Dragon Warrior 1&2 are two completely separate games on one cartridge. You can play either of them whenever you like and it’s not really necessary to play the first to understand the second. I whole-heartedly recommend playing through the first game before playing the second just because that’s the way Enix intended the series to be played and that way you’ll better enjoy some of the story and events that take place. You will also appreciate the improvements made in the second game. Each game has a brief cinema to explain the situation at hand. In the first game, you assume the role of the Hero, who must not only rescue the princess of Alefgard, but also vanquish the land of the evil DracoLord. The second game takes place 100 years after the first. In it you will control the destinies of three brave warriors on their quest to defeat the monstrous Hargon. Veterans of the series will notice that some of the towns and characters no longer have the same names as those found in the NES version. Enix rewrote both of the games due to space limitations on the Game Boy screen and to better reflect their Japanese counterparts. While die-hard fans of the NES versions may be a bit disappointed by this, I found that the names have little impact on the overall story and thus made little difference. One thing that I do miss, however, is the “old English” that the characters used to speak, such as “thou” and “thee”.

The game mechanics are extremely simple to understand. Talking to townspeople will yield vital information about your quests. Upon leaving the sanctity of towns and castles you will be susceptible to attacks from monsters. As in most RPGs, the battles are turn-based. You will be able to fight, cast a spell, use an item, or attempt to run. In the first Dragon Warrior only one monster will appear per battle, but in the second game more than one enemy can appear on-screen. Winning the battles will yield gold and experience points. After you gain enough experience points you will raise to the next level and your attributes (attack strength, agility, defense, hit points, magic points, etc.) will increase. New spells will be learned upon reaching certain experience levels. In many respects, the battles are similar to those seen in Pokemon except you never get to see your character on the screen. For those of you that remember the original games, you’ll recall that you had to bring up a menu just to talk to people or walk up and down stairs or to search the ground. This has been simplified so that all you have to do is press a button to talk to people or search the ground. Now, just touching the stairs allows you to walk up and down them.

Due to the immense time it will take to beat both games (part 2 is even bigger than part 1), Enix has included a fantastic save system. You can still save your quests by talking to one of the Kings and this will create a permanent record of your game. You can also save anywhere on the overworld or in caves and towers. This is a “field save” and it will allow you to start your adventure from that exact spot. This isn’t a permanent save and it will be erased once you restart your adventure.

Since this game is based upon the Super NES remix of the games (which never came out in the U.S.), the graphics are actually better than they were on the NES. Most of the sprites have more detail and the game is more colorful. There are now some minor animations during battles and in Dragon Warrior 1 the backgrounds even change depending on where you are. So, if you’re in the desert the background will show the desert instead of some other location. The classic music is present in the games as well. In fact, it has actually been improved. Many of the tracks used to be very short, but now they have been remixed and last for a much longer duration.

When it comes down to it, pretty much every facet of the games has been improved. However, I did notice that the games seemed easier than they were on the NES. Now, this could be due to the fact that I did play through both games already. On more than one occasion I’d be exploring and would think, “That’s right…there should be a secret entrance right about here…” and there it was. Even so, the battles seemed a bit easier and I swear I gained gold faster. That being said, I feel that the games will offer more than enough challenge to veterans of the series, and especially to gamers that have never played the games before. When these games were released on the NES, Nintendo Power had pages and pages of tips and tricks, complete with maps of the caves and lists of items. These guides helped greatly in the quests, so without them I think the games will prove to be difficult in their own rights. Luckily I still have mine so I can refer to them in times of need (ahem…not that I ever have to do that…not me). Not all is lost though. Enix did include world maps for both games, which will help since it’s very easy to get lost on the overworld.

Let’s face it; the RPG selection on the Game Boy is pretty pathetic. Aside from the Final Fantasy Legend games and the occasional Pokemon-“gotta collect’em all”-type games, there really aren’t many to choose from. It’s refreshing to see Dragon Warrior 1&2 appear on the system. With the ability to save nearly anywhere in the game, it’s perfect to take anywhere. Even if you just have a 5-minute bus trip to work, turn on the game and go kill some monsters. That way you will have extra experience and gold under your belt when you decide to actually spend more time with the game. Also, it doesn’t matter which version of the Game Boy you own, this cartridge works with all of them.

While I enjoyed this cartridge immensely, some gamers that have grown up playing Final Fantasy VII and games like it may not hold the same opinion. Square’s latest RPGs focus attention on good graphics, 2-minute spells, and huge storylines with extravagant cinema sequences. Dragon Warrior games, on the other hand, focus on battles, gaining experience, and actually saving up every last gold piece just to buy the next best weapon or piece of armor. Remember, the original Dragon Warrior released in Japan way back in 1986, so it’s extremely simplistic in nature when compared to some of today’s games. That being said, I still find the worlds of Dragon Warrior exciting to explore, and I think if you give it a chance you will too. Playing through both games was worth every single minute I put into them, and that really reflects how great both games are. Now all we need is for Enix to bring out the rest of the collection (including Dragon Warrior 5 & 6, two games that have never been released in the U.S.) and I’ll be ecstatic. Whether you grew up on Dragon Warrior or are new to the RPG scene, this game will provide hours upon hours of fun entertainment. Don’t miss it.