Dragon Warrior II
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dragon Warrior II | |
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| Developer(s) | Enix |
| Publisher(s) | Enix |
| Release date(s) | JPN January 26, 1987 NA December, 1990 |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Platform(s) | Famicom, GB/GBC (hybrid cartridge), NES, MSX, SFC |
| Media | 2-megabit NES cartridge Floppy disk (MSX) GBC/SFC cartridges |
Dragon Warrior II (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") is a role-playing game that was initially released for the Famicom in Japan on January 26, 1987. It is the second installment in the Dragon Quest series.
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[edit] Gameplay
Dragon Warrior II is a role-playing game. 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. However, if the player wanders far in the wilderness they can get attacked and go into battle mode.
In the battle mode, the player must give orders to his characters on how to fight these monsters. When all monsters are defeated, the player's characters gain experience points and gold. The experience points can give a character an experience level which improves a character’s attributes and they may also learn a new spell.
To win, the player must fight many monsters to improve their character's experience level and get coins 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 end boss, Hargon, and defeats him.
The game offers three spots to save the game. It also allows deletion and the moving of saved games. To save, find a king or minister and talk to them.
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. It was also the first to have weapons which cast spells when used in battles. In addition, Dragon Warrior II offers a wider array of spells and items and a much larger world.
[edit] Plot and setting
[edit] Plot
Dragon Warrior II is set 100 years after Dragon Warrior. A century of peace is suddenly ended when the evil wizard Hargon destroys the country of Moonbrooke. One lone guard, an injured survivor of the attack, makes his way towards the kingdom of Midenhall. There with his dying breath he informs the king of the 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.
The prince is not alone on his quest. He has two cousins, the prince of Cannock and the princess of Moonbrooke. However, he must find them first. The prince of Cannock already left on a similar journey, and the princess of Moonbrooke was in the castle of Moonbrooke when it was attacked. It is up to the prince of Midenhall to find them, join together, and defeat Hargon.
[edit] 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 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.
[edit] 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. 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.
- The prince of Cannock/Samantoria
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 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. This character is hard to track down, but is a great ally.
- The princess of Moonbrooke
This is the classic wizard of the three heroes. She can use few types of armor and weapons in the game. She shares some of the prince of Cannock's magic, but in addition has several powerful damage spells. This character has been cursed and needs to be freed before she will be able to join her cousins.
- Hargon
This is the evil wizard that attacked Moonbrooke, cursed the princess of Moonbrooke, and threatened to destroy the world. His defeat is the goal of the three heroes. Only after Hargon's defeat can peace return to the world. Also, Hargon appears in Dragon Warrior Monsters.
[edit] Development
The entire game world of Dragon Quest I is included on the world map in Dragon Quest II (although the Hero can win the game without ever setting foot there). The same song, "Unknown World", which is played in Dragon Quest I, is also played when the Hero is in that area. Dragon Quest II was the first Dragon Quest game to include a game of chance and also the first Dragon Quest game to use multiple key types.
[edit] Differences between versions
- Dragon Warrior II uses a save feature to record progress whereas in Dragon Quest II it uses passwords.
- The storyline introduction in Moonbrooke is present exclusively in Dragon Warrior II. In Dragon Quest II, the game starts right up 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. However, the Moonbrooke introduction was added in the 1993 Super NES remake Dragon Quest I & II which was released only in Japan.
[edit] Other releases
- Dragon Warrior II had a port for the MSX platform in Japan.
- Dragon Warrior II was remade and combined with Dragon Warrior as part of Dragon Warrior I & II for the Super Famicom and later the Game Boy Color.
[edit] Musical score
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. 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)
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- A Dragon Warrior II shrine at RPGClassics
- Dragon Quest II (NES) at GameFAQs
- Dragon Quest II (NES) at MobyGames
