Dragon Warrior I

• This review only applies to Dragon Warrior I - have not yet played DWII on this cartridge
• It’s interesting to go back to the very, very beginning of the JRPG, considering what the term “JRPG” means today. This game is not that long, not that hard, and not too annoying and grindy.
• I don’t play that many ports or remakes of existing games, but this is another one where I made an exception out of pure curiosity. I did not know, going in, that the art style had been totally changed to look more like the Dragon Warrior Monsters style. DWM was my first ever Dragon Warrior game, so I enjoyed this change a lot and thought it was very nostalgic.
• There isn’t much replay value, and the story is pretty linear, but if you are interested in playing DWI as a historical artifact, this is a pretty good version. The music sounds awesome, the colors look good, and if you’ve played just about any other DW game then you have seen references to this one without knowing it.

Update, 14 Jun 2026: Re-titled this review as just “Dragon Warrior I,” as I have now finished Dragon Warrior II on the same cart.