Good Idea made Great: Dragon Quest I vs II

This one is going to be a little different. I’m going to be going over the improvements that took place between Dragon Quest I and II. This is one of the cases where one game is clearly better than the other.

The original Dragon Quest holds a place in video game history. It was one of the first turn-based RPGs on the NES and Famicom. While I like the game, it has a lot of archaic mechanics that make it a little hard to go back and play.

The second game is a big improvement. It still has some game mechanics that I don’t like much, but the story and gameplay are significantly better than those of the first game. Graphically, the two games aren’t too far apart, but the second game is more cinematic.

Game Descriptions/Overviews

Both of these games are high fantasy RPGs. They have the player go on quests for key items, which eventually lead to a battle with a big bad guy. In the first game, you play as a solo protagonist, and in the second game, you have a party of characters.

In Dragon Quest, you play as the descendant of a legendary hero. It is a simple RPG where you only fight one enemy at a time, and the character in your party does everything as far as fighting and using magic. The game design is rather archaic, but it can be fun to revisit from time to time.

Dragon Quest II has the player take control of three descendants of the main character from the first game. In this game, you go on a quest to assemble your party, gather key items, return to the kingdom from the first game, and eventually defeat a big bad guy. A lot of improvements were made from the first game to the second.

There are a lot of differences between these games. The two games share only a few things in common, such as the graphics and the plot structure. Let’s go over the major differences between them.  

Main Differences 

A lot of things were changed from the first game to the second. Dragon Quest always made minor changes from game to game without drastically changing the direction of the series. The gameplay and the story were improved upon in the second game.

Right off the bat, the gameplay was improved upon by having a party of characters instead of a solo protagonist. This changes the story, tactics during battle, and how you manage your inventory. It also changes how much grinding you’re going to have to do, because each new party member starts at level one.

The overall structure of the plot remains the same, but the second game offers more. It is more of an adventure than the first game was, and there is more character development. Dragon Quest II is a more complete story.

Having three characters makes the battles more strategic, which is beneficial when fighting multiple enemies. This is better from a gameplay standpoint, but the graphics on the battle screens are worse. In the second game, the screens are basic black screens with pictures of the enemies. The battles in the first game take place on a bright and colorful screen.

Dragon Quest II asks the player to do more than in the first game. Going on a quest to find your party made the story more fun for me. More key items are introduced to the game, which can slightly alter the gameplay. A few of these items also create puzzles you have to solve. None of these puzzles is overly complex, but at least they are in the game.

There are a few more major differences, but they are related to these. While the core of the game is the same, the way the developers put everything together is different. The second game is much better.   

What Does Dragon Quest do Better?

I’m struggling to think about something that the first game does better than the second game. It is a short and simple RPG, and while the developers did do a good job of telling the story they wanted to tell, it was quickly surpassed by other RPGs.

I like the simplicity of the game. You don’t have much to manage in this game; even equipping weapons and armor is easy. If some of the archaic game design were smoothed out, this would be a good intro to the genre.

There is one thing I thought about while I was writing this. I think I mentioned it in my review of the second game, but I like that the battle screens in the first game look significantly better than those in the second game. In the original Dragon Quest, the battle screens are bright and colorful. In the second game, all you see is a black screen with a few pictures of the enemies.

There are other versions of this game, and they are probably better. The only one I’ve tried, and the one I played for this series, is the NES version. At some point, I’ll need to review the other versions and compare some of the changes between them.

What Does Dragon Quest II do Better?

Dragon Quest II does just about everything better. The story and gameplay are better than the first game. I simply enjoyed the second game more because it was closer to what Final Fantasy and Phantasy Star were like.

This is a more cinematic game than the first. While the graphics are largely the same, Dragon Quest II tried to have more cutscenes. These use in game graphics, which is understandable, and the standard for the time. They do add something to the game and help with the story.

I like it when a game sends you on a quest to find your party members. This is how Dragon Quest II starts, after you get through the opening cut scene. It is done well here, even if it requires some backtracking.

The key items feel like they matter more in this game. Besides collecting the armor you need in the first game, the second game has you looking for other key items to complete quests or get past obstacles. A little bit of this happens in the first game, but the developers did a better job of it in the second.

The one that sticks out to me is the mirror. You have to find the princess, who is your third character, and she’s been turned into a dog. You’ll need to find a mirror to break the spell, and it felt a little more rewarding to me than anything in the first game.

There are other things I like about this game, but these are the reasons I believe it surpasses the first game. It still has issues, but that is what makes retro games fun. You get to see how far a genre has changed over the years.

Which is Better Overall and Why? 

Dragon Quest II is better overall. I don’t think this will come as a surprise to anyone. It is overall a more complete RPG than the first game.

The developers made significant changes to the story and the gameplay. Thankfully, the game didn’t go off the rails with all of this. I like the way the story is told, the quests you go on, and the changes to the gameplay.

Although there is still a menu system to navigate, it is simplified compared to the first game. You don’t have to go to the menu to open a door or go down a set of stairs, which is a big upgrade. It still has issues, but it is more manageable.

I had more fun with this game. Dragon Quest II is a more challenging game with a better story. It still has problems, but the changes to the gameplay make it more enjoyable. I also like that they tried to make the game more cinematic, even if the graphics are mostly the same.

Which Would I Rather Play?

I would rather go back and play the second game. This isn’t a case where I like one game even though it isn’t better. Dragon Quest II is more fun to go back and play. It is reminiscent of what you might see in the first Phantasy Star, which I also prefer to the first Dragon Quest.

There is more to the second game, and I like the story, gameplay, and game mechanics more. This is simply a more enjoyable game. It feels like more of a grand adventure, especially when you go back to the kingdom from the first game.

There isn’t much else I can say that hasn’t already been said. The developers greatly improved the user experience in the second game and crafted a fun adventure. Much like the first game, it would be cool to see how the other versions of this game have changed over the years.  

Conclusion 

It was a little disappointing that the developers didn’t do much to improve the graphics from the first game to the second. There wasn’t a lot of time between these two games, so I can understand why this was the case. Just about everything else was better in the second game.

When I first played the second game, I became frustrated with it due to the amount of grinding I did. It felt like I spent most of my time trying to get money for equipment, and that wasn’t exactly what I wanted to do.

Playing it again, I liked it more. It does almost everything better than the previous game, which is what you would want from a sequel. Enix did a better job of keeping the formula familiar while making minor tweaks to the game. I wish they had done more with the graphics.

If you liked this post, please check out my other Vs posts, such as Final Fantasy vs Dragon Quest and Phantasy Star vs Dragon Quest.