Dragon Warrior

On this page

How it plays
Development
North American release
Across the series
Related
Mechanics
References
Sources

Dragon Quest is a role-playing game by Enix for the Famicom, released in Japan in May 1986 and scheduled for the 27th¹. Nintendo calls it the first game of the series². It came to North America on the NES as Dragon Warrior, which Nintendo of America’s list of NES games dates to August 1989^3,4. The player is a descendant of the legendary Erdrick, sent to defeat the Dragonlord, who has stolen the balls of light and plunged the land of Alefgard into darkness⁵. Each battle pits the hero against one monster, and the two take turns⁶.

Famicom Tsushin credited the scenario to Yuji Horii, the character design to Akira Toriyama, the music to Koichi Sugiyama, and the programming to Koichi Nakamura⁷, whom Nintendo names as Chunsoft’s head⁸. Horii had been hooked on Wizardry and Ultima but found them hard to get into, and he built Dragon Quest to make a role-playing game easy to grasp⁹.

Famicom Tsushin’s readers voted it the most popular game of 1986, far ahead of the rest¹⁰. Square Enix’s series table, as Oricon printed it in 2009, gives the Famicom original 1.5 million shipped (Famicom, no as-of date)^11,11. Nintendo Power introduced Dragon Warrior as “a new and different direction for NES games”¹². In 1UP’s account, few North Americans bought it, and most owners got it free with a subscription to the magazine¹³. Satoru Iwata, who said he localized it for Nintendo¹⁴, said many people first understood what a role-playing game was through Dragon Quest¹⁵. Nintendo says it became a byword for the role-playing game on home consoles², and 1UP’s Bob Mackey called it the foundation on which all later Japanese RPGs would build¹⁶.

#How it plays

nmikstas’s commented disassembly makes the NES release’s battle code readable, and Ryan8bit’s guide “Dragon Warrior (NES) Formulas” works out the same formulas.

#Fighting

The hero’s attack power is Strength plus the weapon’s bonus, and his defense power is half his Agility plus the armor’s and shield’s bonuses¹⁷. A hit deals $⌊ X / 4 ⌋$ to $⌊ X / 2 ⌋$ , where $X = A - ⌊ D / 2 ⌋$ ¹⁸, for attack power $A$ and the monster’s defense $D$ : a quarter to a half of what his attack beats half the defense by¹⁸. A monster that outclasses him takes 0 or 1¹⁹, and a 0 counts as a miss²⁰. With attack power 60 against a defense of 40, each hit deals 10–20²¹, every amount below 20 about equally often²¹.

One swing in 32 is an “excellent move”, which ignores defense and deals more than half of the attack power, up to all of it²². Neither form of the Dragonlord can be hit that way²². An awake monster can dodge any blow, an excellent move included²³. Most monsters dodge one or two attacks in 64, and the Demon Knight 15²⁴.

A monster whose attack outclasses the hero’s defense power hits the same way. Once his defense is high enough, its blows shrink to between 0 and about a sixth of its attack²⁵. A monster with attack 90 against defense power 60 deals 15–30²⁶, and one with attack 20 against 40 deals 0–4²⁶. Monsters never land an excellent move, and the hero never dodges, so only a 0 misses him²⁷. Each monster starts a fight with its base HP less up to a quarter²⁸.

#Spells

The hero’s Hurt and Hurtmore deal Hurt 5–12, Hurtmore 58–65²⁹ whatever the stats on either side, unless the monster resists them²⁹. No monster can dodge a spell²³. Monsters’ own Hurt and Hurtmore hit for less, and Magic Armor or Erdrick’s Armor cuts them to about two thirds³⁰.

#Turns and running

The hero’s Agility against the monster’s defense, each times a roll, decides who acts first³¹. Running away uses the same test, but the monster’s roll grows in four steps for later monsters, 0–63 · 0–94 · 0–127 · 0–255^32,32. With Agility 40 against a defense of 40, the hero escapes 87.70% · 81.64% · 75.20% · 50.20%³³ of the time from the four groups³³. A failed run hands the monster its turn³⁴, and running from a sleeping monster always works³². A monster runs too, 1 time in 4, once half the hero’s Strength reaches its attack³⁵.

