"Shall I record Dragon Warrior IV on the Imperial Scrolls of Honor?"

If it's the early '90s, and you've played the likes of Final Fantasy, Crystalis, The Legend of Zelda, and what have you, and you saw this box on the rental shelf at Blockbuster, and you didn't feel at least a little wiggle down in the short-pants, there has to have been something seriously wrong with you.

Dragon Warrior IV is the only game in the series I actually like. How much do I like it? Well, it's the only game without "Final Fantasy" or "Mega Man" in the title that I own multiple, physical copies of. It was an ordeal trying to hunt down a copy of the NES cart that was priced somewhat less than six pints of virgin's blood, and a similarly-sized yet differently-flavored ordeal trying to fumble thorugh the game in Japanese after the North American PS1 remake got shit-canned. I thought things would be eternally rosy once the DS remake was released, but then I had to put up with all you animals complaining about the accents. Why couldn't you just be happy with what you had!?

They changed the name of the series from "Dragon Quest" to "Dragon Warrior" because of boring legal reasons I sort of don't care about but I'm sure someone will shortly be along to explain. I personally think the "Warrior" moniker better fits the bill, but then I started playing (and hating) this series back before I knew how to find Japan on a globe, so maybe I'm just biased. Don't worry, we don't have to pretend the Japanese versions don't exist for purposes of this thread; I think I got all that out of my system during FF2. And besides, it'll be hard to provide proper context for DW4 if we don't consider where it came from, what came before, and what eventually came after. There'll be plenty of time for all that between now and when the LP wraps up in late 2018.

So what say ye, gentlemen? Shall we fire up the ol' FCEUX and get going?



♪♪ Intermezzo ♪♪

Hey, look! My file from that video series I did is still here! Good times. This file's unusable for our purposes since it'll be stuck at the beginning of Chapter Two, which is kind of a stupid place to begin an LP. So we'll need to make a new file.


That means our intrepid hero -- our dragon warrior, if you will -- needs a name and some genitals. I don't believe there is any mechanical difference between the genders except that the heroine can wear a few pieces of ladies-only clothing. Which, this being Dragon Warrior, means earrings and negligees and probably bunny ears and shit. To put the choice into a somewhat broader context...


Green afro or fishy head-flaps, Talking Time?

DQIV Heroine is the best DQ Hero(ine) there ever was

REP THE AFRO

Pick the girl. Name her Zeetha.

Another new year and another massive RPG Let's Play by Brickroad? Surely this is the most auspicious start to a new year that one could ever wish for.

I've only ever completed the first chapter of DQIV so I'm excited to see what this journey holds. As for character selection I think that green afros are quite underrepresented in the kaleidoscope of anime coiffure so I vote for Ayla's great-niece. (And besides, those fishy head-flaps look awful.)

The Head Flaps make him more Aerodynamic! I vote for Headflaps!

I vote for the lady because I like boobs! And green afros! As for her name, I suggest naming her "Lawdy No" so that all the pronouncements about the legendary Hero are met with preemptive wishes to not take her name in vain.

The Headflaps bring an element of dignity that is badly needed.

Or we can call her Lotta.

I didn't know how much I wanted this until I read it.

Indeed.

I also cast my vote for Ms. Celerie. Also, why is she wearing half a pair of chaps over a swimsuit? Oh right, JRPG. Practical outfits not permitted. Carry on.

Another vote for this combo.

Also what good does a shield do strapped to one's bicep?

Hahaha Celerie that's a good one. Let's go with that!

Green afro. I have no suggestions for name. I wish I could remember what I named my heroine when I played this game but that was a long, long time ago (but not in a galaxy far away).

About as much good as one you hold away from your body while swinging your sword.

Yeah, I think this is the clear path to take.

I never played any of the Dragon Warrior/Quest games except for IX, but I remember reading about this one in Nintendo Power way back in the day and thinking the way the game was set up was pretty cool.

Yes.

I'm looking forward to seeing how the original compares to the DS remake since I only ever played that version.

Since everyone always votes for the female hero, I'm going to vote for the male hero, who shall be called Tristan.

Fuck yes . brick, we love the same rpgs. Why did we ever fight?

My boyfriend and I started playing through the Dragon Quest series for the first time, and, coincidentally, we're currently on IV (chapter 5). Looking forward to this LP.

popcorn dot gif

I've been replaying the DS version. Remember to return to Torneko's wife with uneaten lunch so we can all feel collectively guilty.

Hey, asymmetrical outfits are the style of choice for the fashion-conscious Akira Toriyama female.

I love the giant headbands - always puts me in the mood for Harder Better Faster Stronger. Not sure about that single blue dishwashing glove, though.

I hate hate hate girlie's one sleeve, one pant, and one glove so I'm voting for fishflaps.

Why does she have two boots?!?

For the record? Other official art reveals that those fish-flaps are supposed to resemble dragon wings. Yeah.

Typically footwear is worn in pairs. Now, why she only has one glove when she has a two-handed grip is anyone's guess.

It's so perfect. I, I think I may cry...