsters has been changed. For example, "Cristo" is now "Kiryl", "Healers" are now "Healslimes", etc. Also many items and spells have new names. These updates are normal for older games being re-released, but I guess I'm stuck in the past :-) For those of you who have never played it, these title breaks the story down into 6 chapters. The first 4 chapters are mostly independent of each other - not until chapter 5 do the main characters unite and save the world. Highly recommended!!!!

One of My Favorite Games of All Time in Portable Form

A few months ago Square Enix released Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen for DS, an updated version of Dragon Warrior IV - one of my personal favorite NES games. I had some time off recently and decided to indulge myself a bit in some old-school fun. Just to get everything out in the clear, my review of this game is almost definitely biased - the Dragon Quest series provides a huge amount of nostalgia for me. Here's the short review: If you think that you'll like Dragon Quest IV, then you probably will. If the idea of playing an 8-bit RPG with some minor updates sounds miserable to you, then you will probably hate it. If you want more data, then here's the longer review: The new version of Dragon Quest IV, of one of my favorite games as a small child, is pretty much exactly what a remake should be. The graphics are completely redone (and in 3D), but keep the same feel as the original. There are lots of bright and vibrant colors, and a wide range of characters, monsters, and environments. Just like most of the games I actually enjoy on the DS, the stylus isn't used at all. Neither is the microphone input or anything else funky. Just screen real estate. The controls are very much streamlined when compared to the 8-bit version, updated to take advantage of some of the advances in video game interfaces that have happened over the past fifteen or so years. In addition there are more modern conveniences that didn't really exist in the olden days, such as the ability to QuickSave instead of hoofing it all the way back to a King whenever you need to take a break. The gameplay is much faster paced than it was on the NES. I don't have comparison data, but I'm pretty sure that the experience levels have been adjusted to provide a more easily accessible experience. Dragon Quest IV isn't as much of a grind as it could be, and a very small amount of dedicated leveling is required - at least compared to the NES version. The combat is also fairly simple RPG fare, consisting mainly of attacking, item use, and choosing from a variety of spells and skills - but not nearly as tedious as it was in the original version. The translation is also completely redone, which is always something that RPG nerds go crazy over. I didn't find anything offensive about it personally, but things are much different in the new DS version. The olde english is mostly out the window, and each different worlds in the game adopts an exaggerated real-world accent. One chapter you'll be hearing everything in a crazy Russian tone, and the next chapter you'll be exposed to French or Scottish. This will either be seen as charming or infuriating, depending on your point of view. Speaking of chapters, one of the coolest things about Dragon Quest IV (and a major innovation at the time) is the chapter system. A brief prologue introduces the hero of the game, and then the main protagonist disappears until the fifth chapter - some fifteen or twenty hours later. The chapters in between are used to introduce the supporting cast, who all unite in chapter five to team up with the hero to take down the evil in the world. Each chapter has a different feel. In the opening frame you play as an aging castle knight named Ragnar, trying to rescue lost children. Later on you'll meet Princess Alena, desperate to escape the safety of her castle in search of adventure. The most original chapter sees Torneko Taloon building up an inventory in an attempt to become the world's greatest merchant. You can do things the old fashioned way and search through caves and towers for treasure to sell, or you can focus on buying and selling - flipping your current inventory through markups at your store in search of big profits. In addition to the upgrades discussed, there's a decent amount of additional content. There's an additional chapter after the main story is over, and a large bonus dungeon to explore. There's a new character for your party with some cool abilities, and some tough new bosses at the end game. There's plenty here to keep you going for a really long time. This was all engaging enough for me to complete pretty much everything, but your mileage may vary. That's about it. If you're into this sort of game, then I would highly recommend it.

Better than ever

I've been an RPG fan since the days of the original Nintendo Entertainment System, and I played all 4 of the Dragon Warrior titles on that console. This was the best of the 4, with its large pool of party members, clever puzzles, and sheer depth of play. The DS version is even BETTER than the original , insofar as the graphics are now on par with the gameplay. I remember reading that the NES version was one of the biggest games ever made for that system, in terms of RAM used, but the NES didn't have the processing power to do justice to such a momentous game.Years later, the DS finally shows the story in all its glory. Please read the other reviews for game specifics and the actual story line. I'm more than glad to recommend this game as THE shining example of a re-make that far out-shines its original source material.

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