#Encounters

Monsters attack at random as the hero walks, and the ground sets the chance of a fight at each step, 1/8 · 1/16 · 1/32 or 1/16^36,36. Sand and hills bring them most often, then swamp, forest, and brick, and other ground least³⁶. Around Tantegel Castle only half of those fights happen, and a quarter on hills³⁷.

#Randomness

Battle rolls come from one generator, stepping a 16-bit state as $s \leftarrow 771 s + 129 (\mod 2^{16})$ ^38,38. Reading the controller steps it too³⁹. Its states fall into two cycles of 32,768⁴⁰, and over each one every roll comes up equally often⁴⁰.

#Saving

The Famicom original saves by password: before stopping, the player visits the King and writes down the “revival spell”⁴¹. The NES cartridge has a battery instead and holds three adventures, recorded by visiting King Lorik⁴². It writes each one ten times over with a check value, so a damaged copy is skipped for the next good one^43,44.

#Development

Horii said he packed the essence of a role-playing game into a cartridge that he had been told was too small to hold one⁹. While the game was in development he wrote about what role-playing games are in his Famicom column in Weekly Shōnen Jump, hoping readers would become “teachers” for their friends⁴⁵. Famicom Tsushin said the team took about a year⁷.

In February 1987 Horii called it an orthodox, command-based RPG with no action, and said he had worried whether it would catch on⁴⁶. He called it an introduction made to be easy to understand, and its sequel far more full-fledged⁴⁶. Nakamura said the part he liked best was the multi-window display, a first on the Famicom as he put it⁴⁷.

#North American release

In February 1988 the newsletter Computer Entertainer reported that Nintendo had taken Dragon Warrior off its lineup for the first half of the year⁴⁸. Satoru Iwata, then at HAL Laboratory, said he did the localization for Nintendo, taking over the program from Nakamura, who was too busy with Dragon Quest III¹⁴. A rights problem kept the series’ name off North American releases, and the games were sold as Dragon Warrior until Dragon Quest VIII⁴⁹. A footnote to Nintendo’s 2009 Iwata Asks interview gives May 1989, against the August of Nintendo of America’s list³.

The title screen reads ”© 1989 ENIX” and “LICENSED TO NINTENDO”⁵⁰. The cartridge’s Rev 1 changes three bytes of text and no code, one of them turning the title screen’s “TRADEMARK TO NINTENDO” into “TRADEMARK OF NINTENDO”⁵¹.

#Across the series

Dragon Warrior II halves the critical chance to 1 in 64, sorts each round by Agility plus a roll in place of strict turns, and stops weighing the hero’s Agility when the party runs⁵².

Enix put Dragon Quest and its sequel on one Super Famicom cartridge, with battery backup, which Famitsu listed for release in Japan on 18 December 1993⁵³. Famitsu said the pair kept the Famicom version’s feel while being easier and more convenient to play⁵³. Famitsu listed a Game Boy Dragon Quest I & II for release in Japan on 23 September 1999⁵⁴. In February 2004 Famitsu announced the game’s distribution to NTT DoCoMo’s FOMA 900i phones from 1 March, its story and system unchanged and its graphics and sound renewed⁵⁵.

