Comparing Two Great RPGs on the NES

Dragon Quest has a strange history in the US. It was renamed to Dragon Warrior, and the first game was given away for free with a subscription to Nintendo Power. This was part of Nintendo’s plan to popularize the RPG genre on their console.

You can see several articles on RPGs in their first few issues of the magazine. The audience that played NES games skewed younger, and most of them probably didn’t know what an RPG was. This might come as a surprise to some, but regardless of what the Internet claims, RPGs on the NES weren’t particularly popular in North America during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Final Fantasy was in a similar situation to Dragon Quest. It had been successful in Japan, but was struggling to find an audience in North America. Eventually, both series would find their footing in North America.

Game Descriptions/Overviews

Both of these are turn-based RPGs where you have to save the world from a big, bad villain. In Dragon Quest, you’re trying to defeat the Dragon Lord, and you have the option of saving a princess. In Final Fantasy, you have to defeat Chaos and break a time loop.

Dragon Quest’s story is very straightforward. Right from the beginning of the game, you know what you’ll have to do and where the game is going to end. Along the way, you’ll learn about a few items that will help you get to and ultimately defeat the Dragon Lord.

Final Fantasy takes you on a larger journey and has a little more going on. First, you have to save a princess, then restore light to four crystals, and finally, go back in time to defeat Garland/Chaos. There are more twists and turns in this story compared to Dragon Quest.

There are a number of similarities between these two games. The core mechanics are basically the same, and there are similar plot points. There are some major differences between these two games.  

Main Differences 

These two games are fairly similar to each other. There are a few minor differences in story, gameplay, and graphics. Here are the three major differences between the games.

Final Fantasy uses a party system and has better overall graphics. This is a darker game in terms of tone and graphics. While it doesn’t go into the realm of a Dark Fantasy game, it is more serious.

Dragon Quest is a bright and colorful game. It doesn’t quite match the tone of the story, but I like it more than Final Fantasy. The enemies are more creative, and I like the way the battle scenes are set up.

There are a lot of little things that separate these games. Both of them have the same core mechanics, but one of them is more refined than the other. The stories also have similar tropes, but go off in different directions.

Comparing Core Mechanics (Combat, Story, Visuals, etc)

Both of these games are turn-based RPGs set in a high fantasy world. Their stories are fairly similar, and they have the same tropes of the genre. You also fight a bunch of enemies on your way to fighting a big bad guy at the end of the game.

In both games, you gain experience and levels by fighting enemies. There are several dungeons to explore, key items to collect, and some boss characters to fight. The battles look a little different from each other, which is about as good of a transition into the graphics as I can make.

Both games have a simple way of telling their story. Video games are a visual medium, and these games use in game graphics and text boxes to tell their respective stories. There isn’t anything wrong with this; it is just a product of the time.

Dragon Quest uses a first-person perspective on the battle screen. You also fight fewer monsters at a time. Final Fantasy shows the battle from a side view and has more monsters on the screen. Dragon Quest’s battles look better overall because they’re more colorful. Final Fantasy simply has a black screen.

Neither game is going to wow you with graphics or story. Final Fantasy has a more complex story with three acts. First, you have to save a princess, then defeat the four fiends, and finally, you’ll have to defeat Chaos. I like how this is set up.

Dragon Quest has a standard story with a few optional parts to it. What you need to do is collect a bunch of items, weapons, and armor. Then you’ll have to defeat the Dragon Lord. It is a simple story, but it works well for an early RPG.

Let’s go over what each of these games does better than the other. This is all subjective, and the things I like might not be the same as yours.

What Does Dragon Quest do Better?

Dragon Quest does a few things better than the first Final Fantasy. I like the graphics more, I enjoy the story, and I like the simplicity of the game. There are a few things that I enjoy about the game, but few that I would say are clearly better. Thankfully, this isn’t a review of these games.

I enjoy the graphics in Dragon Quest more than Final Fantasy. The enemies look more unique than the high fantasy enemies in Final Fantasy. The battle screens are also more creative looking.

