Dragon Warrior IV (Dragon Quest IV) Review! (NES) - The Game Collection 

My brother, who's a retro-gamer, introduced me to DW IV when I was younger. I've loved RPG's ever since

FUCK YEAH DUDE. Dragon Quest IV is my favourite of the series. Also, tropes are inevitable and nothing is wrong with a trope in and of itself. It's exactly like you said, it's what you do with the premise, and how you expand upon the trope that makes a game special. To ignore that, is to fundamentally misunderstand what a trope is. You got this shit figured out though. Solid video, my friend.

The monster design continues to be masterful *shows a picture of a Metal Slime * Lol, nice video! I love this game too!

Dragon Warrior IV was my first RPG when I was 13 (1993). I got it after trading my nes Indiana Jones game. Well worth the trade now looking back. My younger brother and I stayed up night after night during the summer to finish this game. I have never been able to get the same experience out of a game as i did in this one. Not even after playing the original Finial Fantasy which we played the following year. I still have the game cartridge to this day.

My opinion of " the straw that broke Enix's back" is that it was Enix's own fault. Let me put it this way. I was a huge DW fan. DW3 is still one of my favorite games of all time. I played each game over and over again, and loved all the info I could find out about the series. How did I, a big DW fan, find out about DW4? I saw it on a store shelf. I had no clue it was even coming out. Good work Enix.

God that FIGHT THEME for Dragon Warrior IV is pure GOLD! Damn near makes me weep.

I had gotten into the series by the time VII was released and I couldn't feel worse about how I acquired the game. During this time, I and my siblings were avid collectors of bootleg games we bought from our local flee market. Suffice to say, we bought quite the fair share of bootlegs that really only worked half the time (not that we particularly cared at the time haha). While I won't say that Dragon Warrior VII was _NOT_ available at our local retailers during this point in time, I _will_ say that, considering our location of Johannesburg South Africa, I highly doubt we would have found the game at retail (nor did we have any prior knowledge of the series up until that point). All this being said, again, what a shame that I could have been one of the those who supported VII's release because after recently delving back into the game, I am simply astonished at how addictive this series truly is. VII was my stepping stone and it has influenced me to try and acquire most of the main series titles whenever I possibly can. So far, I've found VI, IX and while I'm still on the lookout for a decently priced copy of VII in the wild, I've since ordered VII's 3DS remake and I can't wait to re-live it! As for the original 4 games in the series, I hope to play them at some point too, they look like they could potentially be my standout favourite NES games.

I just finished this game and I love it. Its extremely well done, and I mean flawless. I am so lucky to have played it, as I do group it in with all of the best jrpg experiences Ive ever had;and most of those occured for me as a teeanager (Im 35). Absolutely brilliant and a wonderful, funny and fantastic experience.

I feel like I should mention that Trope is not a synonym for cliche. Every story is filled with tropes, whereas lots of stories are not filled with cliches. Basically, a cliche is an overused trope, tropes are not a bad thing, they just are.

Just discovered you...watching the backlog of all these classics I love it

First RPG I ever played back on NES as a kid. So many fond memories. I even remember ordering the strategy guide through the mail and had to wait 6 weeks to get it lol. Still probably my favorite of all time.

Torneko's chapter is one of the best. It can feel repetitive but the way it works is very well executed. Torneko (aka you the player) is stuck doing the same boring job over and over again. The game never forces you to go out on adventure to find your way. It expects you to realize how boring your life is and get out there to explore by yourself. Since your in a weapon shop, warriors and travelers visit to buy stuff from you, which makes you feel like wanting to go on a adventure yourself. This character development Torneko experiences is all done JUST through its gameplay. It's incredible how well done it is. From this point on, the entire chapter is about how you the player, in Torneko's shoes, does whatever he/you can to move up in the merchant life. You'll do things like finding treasure to sell for a huge amount of money, buying a whole brand new house for your wife and kid where they then open up a shop, stocking said shop with items and equipment to be sold for even more money, hiring warriors to work for you in dungeons. And this is all just the gameplay mechanics you can do. A whole lot more story things happen in this chapter that makes Torneko an even more well known merchant. Even better is that Torneko ends up getting his own spin-off series of Mystery Dungeon games where he goes on even more adventures. He went from being a nobody working a boring, tedious job to becoming a star in his own games where he makes his own adventures and its all because YOU the player made it so.

