Dragon Quest 1-3 Nintendo Switch Preview

Dragon Quest 1, 2, and 3 came out for the Nintendo Switch today. I was lucky enough to receive review copies of all three games. My reviews of them are not ready yet but I thought I’d share my impressions of the three games so far. What do I think of Dragon Quest 1-3 on Nintendo Switch?

Dragon Quest 1-3 are now available on the Nintendo Switch eshop. These three games are different from the ones originally released on the NES and SNES. I believe these three are based on the mobile versions of the games. I have never played these versions before. I did play Dragon Warrior on the NES and…I didn’t like it. Hey, I was much younger and didn’t like rpgs then.

What do I think of Dragon Quest 1, 2, and 3 now? Read on for my first impressions of the games.

Dragon Quest 1

In the first Dragon Quest, you play as a hero that you name and then you’re sent off on an adventure. There isn’t much to this story and you are not given a lot of direction on where to go. Its very easy to get lost in this world. Rpg newbies may not like this game. Its old school in that it doesn’t hold your hand, all the battles are in first person, and random battles are frequent in dungeons and on the world map. I don’t think the random battles are as bad as they use to be but they still appear pretty often.

As for the game’s graphics, some will find them pretty weird. The character models are well drawn, while the backgrounds are pixelated. Its a unique combination that won’t appeal to everyone. I remember how these games use to look though and appreciate the graphical upgrade. And I still love the music!

My feeling, so far, is that Dragon Quest 1 is for rpg vets who want to play this game again, with better graphics, on a modern system. I’ll let you know if my opinion changes in my full review of this game.

Dragon Quest 2

Dragon Quest 2 is a lot like the first game. The graphics are the same, expect for the battles looking a little bit better.

And unlike Dragon Quest 1, the second game has more of a story and gives you a little bit more direction. Its still easy to get lost but this game is more fun.

However, Dragon Quest 2 is also a game that’ll appeal more to rpg vets than it will newbies.

I’m not very far into the second game yet but I look forward to talking more about this game in my full review.

Dragon Quest 3

Dragon Quest 3 is the best of the three games so far. The graphics are so much better on this game. The backgrounds are still pixelated with better character models, but the characters are smaller and fit with the background graphics more.

Best of all is the game’s story! Right from the start, you will get the sense that Dragon Quest 3 has a deeper storyline and a more intersting world than the previous two games. The beginning of this game is very interesting. I don’t want to spoil it so I won’t say more.

I also like this game’s battle system more. Yes, its still first person but the enemies are drawn better, you have more party members right away, and the game has a job system! So you can have a mage, a priest, and other classes in your party. The party recruiting in Dragon Quest 3 reminds me a lot of Dragon Quest 9! Thats a very good thing since DQ9 is my favorite of the series.

I’m enjoying Dragon Quest 3 a lot and I admit I’ve played it the most of the three games. I think if you enjoy Dragon Quest 11 S in 2D mode, then Dragon Quest 3 will likely be the older DQ game that you’ll want on your Nintendo Switch.

Any of these games can be played in any order. I hear that these three games are connected but you really can’t tell by the start of the games. Each of them have their own personalities, with Dragon Quest 3 being the big standout at the moment.

I will have reviews of these games next week! Dragon Quest 1-3 are available now for download on the Nintendo Switch eshop. Will you get them? Don’t forget that Dragon Quest 11 S comes out today too! Happy Dragon Quest Day!