Mechanics

Mechanic	Kind	How
Damage formula	Attack minus defense	a hit deals a quarter to a half of what the attack beats half the defense by, so a monster that outclasses the hero shrugs off his blows
Critical hit	Fixed	one of the hero's swings in 32 is an "excellent move" that ignores defense, and monsters never land one
Hit chance	Dodge only	most monsters dodge one or two of the hero's attacks in 64, a few far more, and the hero never dodges
Turn order	Alternating	a quick hero usually strikes first, and then hero and monster take turns
Fleeing	Stat against stat	Agility helps the hero run, later monsters are harder to escape, and a sleeping one can always be left behind
Random encounter	By terrain	fights come most often on sand and hills and least on open ground
Random number generator	Formula	battle rolls come from one generator, and reading the controller stirs it too
Password and battery save	Battery save with copies	the Famicom original gives a password to write down; the NES cartridge keeps three adventures, each written ten times over

Every claim about this game, by concept (64)

general	Family Computer Magazine of 6 June 1986 gives 27 May 1986 as Dragon Quest's scheduled Famicom release date in Japan, at 5,500 yen, and a footnote to Nintendo's 2009 Iwata Asks interview says it was released in May 1986.	Magazine
	Nintendo of America's list of NES games dates Dragon Warrior's North American release to August 1989, with Nintendo as licensee.	Publisher
	In February 1988 the newsletter Computer Entertainer reported that Nintendo had removed Dragon Warrior from its NES lineup for the first half of 1988, and that it didn't know if or when the game would come out.	Magazine
	Nintendo says the series came out in North America as Dragon Warrior at first because of a rights problem, and kept that name until Dragon Quest VIII.	Interview
	Nintendo calls Dragon Quest the first game of its series, and says it became a byword for the role-playing game on home consoles.	Interview
	In the NES manual's story, the Dragonlord has stolen the balls of light from Tantegel Castle and plunged Alefgard into darkness, and the player is the descendant of the hero Erdrick, sent to find and defeat him.	Manual
	The Famicom original saves by password, the "revival spell", which the King gives the player to write down before stopping.	Manual
	The North American release saves to a battery in the cartridge, holding up to three games as Adventure Logs, recorded by visiting King Lorik in Tantegel Castle.	Manual
	Famicom Tsushin credited the scenario to Yuji Horii, the character design to Akira Toriyama, the music to Koichi Sugiyama, and the programming to Koichi Nakamura, with Enix as the company, and said the team took about a year to make it.	Magazine
	Nintendo's 2009 interview names Koichi Nakamura as the programmer, involved through Dragon Quest IV, and as head of Chunsoft.	Interview
	Yuji Horii said he had been hooked on Wizardry and Ultima but found them hard to get into, so he built Dragon Quest with devices to make an RPG's appeal easy to grasp, and packed the essence into a cartridge too small, he was told, to hold an RPG at all.	Interview
	Horii said that while developing the game he wrote about what RPGs are in his Famicom column in Weekly Shōnen Jump, hoping readers would become "teachers" who showed their friends.	Interview
	In February 1987 Horii called Dragon Quest an orthodox command-based RPG with no action, said he had worried whether it would catch on, and called it an introduction made easy to understand, with Dragon Quest II far more full-fledged.	Magazine
	Koichi Nakamura said the part he liked best was the multi-window display, a first on the Famicom as he put it.	Magazine
	Famicom Tsushin's readers voted Dragon Quest the grand prize of its 1986 Best Hit Game Awards by a wide margin, first in their annual top 20 with 10,999 points against 5,964 for Gradius in second.	Magazine
	Nintendo Power's May/June 1989 issue introduced Dragon Warrior as the beginning of "a new and different direction for NES games", and said that in Japan it had launched three sequels and was unmatched in popularity.	Magazine
