*Replayed this version of Dragon Quest 1 three times. Yes, I wanted to replay this game due to the June 2024 Direct.
DQ1 is the grandfather of all JRPGs and is a game that created Japan's national treasure. This version of DQ1 is ported over from the mobile version which is based on the Super Famicom version which is essentially the first remake of DQ1 from the NES. I decided now to just replay this version since I know it will probably be the last time in light of the DQ1+2 HD-2D Remake.
DQ1 is pretty bare-bones as it is the first of its kind. You got the goal to head to Charlock's Castle and defeat the Dragonlord. However, to get to Charlock's Castle, you'll need some specific items in to make a bridge to arrive to it. There is also the sidequest of saving the Princess of Tantegal, though you can hilariously ignore her for the whole game. Though to even know any of this, you'll need to rely on the nameless npcs to give you hints on the items you need and the locations to go to. Thankfully, mostly all the npcs do provide useful information which makes traversing Alefgard easy.
Combat is turn-based and is pretty barebones. You got your Hero who can attack and uses spells. It's not much, but it gets the job done. Though, you are going to see lots of combat as the main way to make the game easier to grind meticulously which absolutely slow the pacing down. Personally, since levels up in early JRPGs feel more impactful, I do have dopamine whenever I grind and get the satisfaction of getting a level up. A good tip I can say is to utilize the four corners of Alefgard to each individually level up five levels which are enough to help you be strong enough to defeat the Dragonlord.
The visuals are definitely the thing that could be a make or break, especially in comparison to other versions. The backgrounds themselves are fine, though the 2D character models looks... off. The monster designs are still classic Toriyama, though I noticed that some enemies have poses that should have them holding something, but they don't. It's especially egregious as recolors of earlier monsters actually shows them holding their weapons and shields properly. It really does tell how much they rushed the port.
Music is unfortunately the midi versions of the song, though I still enjoyed the few music that the game provides with Alefgard, the Dragonlord's second form, and the ending theme being the standouts.
Overall, DQ1 on Switch is an alright port of the original, albeit flawed with the visuals and the rushed nature of the port. It's a pretty convenient way to play DQ1, though I feel the HD-2D Remake might probably dwarf it in terms of visuals and quality. Solid 3.5/5.
DQ1 is the grandfather of all JRPGs and is a game that created Japan's national treasure. This version of DQ1 is ported over from the mobile version which is based on the Super Famicom version which is essentially the first remake of DQ1 from the NES. I decided now to just replay this version since I know it will probably be the last time in light of the DQ1+2 HD-2D Remake.
DQ1 is pretty bare-bones as it is the first of its kind. You got the goal to head to Charlock's Castle and defeat the Dragonlord. However, to get to Charlock's Castle, you'll need some specific items in to make a bridge to arrive to it. There is also the sidequest of saving the Princess of Tantegal, though you can hilariously ignore her for the whole game. Though to even know any of this, you'll need to rely on the nameless npcs to give you hints on the items you need and the locations to go to. Thankfully, mostly all the npcs do provide useful information which makes traversing Alefgard easy.
Combat is turn-based and is pretty barebones. You got your Hero who can attack and uses spells. It's not much, but it gets the job done. Though, you are going to see lots of combat as the main way to make the game easier to grind meticulously which absolutely slow the pacing down. Personally, since levels up in early JRPGs feel more impactful, I do have dopamine whenever I grind and get the satisfaction of getting a level up. A good tip I can say is to utilize the four corners of Alefgard to each individually level up five levels which are enough to help you be strong enough to defeat the Dragonlord.
The visuals are definitely the thing that could be a make or break, especially in comparison to other versions. The backgrounds themselves are fine, though the 2D character models looks... off. The monster designs are still classic Toriyama, though I noticed that some enemies have poses that should have them holding something, but they don't. It's especially egregious as recolors of earlier monsters actually shows them holding their weapons and shields properly. It really does tell how much they rushed the port.
Music is unfortunately the midi versions of the song, though I still enjoyed the few music that the game provides with Alefgard, the Dragonlord's second form, and the ending theme being the standouts.
Overall, DQ1 on Switch is an alright port of the original, albeit flawed with the visuals and the rushed nature of the port. It's a pretty convenient way to play DQ1, though I feel the HD-2D Remake might probably dwarf it in terms of visuals and quality. Solid 3.5/5.