Re: Dragon Slayer

From <xxxxxx@aol.com>
Date
I'm probably not the best person for this since I never did finish the 
game, but it did come across to me as being one of the better Dragon Quest / 
Final Fantasy-style RPG's on the Turbo.  

    It was ported to the U.S. and the voice acting was redone (both good and 
bad).  The translation was handled by Hudson.  They were good enough to 
include some outstanding art pieces in the manual/CD case as well as a 
mini-map.

    The game came under a lot of criticism because the actual game "screen" 
is only about half to two-thirds of the actual TV screen, just like in Y's 
(same developer).  Also, the graphics weren't on the same level as the top 
RPG's of the time, Final Fantasy 2 and Phantasy Star 2 or 3.  Dragon Slayer 
does have a better sound quality as you can imagine and a good score, but 
again Final Fantasy 2 did have a better score.  It also came under some 
criticism because by the time this game was released here, I believe the 
better sequel had been out in Japan for quite some time if I'm not mistaken.  
Oh well...

    The general gist of the story is that a great king was slain repelling 
invading monsters in an epic battle.  He left his wife a widow and their 
small son.  However, instead of the hero becoming a king immediately upon his 
father's death, it was decided that the king's brother should inherit the 
throne until the hero is old and wise enough to rule.  The hero is sent away 
to cottage where he is to be taught away from the luxuries of the castle so 
he may be a good kind, all while the duke reigns in your absence.  Of course, 
when the time comes for the hero to become king, the duke isn't all to wild 
about the idea of giving up the kingdom to you.  He sends out assassins to 
have the hero killed, but the hero escapes... From there the game begins.

    Overall Dragon Slayer was a prime example of what we all now call an 
old-school RPG.  You fight monsters, earn experience and new spells, and the 
story is pushed along in a linear fashion.  The actual game play can be quite 
good at times, even making you think while in battle...  For example, this is 
the only RPG I can think of where one of the bosses can only be killed by 
Bane (near-instant death).  Better yet, you only have about two moves to use 
it before you lose your chance.  I personally never used that type of spell 
in an RPG, so it was kind of a cool surprise to actually need it.

    Generally the game retails for around $50 on Ebay (what doesn't?), or you 
might be able to find someone on the list for a more reasonable $35.  It's 
one of the better Turbo games out there, IMHO, for RPG fans.

In a message dated 06/15/2000 6:04:28 PM Central Daylight Time, 
xxxxxx@community.net writes:

<< So, I gather from my last message that many of you are Dragon Slayer
 fans.  Now I've never played this game(s) so I was wondering if someone could
 tell me about it (plot, cost, whether it's in English, etc.)  Thanks for 
 your time
 once again.
    Lance  >>

--- Turbo List Information ---------------------------------------------
The Turbo List Home Page has the most inclusive lists of cheats for PCE
and TG games anywhere on the web.  http://joyce.eng.yale.edu/~bt/turbo
 --> cheats for all the details.
------------------------------------------------------------------------