E3: Dragon Warrior Monsters II impressions

[05.23.01] » Enix keeps the Dragon Warrior coming and so does the GIA with our hands-on impressions of the dual-version RPG.

   If the giant blue slime floating over the company's booth didn't give it away, Enix was all about Dragon Warrior at this year's E3. In addition to the much-anticipated English debut of Dragon Warrion VII and the excellent GBC update of Dragon Warrion III, both versions of sequel to Dragon Warrior Monsters were on prominent display. Though the GBC may be in its declining years, our initial impression of DWM II shows the system is still more than capable of housing a quality RPG.

   The two versions of the game, Cobi's Journey and Tara's Adventure, offer different monsters and lands to explore, but they share the same premise. The two titular siblings live on the isle of Great Log where they leave a peaceful life on a monster farm. When Prince Kameha disappears one day, the children venture inside the giant tree at the center of the island to try to find him. While they don't track down the Prince, they do find out about a potential disaster. It seems the entire Island has sprung a leak and if a plug isn't found for the Great Log's navel, the whole thing will sink into the ocean.

   The children, of course, resolve to do something about this impending doom. A friendly Warubou informs them that the plug can't be found in Great Log itself, but it may be somewhere in the many realms that are connected to the island through magical doors. The siblings decide that one of them should stay at home, while the other goes off in search of the plug. Depending on which version of the game you play, you'll control Cobi, who uses stronger more aggressive monsters, or Tara, who employs more defensive, magic-oriented creatures. Each can find keys to different realms and these can be traded later with the link cable.

   Despite DWM II's new globe-spanning premise, the gameplay sticks fairly close to the original game. Once again, your hero journeys through randomly generated dungeons capturing and recruiting creatures drawn from the classic Dragon Warrior bestiary. As in the previous game you can combine them to create new monsters or check them in back at the monster farm to gather experience while you're out adventuring. Great Log serves as the home base this time and offers shops and a bank for uses between trips to the game's many realms.

   DWM II may not have the nostalgic cache of Enix's other handheld RPG on display, but it does share most of that game's technical merits. Both have an excellent, readable translation, written with a great deal of charm. The dialogue is entertaining and flows naturally, and we found ourselves actually seeking out new items to examine just to read the descriptions. The game features some of the best graphics possible on the GBC. They aren't quite as impressive as DW III, but they're still colorful and highly detailed.

   It's shaping up to be a landmark year for Dragon Warrior fans with Enix pulling out all the stops to re-establish the franchise in America. The two versions of Dragon Warrior Monsters II will be arriving simultaneously sometime in the third quarter of this year. Meanwhile, take a look at new screens and character art from both versions of the game.