Dragon Warrior 4 is one of the best NES RPGs, has the most loveable cast, and is still one of my favorites. I highly, highly recommend it.

Loved this coverage of the series that got me into RPG's over 25 years ago. You're doing a great job with this channel...keep up the good work!

I’ve beaten it several times and have put hundreds of hours of playtime into it. Amazing game, amazing graphics, amazing music, amazing gameplay. Edit: The DS port.

My father past away and years later I went to play DW3 and to my surprise there was a save file with his name on it ...it was heart warming piking up where he left off ...to find a connection On a cassette I grew up watching him play and 15 years later he was still able to say hello. I had like 10 last time I saw him now I'm 30 ... now I love 8 bit rpg games.

SuperDerek, love watching your videos. They're way better than everyone else's out there. You RAWK!! Keep up the awesome work.

The Original Dragon Warrior for the old NES was my very FIRST RPG and my FAVORITE series...And NOW 30 years later I love and enjoy these timeless classics from my childhood no less than I did then

Just came back from Japan and picking up all the 8/16-bit era Dragon Quest games, I found your video reviews to be top notch. Can't wait to play through the series. Keep up the good work!

From watching your live streams to the final video this was well worth the wait :D

Just found your channel. Loving the videos so far! Amazing work.

I remember the copy you could rent at my local video store had an order form in the back of the instruction manual that you could cut out and mail to Enix with some money to get the official strategy guide. One year for my birthday, one of my friends actually sent away for the strategy guide from the rented copy and gave it to me as a gift. I should still have it somewhere. I also remember that if you played Dragon Warrior IV with the Game Genie with infinite hit points, you'd have to save and take it off towards the end of Chapter IV so Keeleon could actually defeat you (I remember I left it on once to see if it was possible to beat Keeleon and the battle went on for like 15 minutes before I gave up).

DW4 is my all-time favorite game. I feel a real affinity to the characters, the sounds, the music and the lore. It's a fantastic game.

I really enjoy your reviews man! Keep them coming.

Perfect timing. Just sat down on the toilet. Thanks SuperDerek!

You're a beast for managing to play through all of these consecutively without going insane. Amazing review!

This is the best RPG on the NES, and probably the most influential title in the Dragon Quest series along with III. It pains me that it is so obscure in the west, and honestly in part I blame the extremely uninspired boxart. Back then boxarts played a big role in wether or not we'd rent a game, the more appealing the best. While Dragon Warrior 1 and 2 have decent boxarts (even if I would have preferred they kept the Toriyama artwork... But hey, Square-Enix is apparently still reluctant to use Toriyama's art nowadays, can't blame Enix in the 80s before Dragon Ball came to the west), III and IV are just terrible. Generic swords. It didn't catch any kids eyes among the much more colorful and diverse boxarts of other games. The Japanese art with its colorful heroes and giant dragons would probably pick the audiences' curiosity a lot more.

Hey man, just wanted to say i love your channel and i think you deserve more recognition. This is one of the secret best gaming channels out there.

You're Fricking amazing! Great job I'll definitely be waiting for more videos

Great video man! Looking forward to your next review!

I think if DQ V and VI had gotten SNES US releases they might have been as popular as Final Fantasy but the US just didn't seem into JRPGS during the NES era.

I love the idea that the game has you play as a NPC merchant. I'll definatley be checking out this game

Loved your explanation of RPG tropes! I feel the same.

