Being first released on the NES in North America sometime in 1992, Dragon Quest (or Warrior at the time) 4 is a prime example of a classic RPG.  DQ4 follows the role playing bible to the dot offering all the fun that the genre offers, but retains some of the annoying attributes commonly found in older RPG’s.  If turn based gaming has never been fun to you look elsewhere; there are no new breakthroughs or new elements in this enhanced port.  However, fanboys of this genre will be pleased with the improvements to this stellar title.

          DQ4 is comprised of 5 different chapters each pertaining to a different character. One chapter has you searching for lost children as Ragnar while another has you trying to become a successful merchant by establishing your own shop to support your family; which was my favorite chapter before chapter 5, I really grew to like Torneko . While I personally liked the idea of being able to delve deeper into the multiple characters that will later join in my party, the idea of having to start at level 1 with each new chapter was kind of disappointing.  It took me between 10-12 hours to play through the first 4 chapters before I began the main game of chapter 5 as the hero.  Not a major spoiler, but you do get reunited with the characters from the first 4 chapters so you don’t have to worry about losing items or characters you have grown attached to.  I’m not going to mention anything about the tale except it doesn’t fail as a story but it isn’t anything you have not seen before.

The story is simple but effective

          The first thing you will notice about DQ4 is the graphics have had a major overhaul.  Square Enix has decided to keep the traditional 2-D look, not unlike the recent DS remakes of the Final Fantasy series where they upped the visual to 3-D.  While the graphics doesn’t dazzle or leave a lasting impression, they have an overall pleasant look and do not disappoint.   The game is not entirely in 2-D, there are some 3-D objects placed in the game like buildings.  While you are in a town, you can rotate the camera using the L and R buttons a full 360 degrees; this has to be done is some instances where the entrance to certain buildings is in the back, not visibly shown by the camera. The dialogue has also been updated offering over a dozen different dialects from around the world which helps flesh out the characters a bit more and makes the story more appealing to follow.

          Grinding is a term that when some people hear or see that word; they immediately throw the idea of playing that game away.  I will say grinding in DQ4 doesn’t happen too much because largely the game is pretty easy.  There were a couple of moments in the game I had trouble with but didn’t have any problems overall.  The battle system was enjoyable but could grow stale during the final hours to some gamers.  DQ4’s battle system doesn’t stray too far from the basic attack and spell commands which means there’s not much depth to the battles, but you still have to deploy strategy to get past certain encounters    During a random battle, the only thing you see is the enemy(s) and textboxes; there is no sprite or animation of your character during encounters except their picture on the top screen.  No special DS controls with this entry; they kept it simple which in my opinion was the best way to keep it.

the simple battle screen

          There are several other improvements from the NES game which corrects some of the faults the original title had.  While you still have dedicated saving with the priests in town, you do have a quick save feature but is still not a permanent save.  During battles, you have direct control over everyone’s actions but have the ability to assign “tactics” which cuts down on searching through menus and speeds battles up.  DQ4 wouldn’t be complete without hidden items, so several mini medals have been spread out across the region for you to collect and trade with a secluded king.  I do like the fact that if you die in battle, it doesn’t force you to boot up your last save, you travel to the last town you visited; but if a character dies, you still have to visit the church for resurrection, which is a small annoyance.

          My time spent with this game was enjoyable but I feel the replay value is considerably low.  It was a simple game not offering any standout performances but was by and large a solid title and worth picking up for anyone looking for a simple RPG to play.  Good news for fans of Dragon Quest, Square Enix has announced DQ5 and DQ6 to be released in the coming months.  Playing a game that is originally around 16 years old considering its age, was still a blast to play and hangs with the many modern RPG’s of today.