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One of the Best RPG's of all time

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: July 11, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This is an epic adventure like no other. The game is broken down into 5 chapters, each of which has a quest that goes along with it. In Chapters 1 through 4 you play as different characters ranging from a royal soldier to a princess to a merchant. Each of these chapters is unique. The fifth and final chapter finds you controlling the hero at long last. Eventually, you meet up with the other characters you controlled in the previous 4 chapters. This is where the ultimate fun begins. The battle system is basically the same as in the previous Dragon Warrior games in the NES. The one and only drawback I found in the game came in chapter 5. You only control the hero, while the other characters in your party are automatically controlled. You do have the ability to change the overall strategy of the party, but not with the complete control that one desires. Overall though, the game and story are very entertaining and I recommend this game to any fan of the true RPG genre.

Easily the best Dragon Warrior released in the US

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: July 19, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This game is absolutely the apex of role playing games. While the graphics are not going to turn any heads, the game play, fun factor, milieu, and storyline more than makes up for it. I haven't played this game in at least 9 years, but it still holds true as my favorite role-playing game, and with the upcoming release of Dragon Warrior VII for the playstation, I felt obligated to write a short review. I remember, at first, not liking the battle system of the fifth chapter, how you can't control all of your characters, but after a while, it's not really a big deal. Most fans of the series say that part IV is/was the best, so I suppose most people don't have a problem with the battle system of the fifth chapter.

Good but not Great by today's standards

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: December 14, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This is a very good game by all measures. It consists of 5 chapters all of which are thoroughly entertaining. Use of a wagon allows the party to balloon to 8 or 9 characters. But there are drawbacks. It's not related to the previous games and instead is the start of a new series, the Zenithian series which consists of DW 4-6. The lack of complete control on the 5th chapter characters got on my nerves. The # of characters allows strategy, but it makes it a pain to keep the characters properly equipped and their levels up (you can't take everyone in caves where a great deal of the experience is earned). Overall, I prefer DW3 and feel it's more complete with a stronger storyline.

Never has an NES RPG held so much depth

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: December 25, 2001
Author: Amazon User

As the title implies this is Enix at it's very best. THe last Dragon Warrior game to appear on the NES and it goes out with a bang. Lets start with the length of the game, 5 chapters, five stories all eventually intertwined. A crew of 7 main characters, and at least 7 or more alternate/ incontrollable characters. Literally over 50 or more hours of gameplay guarentee, and an incredible story that rivals even the Great Final Fantasy of today. Obviously to a gamer who is just entering or was weened on the likes of Final Fantasy 7, 8, and 9 they might be disgusted by the repetitive level building, or need to actually search for a few things, or ancient graphics, but the masterful story will keep most in tuined. In fact if my memory serves me right ENIX is remaking this title for the PSX and plans to have it out before the sytem dies (They had an SNES remake but the system died before it was released). If this game does return to Amercian shores it will be worth purchasing no matter what. Own this, buy this, steal it, import it, it doesn't matter oen this title. YOu will not be disapointed. I still play it to this day (When my system works).

best rpg ever made

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: May 07, 2002
Author: Amazon User

like all arts, the art of rpg making reached its zenith at its beginning and has steadily declined ever since. Here is a game subject to all the constrictions of the old NES: midi music, primitive graphics etc. yet it remains the best rpg ever made to this day. It is the best rpg of the age of "antiquity" of video games. The ammount of creative effort put into this classic and the emotional depths of every detail compensates any advancement in graphics and animation of the last 10 years. This game is like an epic novel. A true classic.

The game is Awesome

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: May 11, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game is one of the best I have ever played. I think the story is just as good as any of the others out there. Also you can't help but get caught up in the game.

VERY Good!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: July 05, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Although I find MORE of a liking to "Dragon Warrior" 1,2 and 3, this one is still worth playing. The storyline is pretty good and the strategy is possibly one of the easiest of RPG's to ever hit the NES. It's a bit difficult with some of the puzzles, but leveling-up,weapons, armor etc. make the battles easier. I recommend this one to anyone who's a beginner w/RPG's. Heck, its better than FF1 on NES!! Seriously.

Just plain awesome

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: June 13, 2003
Author: Amazon User

One of the best NES RPGs ever made. Dragon Warrior IV may not have graphics or sound that compare with more recent RPGs but the engrossing story line more than makes up for it. Unfortunately the planned PSX remake was cancelled when the company Enix had developing it closed down, but you can still enjoy the original version.

ALMOST made it to a newer-generation system

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 30, 2004
Author: Amazon User

There was a time, shortly after Enix released Dragon Warrior VII for PSX, that this game, with a major PlayStation facelift, ALMOST made it onto the newer system and into new gamers' game libraries. I think it was released in Japan, but fate frowned on us and financial concerns led it to never reach the US.

Who cares? ME!!! :~-{ (my emoticon is trying to cry) So many RPGs I play engross me, offer me many hours of fun and enjoyment, but fade from memory within weeks of completing them. Not this one. The story, the game's layout, the amazingly deep characters for this old an RPG, and Necrosaro all keep this game right up there with Lufia I and II and Final Fantasy IV and VIII and Xenogears and Chrono Trigger on my list of favorite RPGs of all time. And I will never get to play it on a newer system. :~-{ :~-{

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I'll quit pouting long enough to remind myself - Eureka! The NES version is still out there! My NES long since kicked it, but if you have any, ANY means of playing this game do it. It is one of the best ever made. But never on PSX. Back to the handkerchief.

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One of the top 3 RPGs for the NES

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: September 13, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Dragon Warrior 4 is quite possibly the most complex RPG ever to grace the NES. The storyline consists of five chapters, eight characters, a small gang of playable auxiliary characters (that have a personality), and a ton of places to visit and explore.

The first four chapters of the game serve as a prelude to the final, main chapter. In the first four chapters, you are introduced to the supporting characters in the game as they tackle subquest after subquest without being aware of their larger purpose of restoring peace and serenity to the world. This part of the game can go a bit slowly because you have to literally level up four different parties, which means fighting lots of basic enemies like Slimes and Kaskos Hoppers and Giant Worms. However, the storylines make sense and there are some tough dungeons to contend with.

The fifth and final chapter introduces the hero and starts off with a bang. You then spend the rest of the game locating the supporting characters, finding the legendary weapons, and putting an end to Necrosaro and his evil designs. This quest is very long and involves lots of subquests and plot twists. The game's difficulty ramps up considerably in this chapter and you'll have a lot of tough fights.

Technically speaking, the graphics are only a slight improvement compared to the previous games in the series, but they are a bit brighter and more colorful. The enemies are well-drawn and the dungeons are expansive. The sound effects are adequate and the music does a good job of matching the situation. The ship music in particular is good.

My biggest complaint with this game is the tactics system in Chapter 5. This system makes it impossible to directly control the supporting members of your team, which means they have to rely on the computer's AI while only being "guided" by the tactic you select. Only being able to directly control the hero makes for some rather frustrating battles, particularly with boss-type foes. It is not fun to be fighting the master archfiend and then watching one of your wizards waste a turn by deciding to try and put him to sleep instead of healing a wounded teammate.

However, the sheer size of the game, the complexity of the storyline, and the special features it offers (collecting the small medals, the casino in Endor), more than make up for this. This game is probably too rare to find at a flea market, but if you are able to purchase it somewhere, it would be a worthy addition to your RPG library. Along with Final Fantasy 1 and Dragon Warrior 3, this game completes the trio of the top RPGs available for the NES.

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