Awesome Review dude

And thus concludes this summer's series review. It's been fun watching/learning about the early DQ games, a part of the series I have little to no experience with. I wish I had been able to catch more of the streams to watch your appreciation for the series deepen in real time. Looking forward to your next review, as always. Oh and btw, last time I did catch your stream we discussed Ys Origins. I am happy to report that the game has been pretty good so far! It seems to have a fair amount of replay value, as each of the three playable characters have their own alternate timeline of events. So while you do technically end up playing the same game multiple times, there are still major and minor puzzle, plot, and play-style differences that keeps the player interested. If I were to compare it to the other Ys games I've played up to this point (Ys Books 1& 2 and Oath in Felghana), I'd say that it definitely has the poorest enemy and locale variety (as the whole game takes place within a single tower), but in terms of the gameplay/soundtrack it's right up there with the others. The quality of the story is really dependant on the character you play though, and despite the name being "Ys Origins", I found the world building aspects of the plot to be fairly lacking.

great as always mate good review you put this one together really well

Great timing on getting this out. Smack between the releases of dragon quest VII on the 3DS and DQ Builders on the ps4.

As always man, great review. This year I was able to pickup DW3 & DW4 for an amazing price so finally after all these years have all 4 for the NES.

I know why I wasn't buying Enix games back then, even though they were one of my favorite developers. I was just a broke ass little kid, rarely with more than $5 to spend on anything. The few games I got to pick out on NES ended up being Castlevania 2 (which I traded with another kid years later for 3), Zelda 2, and Mario 3. I rented and borrowed many games, Dragon Warrior included. Eventually I picked out Actraiser 2. By the time I was 15 and working and able to buy my own stuff it was PS1, FF7, CSotN, Legacy of Kain, and all that other early PS1 stuff. Bought all the DW I could get my hands on since then, but for a while there, right when I could have bought all their games, they didn't release any. Sad.

I love the chapter system of this game. It's like getting 5 RPG's in one.

This was my favorite RPG for the NES. And I love the cover art. That sword is beautiful.

bro u have a real genuine demeanor to you which is kind of refreshing in a sea of in yo face youtubers

This is your best video that I have seen! You definitely have me wanting to play this game. I'll need to check it out on my Wii emulator.

I really enjoy these videos.

This was one of the my favorites for the NES. I'm wait for a come back

I’m playing this right now lol. This is probably my fave DW game. I didn’t play V til years later so the NES version was one of my longest played as to me at the time it was the last DW game. Love your perspective on this.

Nothing to say about DW IV, just wanted to remark on the excellence of the writing, production and delivery of this review. You are good at this, brother!

Excellent work & very fun to watch like always. Curious what game is going to be next...on the game collection.

So what are your thoughts on the DS remasters? Were there DQ games on SNES? I have so many questions 😫

I'm 40 years now, been playing games since I was 5. But I still have yet to understand why so many people love Turned-based & random-battle based games. I've tried quite a few and I honestly CANNOT get why they r fun. Is there a game that can make me like them? I feel like I missed a lot because of this. (Fyi, I love games like Secret Of Mana and the Y's series..)

DQ4 is a masterpiece, but I do like DQ3 better. Mainly it's the job system, the various cultures you encounter, and the way it ties up the original trilogy. It just blew me away back then. DQ4 is still top tier and the remake is fantastic.

Excellent video!

Now i'm curious how these measure to the remakes.

I had dw4 as a kid and played the hell out of it. My nes cart still has a save file with all the characters maxed

i have only completed dq8, i just picked up 7 on the 3ds, looking forward to playing it more. Looks like your game collection is expanding a lot are you planning a new room tour in the near future?

I regard Dragon Warrior/Quest IV as the best of the series. It's the chapter system that makes this game such a gem for anyone's RPG collection.

I just started playing DW4 again yesterday. I played it as a kid and loved it. I'm on chapter 2 now and I'm loving it as an adult. IT's on my list of top games ever along with the Baldurs gate series. I still enjoy it and the music is excellent.