I like the story in Dragon Quest more than Final Fantasy. This all has to do with it being newer to me. I haven’t played this game as much, so it feels fresh and new to me instead of feeling a little stale.

Aside from those things, there isn’t much else that I like more than Final Fantasy. I enjoy Dragon Quest more at this point, but that is only because I’ve played through the game a few times. You can tell that this game is older than Final Fantasy.

What Does Final Fantasy do Better?

Final Fantasy is a more user friendly game. Square seems to have taken Dragon Quest and improved on it in many ways. It has a better user interface, inventory system, and I like having a party of characters more than having a solo protagonist.

Dragon Quest is full of menus. If you want to open a door, talk to someone, or look for something, then you need to open a menu and select an action. Final Fantasy did away with all of that, and it made the inventory bigger.

Instead of having everything going into one inventory, Final Fantasy separates weapons, armor, items, and key items. This works much better for me than having to navigate a small inventory where everything goes. I’m not a big fan of managing an inventory in my RPGs.

I like having a party of characters when I play an RPG. It is fun to learn more about them throughout the game or create backstories for each character. Since the characters in Final Fantasy are blank slates, that is what you would need to do if you’re so inclined.

These early RPGs didn’t always give you much to work with when it comes to the main characters. With Final Fantasy specifically, you’re only told that the four characters you create are the “Light Warriors.” They have no dialogue or character growth over the course of the game.

With Dragon Quest being in the same boat, I’m giving the nod to Final Fantasy because it gives you a party. It makes combat better, and I like the options it gives you when putting together the party that you want. You’re not forced to play the way the developers want you to.

Which is Better Overall and Why? 

I’m going to give this one to Final Fantasy. It is a more user friendly game, I like having a party instead of a solo protagonist, and I think the story might be a little better. There isn’t too much that separates these two games.

Final Fantasy is the more complete RPG between the two. If you’re looking to quickly get into the genre, this is the one I would suggest. It has better graphics overall, and the gameplay is better.

When I look at the graphics as a whole, Final Fantasy is better. While I like the graphics in the battle screens of Dragon Quest, the rest of the game isn’t as good. I like the darker graphics of Final Fantasy and how they match the tone of the story.

Dragon Quest has a lot going for it. I like a lot of the things in the game, and I think it has more creative enemies. That isn’t enough for me to say that it is the better game.

This was tough. I like both of these games, and many of the things I pointed out are based on personal preference. I think Final Fantasy is the better game in this case.

Which Game Would I Rather Play

I would rather play Dragon Quest. I’ve only beaten the game a few times, and it feels like a fresh experience for me. Final Fantasy is one of the NES games that I’ve played way too many times.

I feel like I could play Final Fantasy on autopilot. It feels like I know everything about it, and that has made it a bit stale. This probably happens to other people where they play something so many times that they get tired of it. I like the game, but I’ve played to the point of being exhausted by it.

Having only beaten Dragon Quest a few times, it feels like a fresher experience. I’m sure that after a few more playthroughs, my opinion of it will change, but at the time I am writing this, it is the game I enjoy more. I also enjoy the graphics more than the other game.

Both of these are good RPGs. While they both have problems and mechanics have been improved on in the sequels, there is something fun about seeing where these two long running series started. I would rather play Phantasy Star than this game.

Conclusion 

These are two great retro RPGs. Both of these games are excellent starting points for individuals looking to get into the genre. I think Final Fantasy does a better job of giving new players a hand when starting out.

Dragon Quest has a few things that I don’t like. Having to open a menu to do specific actions is very annoying. I’m sure some people like that, but it isn’t for me. This game feels like a new experience when compared to Final Fantasy.

If I hadn’t played Final Fantasy a few hundred times, I would probably like it more. At this point, it feels like a movie that I’ve watched too many times. I still like it, but the game feels a little stale because of how many times I’ve played it.

I think Final Fantasy is the better game, but I would rather play Dragon Quest.

This is the second post in a series. The first was on Phantasy Star vs Final Fantasy.