Dragon Warrior II - Gameplay

Gameplay

This game allows the player to control more than one character, and it is the first entry in the Dragon Quest series to do so. The game introduced a party system where, instead of beginning the game with an entire party like in previous computer RPGs, the player begins the game with only one character and gradually recruits more party members during the course of the game. The player controls his or her characters as they move in the game world. They can search treasure chests, talk and trade with villagers, equip weapons and armor, and cast spells.

While wandering the fields, towers, caves, seas, or dungeons, the player encounters battles that happen randomly. Battle mode introduces groups of monsters, which is an upgrade from the one-on-one battles of Dragon Warrior. In the battle mode, the player gives orders to the characters on how to fight the monsters. Once the player defeats all of the monsters, the characters gain experience points and gold. The experience points raise the characters' experience levels. This improves the characters' attributes, and they may also learn new spells.

To win, the player must fight many monsters to improve the characters' experience levels and get gold to buy better weapons and armor. Eventually, the player's characters become strong enough to make it to the next town or dungeon. This repeats until the player reaches the final boss and defeats him. However, the gameplay is not necessarily linear, especially after the player gets the boat. Exploration is a key component of the game.

The game offers a few spots to save the game. In most of the towns, talking to a king or minister saves the game. It also allows deletion and the moving of saved games. This was an upgrade from the Japanese version, which utilized a password system to restore progress.

Dragon Warrior II is noted for greatly expanding the game play from the previous game, Dragon Warrior. Dragon Warrior II is the first game in the series to feature multiple heroes and enemies in a battle, as well as a sailing ship. Unlike Final Fantasy released that same year which only allowed the player to dock the ship at ports, Dragon Quest II allowed the player to land the ship anywhere, allowing the entire game world to be explored in an open-ended manner. It was also the first to have weapons which cast spells when used in battles. In addition, Dragon Warrior II offers a wider array of spells and items and a much larger world. The game also expanded the inventory management system of its predecessor by giving each character an individual inventory that holds up to eight items, placing a greater emphasis on conservative item management between the characters.