The only dragon warriors I have played are 1 and 8. Good coverage sir! This looks like an interesting game

I personally prefer the NES version over the DS version. The DS version might have more content, but I hate the heavy use of written dialect in the DS version. Seriously, the first line of dialogue in Chapter 1 is: "His Majesty is aboot tae make an announcement tae youse all. Simmer doon an' listen noo."

Great again Derek ! Been looking forward to this Video , am glad you liked the game ^^ Have a great day!

I cannot wait to get the rest of the Dragon Warrior games for the NES, especially 4. Great series, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the rest some day!

It's amazing to see just how much of an Ultima influence there is with the boats, air balloon, and environment

such a good series!

This is one of my favorite RPGs maybe even my favorite of all. SNES had some good RPGs but I think this wins because it has such good scaling from the beginning to end.

I subscribed last week and right away comes the next video and the one I was waiting for. Okay then...

very nice dude i'm intrigued to try this game

I'm about 5 hours into DW2 right now. So tempted to skip to 4 after watching this but I'm gonna power through so I can see how everything evolved and appreciate the whole series better. Back to the grind!

Dragon Quest IV and Final Fantasy III are the absolute best NES RPGs. Both seemed like 16 bit games shoved onto a NES cart, and both set the bar for the then coming Snes era.

I was an NES kid and we only rented the SNES a handful of times. It's a real shame the Dragon 'West' Warrior series didn't continue on into the SNES, but then perhaps Final Fantasy wouldn't be the icon of JRPGs it is now, especially with the FF7 revolution on the PS, or where I got it, the PC. I never really bothered with the Final Fantasy games on the NES nor the SNES, and though I know many people remember them very fondly, to me they seemed like a poor substitute at the time and were passed over many times.

Great quaddie man :)

Dragon Quest 5 will always be my favorite. it totally surprised me with the story, game play exploration, and especially the music. I hope you do a review of it in the near future. great video bro.

my fav character is torneko taloon

Fantastic review of this classic NES series! I've only played the first long ago. I was more into the Final Fantasy series back then. I've always liked Amano's art over Toiyama's, and Uematsu's music over Sugiyama's. I'll have to at least give DQ4 a shot, as it looks very fun.

My second favorite Dragon Warrior/Quest game, absolutely love everything about it!

Nice; this was one game in the series I had skipped over so this is cool to see.

Now onward to some Falcom games! Hope to see Legend of Heroes and YS done sometime in the future since both series don't get enough love on RU-vid sadly :( You could do YS fairly quickly since most of their titles are under 15 hours long but the Legend of Heroes will be a mountain of a task as the last few games released here in the states are 50 to 70+ hours each but it's such a wonderful series that deserves much more love!

I love this nes game I have it complete w all maps etc it’s so great beat it multiple times I have the da one too just amazing

So, * sigh * (here we go) Imagine a wide eyed kid who has only enjoyed Pokemon as a turn based game. No other game interested him. Then, somehow, (through word of mouth or luck) ended up with this game. He inserted the hero's name as his and then the character was called RAGNR. "Huh?" he thought. But then he realised that he was not the hero, nor were the other characters in the subsequent chapters. They were his friends, about to join him in an unforgettable adventure. The narrative grabbed him, despite the primitive graphics, and felt a sense of terror and danger from the villain, yet hopeful that with his friends, he could defeat the great evil The combat system took some to get used to, but wasn't as tedious or overwhelming as he had thought to be. Talking to NPCs, checking barrels and drawers for secrets, exploring unknown lands, *The Grind*(TM), everything grew on him. So did the characters. Heroic RAGNR, strong willed ALENA, caring Christo and Brey, brave sisters Mara and Nara, and the hearty Taloon. Alas, the kid could never finish the game, because Keelon was a very tough opponent, as well as the real life responsibilities taking priority. This game (along with Pokemon Blue) got me into the JRPGs and turn-based RPGs. Even though it's unfinished, I love it for that experience it gave me. *Thank You Derek, for reviewing this game.* My eyes got a little wet when the music started playing.

