The Origins of Dragon Quest 1

My first RPG before I knew what an RPG was. I remember when Pokémon first came out and I had no idea what kind of game it was, and then once I saw someone play it, I went “oh, it’s like dragon warrior”

RIP Akira Toriyama (1959-2024) You Will Be Missed

First the SMT history and now this?? Derrick you are a legend

I had this game as a kid. One of the first 5 games i ever owned. Back then it was super off putting due to all the dialogue, how easy it was to die, and how easy it was to go off into the wrong area. My journey for playing most of the games in the series started with a commitment to FINALLY conquering this game as an adult. And much like you Derrick, I found zen in grinding it out while listening to podcasts. After finishing it I was enthralled with exploring the evolution of the series. It was a blast for the historian in me, and im sure it will be for you too! Enjoy, looking forward to the DQ2 vid!

Comparing this to 11, its amazing how much the series has improved while remaining faithful to what made the original so successful

The point you made about how "grinding" isn't so tedious because you're working towards a goal is absolutely true. This goes for almost every single entry in the series, but I think it's a lot more potent in the earlier games that are more simple.

Wow this is a great retrospective. The mixture of history, story breakdown, gameplay breakdown, and your experience with the game makes this an enthralling watch and with how basic this first game is that is a feat. Also the plugs for the channel and others made me chuckle. Good work sir!

Ah the original Dragon Quest. This was the third game I ever played back on the Gameboy Color thanks to its release alongside 2. I remember getting so excited about my progress through the game I'd write about it in my journal for my 7rh grade class because it was something completely new to me at the time. Before this game I had only beaten Pokémon Red and Dragon Quest Monsters so facing monsters directly, on my own no less, was quite the harrowing yet fulfilling experience. When I finally took down Dragonlord it felt so good and got my hooked on the series. Learning more about the history is fun. While I do have knowledge how things have gone for the series I never heard how Hori got his start or how Toriyama got involved. Excited for more of these, especially the next because it's the hardest entry 😅.

I played all of the Dragon Quest games in order, starting with the first one, and let me tell you, it was a marvellous experience that actually made me a big fan of video games in general. I highly recommend that you do it and see how the Dragon Quest series evolved over time,

Looking forward to watching this entire series. DQ needs more love from larger channels so more people get inspired to play it. Great video. Probably the best DQ1 retrospective I've ever seen.

Now THIS is the content I want to see. Keep the Dragon Quest stuff coming. 👍

if I had unlimited time, I'd play more dragon quest, the series is just so charming

My grandfather got my brother and I an NES in 1989, and this was one of the first games we got with it. I was 4, he was 5, and it took us months to figure out how to get out of the first room, but once we figured out how the game worked, RPGs became one of my absolutely favorite genre of games, and it still is.

What a coincidence! I just used this video as entertainment while I work on a video too! Great stuff Derrick, looking forward to the rest of the series.

I really liked the structure of this video. Putting your experience of the game throughout the video was a great way to relive the game once more.

As someone who was there when the newest DQ game was IV, its awesome to see people still appreciating the series. The beauty of these games was , if you did the work, by the end you could lay some series smack down. The good old days when grinding was invented :)

dragon quest is still the best jrpg saga out there. can't wait for 12

I got this game through the Nintendo Power subscription offer without knowing what it was. They just made it look cool and sound fun, and hey, Nintendo Power! This was my first console rpg and is still one of my all time favorites. I still have my original cartridge... 33 years later. I've been a fan of the series ever since, though I have only finished 5 of them. Excellent video! Thank you.

Great video! My hype for DQ3 2D/HD cannot get any higher. I look forward to part 2!

Loved this DQ video and I'm glad to see more discussion on this wonderful series among western fans. Just a couple notes from me: -The Game Boy version has unique borders when played on the Super Game Boy, making it my favorite version -You mentioned how saving Gwaelin is optional. Bringing her back to the castle once you're carrying her in your arms is also optional. You can do the rest of the game carrying her and, if you speak to the Dragonlord in this state, he thanks you for delivering the princess right into his hands