Dragon Quest IV is my favorite game in the series at this point. Granted, I’ve only played five of the games, so I have a long way to go. When you just look at the other NES RPGs, this one really stands out because of how different it is.
This game is more cinematic than most of the other RPGs on the console, and it has a unique way of telling its story. There is a little weirdness to this game, which is something I always enjoy. At its core, this is a high fantasy story.
The first time I tried to play this game was in the mid 1990s. It was on an emulator, and I really had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t really give the game a fair shake back then and quickly went back to a game that I was more familiar with. I did end up getting a copy of this game when I started collecting NES games in the early 2000s. When I played it for my YouTube channel a few years ago, I had a lot of fun with it!
Since I wasn’t writing blog posts back then, I wanted to circle back to this one. This time, I have a better idea of what I’m getting into. Hopefully, it will be as good as it was the last time I played it.
TLDR: My Favorite of the Four games on the NES.
Narrative
The story is told in five parts. This is a new tale that isn’t connected to the previous three games. Dragon Quest IV is the start of a new trilogy of games, which might’ve thrown people off at first, if anyone cared at all.
The first episode of the game follows Ragnar, who sets out on a quest to find some missing children. He eventually learns that monsters are looking for the Legendary Hero. He decides to go on a quest to protect him.
The second episode follows Princess Alena and her two mentors. She eventually fights in a tournament and defeats most of her opponents. The final one, Psaro, doesn’t appear. She then goes off on a quest to find the missing people from her castle.
The third episode is my favorite! It follows a merchant named Torneko. In this episode, you make money to fund the construction of an underground tunnel. Then you go off on a quest to find some legendary weapons.
The fourth episode has you follow Maya and Meena. They’re seeking revenge for their murdered father. The two of them end up traveling to the same place as the other heroes to find more information about the legendary hero.
The final episode has the player follow the Legendary Hero. This is where everything comes together, and you end up fighting Psaro, who is trying to become the Ruler of Evil. This was all nicely done, and I like how they had clues to what was going on.
Overall, this is a good story, and it is told creatively. While you don’t spend much time with each character, that isn’t too much of a problem. It works well for a game like this, and it helped this game to stand out from a crowded field of retro RPGs.
Gameplay
The gameplay isn’t too different from other turn based RPGs on the home console. Your party does change a bit more in this game because of how the story is told, and there are more unique character classes. Aside from that, the developers didn’t throw anything special at the player when it comes to gameplay.
Instead of forming a party or following a group of characters throughout the entire game, each chapter introduces the player to more characters. This works for a game like this. It is one of those things that could go either way, but I enjoy the way the developers do things here.
There is quite a bit of grinding in the game as you basically start over in each chapter. Each chapter offers something a little different because the point of view is different. Personally, I really enjoy it when you play as a merchant for a little bit. It was something I could get lost in for a little while.
There are some AI controlled characters, which was something new for this series. It was something different, but not out of the norm for RPGs at this point. This was really the only new thing for this series, even if it wasn’t all that different from what other series were doing.
I do like the gameplay in Dragon Quest IV. While it plays like other RPGs on the home console, this is one of the better games. It has a unique approach to telling a story. That is something I really appreciate when it comes to video games. It is also a big reason for this being my favorite out of the other NES games.
Visuals
This game is a minor visual upgrade over the previous game in the series. The four games on the NES weren’t too different from each other in terms of graphics, but they did get more cinematic as the series went on. The fourth game took this to another level by having more cutscenes, better looking character sprites, and more enemies.
There are a lot of cutscenes in this game. The developers got the most out of the NES that they could. Each of the five chapters has at least one or two of them, and they look very impressive for the time.
The variety of character sprites in this game is pretty impressive. While they still have simple colors, there are more of them than you would see in the previous three games. The Dragon Quest games have made slight upgrades to the graphics with each installment, and with this one, the developers made some nice looking character sprites.
Enemy sprites look a little better than in the previous game. The familiar enemies from the other games are here, and there are several new ones that look very good. I’ve always liked how different the enemies in this game were when compared to the other RPGs on the NES.
The battle screens aren’t all that great. They look the same as the third and second games, which means it is a boring black screen. The first game did this much better, and the sequels seem to have gotten much worse.
There is a lot to like about the graphics in this game. While it would’ve been nice to see the developers try to push them in a different direction, they do look good for what they are. I enjoy the way these games look. While they aren’t as good as some games on the system, they are my favorite of the other Dragon Quest games on the NES.
Reviews at the Time
Dragon Quest IV received above average to great reviews when the game was released in 1992. This was two years after the game was released in Japan. There was normally a year or two difference in the release dates back then. I’m very interested to see what the reviewers thought of the game back in the early 1990s.
Electronic Games gave this an 85/100. The reviewer said that it was “the best the NES had to offer” when it comes to RPGs. They went on to say that this was a good place to start for new players.
Game Informer had three people review the game. Their scores were 7.5, 7.5, and 9/10. All three reviewers found the game very entertaining, with one thinking the sound was bad and another not really liking the concept. They were a little light on the details for their scores, which was a little annoying.
GamePro gave the game an above average score. This one is a little tricky because they don’t give an overall score. The reviewer liked just about everything in this game.
This was kind of what I was expecting to see. The reviewers who liked RPGs really liked this game, and those on the fence enjoyed it but not as much. I didn’t come across a review that hated this game. Predictably, the reviews got worse as the years went on.
8.5/10. This was my favorite out of the four games on the NES. It is comparable to Phantasy Star III as the two have similar styles of storytelling. I like this game’s story, graphics, and the gameplay is fun.
Pros
- Unique storytelling
- Nice graphics
- Fun gameplay
Cons
- A bit repetitive
- A little too grind heavy
- If you didn’t like the graphics in the first three games, then you won’t like them here.
Conclusion
This is my favorite of the five Dragon Quest games that I’ve played. I really enjoyed the story, even if there isn’t much that connects it to the other three games. This game started a new trilogy of Dragon Quest games, which is something fun about this series.
I’m a big fan of weird and unique games. With its episodic storytelling, this definitely applies here. It was very cool how this game is broken up into five sections. It is like a handful of short stories that link up at the end.
You don’t spend too much time with each of the characters, which is one of my bigger criticisms. The graphics didn’t improve much, but the game is more cinematic. It is a fun game overall, but not as good as the other RPGs released around the same time.
Dragon Quest IV is one of the games that I enjoy quite a bit. I had a much better experience with this game than I did with the other three Dragon Quest games. I know as I keep playing these games, I’ll find a new favorite Dragon Quest game.
If you liked this post, check out some of my other posts about retro RPGs. Such as Thousand Arms or Vandal Hearts.