| Dragon Warrior II | |
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North American boxart
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| Developer(s) | Chunsoft |
| Publisher(s) | Enix |
| Series | Dragon Quest series |
| Released | JPN January 26, 1987 NA December, 1990 |
| Genre | Role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Platform(s) | NES/Famicom, GB/GBC (hybrid cartridge), MSX, SFC |
| Media | 2-megabit NES cartridge Floppy disk (MSX) GBC/SFC cartridges |
Dragon Warrior II, known as Dragon Quest II Akuryo no Kamigami (ドラゴンクエストII 悪霊の神々 Doragon Kuesuto Tsū Akuryo no Kamigami?, lit. "Dragon Quest II: Pantheon of Evil Spirits") in Japan, is a role-playing video game developed by Chunsoft and published by Enix (now known as Square Enix) for the MSX and Nintendo Entertainment System video game consoles. It is the second installment in the Dragon Quest series (then known as the Dragon Warrior series in North America).
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Gameplay
This game allows the player to control more than one character, and it is the first one in the Dragon Quest series to do so.[1] The player controls his or her characters as they move in the game world. They can search treasure chests, talk and trade with villagers, equip weapons and armor, and cast spells. While wandering the fields, towers, caves, seas, or dungeons, the player encounters battles that happen randomly. Battle mode introduces groups of monsters, which is an upgrade from the one-on-one battles of Dragon Warrior.[1] In the battle mode, the player gives orders to the characters on how to fight the monsters. Once the player defeats all of the monsters, the characters gain experience points and gold. The experience points raise the characters' experience levels. This improves the characters' attributes, and they may also learn new spells. To win, the player must fight many monsters to improve the characters' experience levels and get gold to buy better weapons and armor. Eventually, the player's characters become strong enough to make it to the next town or dungeon. This repeats until the player reaches the final boss and defeats him. The game offers a few spots to save the game.[2] Talking to a king or minister saves the game. It also allows deletion and the moving of saved games. Dragon Warrior II is noted for greatly expanding the game play from the previous game, Dragon Warrior. Dragon Warrior II is the first game in the series to feature multiple heroes and enemies in a battle, as well as a sailing ship.[1] It was also the first to have weapons which cast spells when used in battles.[3] In addition, Dragon Warrior II offers a wider array of spells and items[4] and a much larger world.[1]
Plot and setting
Plot
Dragon Warrior II is set 100 years after Dragon Warrior. A century of peace is suddenly ended when minions of the evil wizard Hargon attack Moonbrooke Castle. One lone guard, a wounded survivor of the battle, makes his way towards the kingdom of Midenhall. There with his dying breath he informs the king of their dire circumstances. The king then commands his son, the prince of Midenhall and a descendant of Erdrick (also known as Loto in later versions), to defeat Hargon.[5] The prince begins his quest alone, but is later joined by two cousins: the prince of Cannock and the princess of Moonbrooke. After finding the prince of Cannock, who leaves on a similar journey about the same time as the prince of Midenhall, the two must rescue the princess of Moonbrooke, who was in Moonbrooke Castle when it was attacked. It is up to the prince of Midenhall to find them, join forces, and together defeat Hargon.[1]
Setting
The early part of the game takes place on land. From a few magical tiles or tunnels, the player can visit a few tiny islands in the beginning, but only upon reaching a major port and fulfilling a specific task does the player get a ship which allows the player to explore much more of the world by sea. Magical teleportation is the last means of transport that the player must use. Architecturally, some castles are presented as ruins.[2]
Cast
- The prince of Midenhall/Lorasia
This is the classic warrior of the three heroes. He can use any armor and weapon in the game.[4] He has no magic ability, but his physical attack and defense are the greatest of the three. This is the character the player starts out with in the castle of Midenhall.[2]
- The prince of Samantoria/Cannock
This is a blend of the classic warrior and wizard archetypes. He cannot use as wide a variety of weapons and armor as the prince of Lorasia, but he compensates for this with the ability to use magic. However, it should be noted that his magic is not as powerful as that wielded by the princess of Moonbrooke.[4]
- The princess of Moonbrooke/Moonbrook
This is the classic wizard of the three heroes.
