Dragon Warrior 3

I first bought this game back in 2001, but real life sort of got in the way and so I never had the chance to really sit down and play it. Unfortunately I accidentally traded it in amongst a few other games without realizing it, only to be understandably chagrined whenI later found out my mistake. Luckily Lukie had it in stock so I snatched it right up. The story is the same as it was in the NES version. You are the son of the hero Ortega, who disappeared and presumably perished while on a journey to vanquish the Demon Lord Baramos. Now you, having reached what for lack of a better term I will call the Age of Consent, are tasked by the king of Aliahan to finish the mission your father began. This remake features most if not all the additions that were made to the Super NES port of this game, which, if I remember correctly, was never released in the US. This includes the ability to determine personalities for your characters, which affect the ways in which your stats grow as you gain experience. The main hero's personality is determined at startup in a special prologue, but various items can change it as you progress. The controls are pretty simple. The A button is your search and talk button. B brings up the main menu screen and the d-pad moves your character. It all seems to work fairly well. Audio wise the sound effects smack pleasantly of the NES version with a few additions thrown in. The music is much the same as the NES version, though with the same additions found in the Super NES port. These include among others the alternate town, village and castle themes heard while exploring at night. Those latter tunes regretably weren't present in the NES version. You'll even find quite a few tunes from Dragon Warrior 1 much later in the game. Overall this is a game well worth owning, especially if you have Dragon Warrior I + II. But if you like a good RPG with a good mix of challenge and exploration this is definitely one you shouldn't miss.

Just as Dragon Warrior IV was the best game for the NES, this is the best game for the Game Boy Color (in fact I don't think there ever has been a bad Dragon Warrior game). If you don't have a Game Boy Color or a Game Boy Advance this game alone justifies the purchase.