I love the DS remake. It let you control all the characters in chapter 5 for one thing, and even if the AI does well by itself, I still prefer to control them. I was completely caught up in the story and eager for all these characters to meet up and save the day together.

Keep up the good work, champ.

In Chapter 5 in the NES version you control the actions of the hero and the other party members are given a choice of different battle tactics. That took it down a notch to me, despite the review above saying it didn't. Still a great game. 3 is the best NES game overall though. The whole class system gives it variety and replay value, a wide open world keeps it from being linear, and the game gives you lots of ways to shore up your resources so you don't often feel like you're struggling. I liked DW4, but I loved DW3. Dragon Warrior 1 was my first with the nintendo power sub. Also loved it despite its flaws. Dragon warrior 2.....I also like and can replay, And ill say this, I usually do not mind grinding and enjoy that aspect of games USUALLY, but its the JRPG equivalent of homework in this case. not playtesting due to rushing production bit them in the arse here.

Dragon Quest/Warrior 4 and 5 are my favorites, I got 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 on my Android and 7 on my 3DS.

This is my favorite game on the NES.

I was a little kid, just barely able to make sense of the dialogue, when I stumbled into Final Fantasy on the NES, and then immediately followed the trail to the only other Final Fantasy at the rental store, Final Fantasy 3 (6 SNES) and my life was never the same - and significantly better. I always thought it was kind of bizarre that japanese RPG's in that vein weren't much more popular in the USA, and why these companies were so hesitant to localize them. The sales being so low surprised me from the time when I first got the internet on a 56k telephone modem (which was the first time most gamers even knew about these titles that went unreleased in the USA) - because my every metric, my experience with games like these was among the most amazing experiences I'd ever had. That's STILL true today in some cases.

Dragon Warrior IV is a legendary and amazing game. I had an absolute blast playing it as a kid in the early 90s.

I am currently replaying this game on my phone. I loved it back in the 90s on the NES. Wish I'd actually owned a copy, but never managed to buy it. Just rented it. Fun little story, though, I rented it once, completed it, then months later convinced my parents to let me rent it again. My save data from my previous rental was still on there, and someone had even gotten me some hard to find gear I'd missed.

If you didn't realize chapter 5 the A.I was adaptive characters got better in battle more and more as characters leveled up

Sick Intro I must say :)

I played DW 1-3 thanks to my grandma. Dragon Warrior III is my favorite. However, she didn't buy IV, saying it had chapters. I have DQ IV on DS now and... Got stuck at cloud/sky. I didn't know where to go. Definitely will need to new game when I revisit.

Fun Fact: Koichi Sugiyama also composed Godzilla vs Biollante, which gives me one of my favorite renditions of "Godzilla's March" apart from Akira Ifukube's original.

I totally agree. Normally I would hate that I couldn’t control the rest of the party in chapter 5 but the AI is pretty good so I’m cool with it. You are awesome Derek. Thanks for being you

Nice videos

Dragon Warrior 4 is second place on the NES for me, only beaten out by Sweet Home.

A great game and a good title to close out the NES on. I can understand why the game didn't sell well when it first released since it came during the transitional period from 8-bit to 16-bit consoles and most kids were probably trying to convince there parents to upgrade (in my area that game wasn't even available for sale it was just a rental and the Blockbuster near me only had 1 copy).

Thank you, Derek! Not just for this wonderful review, but also what you said about tropes/cliches. I'll be honest, I am tired of people using the word cliche, especially when they want to nitpick. I feel like the word is just thrown around, just complaining about something we've seen before. But like you said, it should be the execution that's considered.

On the new Dragon Quest for Ps4 and 3DS, who is the art director? I hope Akira.T comes back to it once again.

Well put, decent review friend :d

My favorite game of all time.

Is this the best JRPG of NES? A list?

This dragon quest 4 is one of my favorites, that battle theme is the best!!