- Hargon
Hargon makes an appearance in Dragon Warrior Monsters (the first title in the Dragon Quest Monsters sub-series).
Development
The game world of Dragon Warrior, Alefgard, is included on the world map in Dragon Warrior II[1] (although the Hero can win the game without ever setting foot there). The song that is played when wandering the fields of Dragon Warrior, "Unknown World", is also played when the Hero is in that area. Dragon Warrior II (Dragon Quest II in Japanese) was the first Dragon Quest game to include a game of chance, and it was also the first Dragon Quest game to use multiple key types.[2]
Differences between localization versions
- Dragon Warrior II uses a save feature to record progress whereas Dragon Quest II uses passwords.
- The storyline introduction in Moonbrooke is present exclusively in Dragon Warrior II. In Dragon Quest II, the game starts right with the injured soldier from Moonbrooke entering Midenhall castle, seeking help from its king. This potentially explains why the king of Moonbrooke in Dragon Warrior II looks different from the rest of the kings in the game. When the SFC remake Dragon Quest I.II was released in Japan in 1993, this additional Moonbrooke introduction was included in the game's opening sequence.
Other releases
- Dragon Quest II was released initially for both the MSX and Famicom.
- Dragon Quest II was remade and combined with Dragon Quest as part of Dragon Quest I & II for the Super Famicom and later the Game Boy Color. Dragon Quest I & II became localized as Dragon Warrior I & II for Game Boy Color.
Soundtracks
As with every Dragon Quest, Koichi Sugiyama composed the music and directed all the associated spin-offs. Dragon Quest II's Symphonic Suite was bundled with Dragon Quest I's symphonic suite and a disc of original compositions as Dragon Quest in Concert.[6] Here is the track listing of the Dragon Quest II portion of that release:
- Dragon Quest March (1:39)
- Only Lonely Boy (2:42)
- Pastoral ~ Catastrophe (3:21)
- Château (3:03)
- Town (3:30)
- Fright in Dungeon ~ Devil's Town (4:02)
- Requiem (2:09)
- Endless World (5:43)
- Beyond the Waves (2:13)
- Deathfight ~ Dead or Alive (3:56)
- My Road, My Journey (4:10)
References
- ^ a b c d e f Editors of Nintendo Power: Nintendo Power September/October, 1990; issue 16 (in English). Nintendo of America, Tokuma Shoten Publishing, 67.
- ^ a b c d Enix Corporation Unveiled Secrets of Dragon Warrior II (in English) Enix America Corporation.
- ^ (1990) Nintendo, Enix America Corporation Licensed Nintendo of America Inc. Dragon Warrior II Map (in English) ENI-D2-US.
- ^ a b c Enix Corporation Unveiled Secrets of Dragon Warrior II map (in English) Enix America Corporation.
- ^ Editors of Nintendo Power: Nintendo Power September/October, 1990; issue 16 (in English). Nintendo of America, Tokuma Shoten Publishing, 66.
- ^ Patrick Gann (2007). Dragon Quest in Concert. Retrieved on Aug 31, 2007.
External links
- Dragon Quest II Official Site (Japanese)
- A Dragon Warrior II shrine at RPGClassics
- Dragon Quest II (NES) at GameFAQs
- Dragon Warrior II at MobyGames
- Dragon Warrior II at Dragon Quest II capture
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| Main series | I • II • III • IV • V • VI • VII • VIII • IX |
| Monsters | 1 • 2 • 1+2 • Caravan Heart • Joker |
| Slime MoriMori | Shougeki No Shippo Dan • Rocket Slime |
| Fushigi no Dungeon | Torneko no Daibouken • The Last Hope • Torneko 3 • Shōnen Yangus to Fushigi no Dungeon |
| Other | I & II • Kenshin • Swords |
