Dragon Quest I

 iOS
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 36 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 36
  3. Negative: 3 out of 36
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  1. Vitoner
    Apr 6, 2015
    7
    The game is fine, very very VERY old school. It's an important piece of videogaming history. The only problem is that this port to iOS and Android (as the ports of DQ2 and DQ3) have worse graphics than the SNES remakes. The new orchestral score is great, though.
    I would recommend this game only to hardcore fans of the series and "videogaming archeologists". I am kinda both and I had a blast.
  2. somedude14
    Mar 15, 2016
    0
    Just get the NES or even SNES version. This game is a casualized "remix" that makes it much simpler in a lot of ways. The graphics aren't even an improvement, though the sound definitely is, so I guess if you're into that, woop woop.
  3. Armenus
    May 30, 2016
    8
    Dragon Quest is a great game for beginners to the series. It gives the player familiarity with all the different spells, how to train your character, and prepares them for the next game in the series. The music is superb, graphics are old but work, and the portability of the game makes it amazing. If you like RPGs or have never played an RPG before check this game out. Another plus to theDragon Quest is a great game for beginners to the series. It gives the player familiarity with all the different spells, how to train your character, and prepares them for the next game in the series. The music is superb, graphics are old but work, and the portability of the game makes it amazing. If you like RPGs or have never played an RPG before check this game out. Another plus to the Dragon Quest series in general is the art. It's all done by Akira Toriyama the creator of the greatest manga ever Dragonball Z.… Expand
  4. EmilyMonster
    Aug 22, 2018
    8
    I am a long time fan of the Final Fantasy series, but have never given Dragon Quest a try. I hate playing games out of order, even when it doesn't really matter what order you play them in, so against everyone's advise, I gave the original a go. I am glad I started with the first game. It is simple, which makes it a good game to play while having a podcast/ YouTube on in the background. ItI am a long time fan of the Final Fantasy series, but have never given Dragon Quest a try. I hate playing games out of order, even when it doesn't really matter what order you play them in, so against everyone's advise, I gave the original a go. I am glad I started with the first game. It is simple, which makes it a good game to play while having a podcast/ YouTube on in the background. It gives the same feel as the original Final Fantasy, just on a smaller map. Yes it is grindy, but I actually like that. I find myself grinding for money more so than levels, and that makes me feel like I worked for and earned the armor/ weapon I bought. I'm only 2ish hours in, so maybe it opens up more, but even if the whole game takes place on this tiny over world, I happy with it.… Expand
  5. likevin96
    Dec 22, 2017
    7
    Completion: Finished game

    Pros: - Solid, classic DQ music. A bit lacking in variety, but to be expected. - Pretty astonishing how many essential JRPG features were introduced in this game. Father of the genre and it truly shows - A few fun and unexpected story moments (considering the rest of the game) - Sprite art is pretty solid Cons: - Battles are way too straightforward -    Completion: Finished game

    Pros:
    - Solid, classic DQ music. A bit lacking in variety, but to be expected.
    - Pretty astonishing how many essential JRPG features were introduced in this game. Father of the genre and it truly shows
    - A few fun and unexpected story moments (considering the rest of the game)
    - Sprite art is pretty solid

    Cons:
    - Battles are way too straightforward
    - Close to no character customization
    - Absolutely barebones plot
    - Figuring out what to do next can be pretty obscure
    - Awful save system (quick save was appreciated, but only a band-aid for a larger problem)
    - Too grindy.

    Last Word:
    The father of JRPGs is still very much playable today, despite its small scope and a few archaic systems. Dragon Quest I manages to hold up as a fun ~10 hour run if for no other reason than to see where it all began.

    True Score:
    6.8    … Expand
  6. sitebender
    Mar 26, 2019
    9
    Fantastic and quick RPG for Android. Great controls on mobile, simple game, easy to understand and doesn't overstay its welcome. It's great for beginners to the RPG genre.
  7. QilBoy
    Oct 27, 2021
    3
    Disclaimer for every game released before the fifth generations of consoles: the ideal way of critiquing a videogame would be to do it contextually to the time period in which it was released. But since I was born in 1999, with the sixth generation of games being my first, I lack the full perspective and knowledge of previous generations that one would need to critique an older gameDisclaimer for every game released before the fifth generations of consoles: the ideal way of critiquing a videogame would be to do it contextually to the time period in which it was released. But since I was born in 1999, with the sixth generation of games being my first, I lack the full perspective and knowledge of previous generations that one would need to critique an older game fairly, and have no other choice but to review this product with modern games' standards in mind.

    Dragon Quest is surprisingly, deliciously straight forward in how much freedom it gives the player, right from the very beginning. You are the hero, tasked with defeating the evil lord that has broken peace and is bringing the world to ruin. That's it. That is all the information you will be given at the start of the game, and it's completely up to the player to discover how to reach the evil lord's lair. The entire world map is immediately open, so the player can freely explore the entire world, with no walls, searching for clues and hints on how to proceed. Travelling through this hostile world fighting monsters, discovering hidden dungeons and visiting distant villages where old townfolks speak of ancient legends and rumors. Every NPC has something to say and not a single dialogue is really useless, as they will all provide you with worldbuilding, some good laughs or, most importantly, vital clues that will guide you towards your next goal. Aside from the stuff inherent to the main objective, the game is also full of NPCs talking about rumors of legendary armors, hidden treasures and captive princesses, all side-content that is completely optional. There's not much of it, but it still leads to a fun personalized experience. There is no handholding, the game isn't explicitly guiding you anywhere: it's the player themselves carving their own path to glory through investigation, creating a genuine adventure. This is some spectacularly immersive gameplay and yet, towns and dungeons have one big issue: locked doors. Not all of the maps are immediately explorable, as many doors will need a Magic Key to be unlocked, and beyond those doors lie many secrets. The problem with Magic Keys is that one key can open all doors, with no distinction. So, once you find the source of Magic Keys you just mindlessly buy them all and open each and every lock on the world, instantly removing all doors as an obstacle in an instant, whereas giving each door its own key, hidden somewhere in the world, would've made this a lot less boring and overly simple way to handle obstacles. This, plus the impossibility of fast travel to each town, makes the later hours of the playthrough a lot more tedious.
    You may have noticed that I left the most important part, core of the gameplay, which is the Combat and Dungeons, for last. This is because, sadly, these are the things that have aged the worst out of the entire experience.
    Dungeons dont get any more exciting than having some poisonous floor that deal damage, and Combat is so barebones and primitive that it's more cute than anything else.
    Or, in other words: Dragon Quest has some horribly rudimental Dungeons and Combat that are painfully repetitive and boring for today's standards, and yet the epic sense of freedom of the experience, with a player given full control over their adventure, is something truly magical that less than a few games can provide nowadays (most notably, but still not quite in the same way, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild). That freedom is something that can still ignite a fire of excitement inside anyone's heart.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

34
#34 Most Discussed iOS Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. 148Apps
    Sep 18, 2014
    80
    Its historical significance aside, Dragon Quest 1 is a fun, campy, difficult, thoroughly old-school RPG.
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  2. Pocket Gamer UK
    Sep 17, 2014
    60
    A look back at the early days of the JRPG. Dragon Quest I is solid, but we've come a long way since it was first released and it's starting to show.
    Read full review
  3. Gamezebo
    Sep 15, 2014
    80
    It can confidently be said Dragon Quest I is one of the best RPGs on mobile (possibly only bested by its big brothers), and though it’s a shorter game, its $2.99 price tag is perfectly reasonable.
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