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This week, Austin and B.J. explore early JRPGs and also talk about the first Dragon Quest (Dragon Warrior in the West).

First, they discuss the different versions of the game. B.J. played the NES version when he was a kid, thought he beat it, but has been really been living a lie–he only got halfway through the game! We talk about the graphics, music, and why we think the game wasn’t initially successful in the States.

Austin played the mobile version and is replaying it right now. He talks about the various pros (and cons) related to playing the classic game on mobile. The Quick Save function is a very nice addition that makes playing DQI easier. He also really, really, REALLY dislikes the torches mechanic in the game. Be sure to listen to him repeat this fact, like, a dozen times.

They also talk about the Gameboy Color version, which neither has played yet…although, B.J. plans on playing the GBC version whenever he goes through the Erdrick Trilogy. Publicly shame him for not playing the Edrick Trilogy yet. But do it nicely.

Lastly, we discuss early JRPGs and even try to track down what’s really the first. And what really defines a game as JRPG anyway? Plus, we talk about the book The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers by S. M. G. Szczepaniak, which shares some interesting stories from those early days of Japanese gaming. 

You can find links to some of the things we talked about in the show right here:

Link to the book: https://amzn.to/2WfVFyz

The Dragon and Princess: https://www.giantbomb.com/the-dragon-princess/3030-42510/

Dark Age of JRPGs: http://blog.hardcoregaming101.net/2013/04/dark-age-of-jrpgs-dragon-princess-1982.html