Handheld gaming is more than a compromise of power and portability. Whether it’s the ability to play anywhere, multitask or hold an entire console in your hands, it’s a special experience consoles have never replicated. In a world where high resolutions and teraflops reign supreme, we take a look at a portable relic every month and reflect on what makes it memorable. Be warned, spoilers may occasionally populate these articles.
Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy are two of the most popular turn-based RPG series, so it’s only fitting that a game made as a parody tribute to the genre be named Dragon Fantasy. Dragon Fantasy Book 1 began its life on PC and mobile devices in 2011 before being ported to PlayStation Vita in 2013. An enhanced version, Dragon Fantasy: Volumes of Westeria was released on Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita in 2015. Despite originally playing both Dragon Fantasy games years ago, Volumes of Westeria is something I only discovered a few months while visiting the PlayStation Store to redownload some Vita games. It was disappointing to see that it wasn’t in fact a new Dragon Fantasy game, but since I remember enjoying it and it had been so long since I played it, it seemed like a good enough time for a replay.
Players of Dragon Fantasy will be stepping into the boots of Ogden, a once great hero whose glory days are behind. Once a man of legendary stature, he has been relegated a post in the royal guard that’s the fantasy world equivalent of Walmart greeter. It’s a cushy gig to have during his twilight years, but doesn’t provide the best set up for RPG protagonist. This is of course until the inevitable monster attack occurs which forcible extricates Ogden from the castle. Awakened in a strange land and indebted to his savior, he finds himself completing small scale heroic fetch quests for people before he finds himself completing feats worthy of an RPG world savior.
Dragon Fantasy is divided into three main chapters with a bonus chapter based on Minecraft. Dragon Fantasy: Volumes of Westeria adds an additional chapter. Chapter One, Dragon Fantasy, features Ogden getting his groove back in the whole world saving hero business. Chapter Two, The Heir Unapparent, gives players a look into the story of Prince Anders who was kidnapped at the beginning of Ogden’s chapter. Chapter Three, Operation Desert Plunder, features the thief Jerald and his niece Ramona who end up pulling off a heist a ship occupied by Anders and Ogden.
The battles in Dragon Fantasy are reminiscent of the battles in classic Dragon Quest games. The player wanders around with their exploration getting regularly interrupted by random encounters, though in dungeons the monsters are visible on the map screen. Battles are turn-based skirmishes that should be familiar to any fan of the genre. There is one significant difference that sets Dragon Fantasy apart from the more serious RPGs which influenced it, and this is actually one of the sillier aspects of the game.
The enemies in Dragon Quest don’t always use traditional combat techniques on Ogden and company. Some of the “attacks” can read that a monster is nagging Ogden and he takes damage, or tells a boring story which leads to Ogden taking damage. This humorous approach helps set Dragon Fantasy apart from the millions of turn based RPGs and is also kind of relatable to those with a more introverted personality. Having people talk to me in lengths about things I don’t care about does sometimes feel as though they are sucking the life out of me which makes this comical take on combat more relatable than it probably should be.
Once we get past the sillier and lighter tone of Dragon Fantasy, it does play like a faithful tribute to classic RPGs. It does have humorous nods to other RPGs, such as Ogden’s first weapon being the mighty and legendary pointy stick and castle guards being named Biggs and Wedge. But humor aside, it plays like a classic turn-based RPG. Ogden travels around the world, meeting townspeople where he can buy new equipment, take on quests and battle random monsters in first-person turn-based combat. It’s on the shorter side and rather simplistic, but viewed as humorous homage to the genre and not expecting the grandeur of Final Fantasy VI or Dragon Quest VIII, it’s good time and worthy tribute.
Dragon Fantsy: Volumes of Westeria can be completed in about a dozen hours or so. It isn’t the most challenging RPG ever made, but some of the PlayStation trophies can increase difficulty if the player enjoys such things, such as the trophy that requires completing Ogden’s chapter without purchasing any weapons or armor, but even that can be overcome by recruiting monster allies or doing level grinding. It’s short and sweet with an undeniable charm. The gameplay feels most similar to the classic Dragon Quest (or Dragon Warrior if you go by NES labels) games. It’s a great game to play while traveling or as a palette cleanser in between larger or more serious games.
Dragon Fantasy Book 1 is available on mobile devices, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. Those who bought the original Dragon Fantasy Book 1 on PS Vita can also freely download the updated Dragon Fantasy: Volumes of Westeria. It’s the same game essentially, but includes and extra chapter and has a different trophy list. Volumes of Westeria also includes a platinum trophy for those who care about such things, but that takes more effort than the easier non-platinum trophy list of the original release. Unfortunately it cannot be purchased on 3DS anymore as Nintendo closed that eShop, but can still be accessed from the PlayStation store if visited on PS Vita. It’s not a terribly long game and fun, so I do highly recommend it for fans of older RPGs. An interesting bit of trivia is that this was a tribute to the father of series designer Adam Rippon, Thomas Rippon, who was a sculptor and professor who passed in 2010.
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