	Bob Mackey wrote for 1UP in 2007 that few people bought Dragon Warrior in North America, and that most owners got it free with a subscription to Nintendo Power.	Web
	In 2009 Oricon reported Square Enix's published series table, which gives the Famicom original's shipments as 1.5 million copies, with no as-of date.	Web
	Satoru Iwata said that, while at HAL Laboratory, he localized Dragon Warrior for Nintendo, taking over the program from Koichi Nakamura, who was too busy with Dragon Quest III.	Interview
	Iwata said Dragon Quest brought about a huge expansion of the game audience, and that many people first understood what a role-playing game was through it.	Interview
	Mackey called Dragon Warrior America's first introduction to the Japanese console RPG, and Dragon Quest the foundation on which all later Japanese RPGs would build.	Web
	Famitsu's issue of 17 December 1993 listed Enix's Super Famicom Dragon Quest I & II, the first two games on one cartridge with battery backup, for release in Japan on 18 December 1993; it called the pair the series' origin and said they kept the Famicom version's feel while being easier and more convenient to play.	Magazine
	In August 1999 Famitsu listed Enix's Game Boy Dragon Quest I & II for release in Japan on 23 September 1999.	Magazine
	Famitsu announced in February 2004 that Dragon Quest would be distributed from 1 March 2004 to NTT DoCoMo's FOMA 900i phones, with its story and system unchanged and its graphics and sound renewed.	Web
	Dragon Quest (developer Chunsoft, publisher Enix) came out for the Famicom in Japan on 27 May 1986, and Dragon Warrior for the NES in North America in August 1989.	Wikidata
	Dragon Warrior's title screen reads "©1989 ENIX" and "LICENSED TO NINTENDO", by the disassembly's comments on the strings' tiles.	Code notes
	Rev 1 differs from the build of nmikstas's disassembly in three bytes of text and none of code; on its title screen "TRADEMARK TO NINTENDO" becomes "TRADEMARK OF NINTENDO".	Code
Critical hit	Before the normal formula, a 1-in-32 roll gives the hero an "excellent move", except against either form of the Dragonlord; it deals $A - ⌊ r ⌊ A / 2 ⌋ / 256 ⌋$ for a random byte $r$ , from $⌈ A / 2 ⌉ + 1$ to $A$ (more than half to all of the attack power), and ignores defense.	Code
Critical hit	A monster's physical attack has no critical branch and no dodge roll for the hero; `EnPhysAttack` goes straight to `EnCalcHitDmg`, and only 0 damage misses.	Code
Damage formula	The hero's attack power is Strength plus the weapon's bonus; defense power is half of Agility, rounded down, plus the armor's and shield's bonuses, plus 2 with the Dragon's Scale.	Code
	`PlyrCalcHitDmg` takes $X = A - ⌊ D / 2 ⌋$ , the hero's attack power less half the monster's defense byte; if $X \geq 2$ , damage is $⌊ (X + ⌊ r (X + 1) / 256 ⌋) / 4 ⌋$ for a random byte $r$ , so from $⌊ X / 4 ⌋$ to $⌊ X / 2 ⌋$ .	Code
	When $X < 2$ , the hero deals 0 or 1 damage, each half the time.	Code
	`EnCalcHitDmg` takes $X = A - ⌊ D / 2 ⌋$ , the monster's attack less half the hero's defense power; if $X \geq ⌊ A / 2 ⌋ + 1$ , it uses the hero's normal formula, and otherwise the monster deals $⌊ (⌊ r (⌊ A / 2 ⌋ + 1) / 256 ⌋ + 2) / 3 ⌋$ , from 0 to about $A / 6$ .	Code
	A monster's HP is its base value less up to a quarter, $H - ⌊ ⌊ r H / 256 ⌋ / 4 ⌋$ ; the Dragonlord's final form always has its base HP.	Code
	The hero's Hurt deals 5–12 damage and Hurtmore 58–65, whatever the stats on either side; a roll of 0–15 below the high nibble of the monster's resistance byte blocks the spell instead.	Code
	A monster's Hurt deals 3–10 damage and Hurtmore 30–45; Magic Armor or Erdrick's Armor cuts either to $2 ⌊ d / 3 ⌋$ .	Code
	Measured in the ROM over all 65,536 generator states, attack power 60 against a defense byte of 40 deals 10–20 damage, each of 10 to 19 in 25 of 256 rolls and 20 in 6; attack power 20 deals 0 or 1, half each.	Verified
	Measured the same way, a monster's attack of 90 against defense power 60 deals 15–30 damage, and an attack of 20 against defense power 40 deals 0–4, mostly 1–3.	Verified
Fleeing	`TryRun` lets the hero escape when Agility × a random byte is at least the monster's defense byte × a roll whose range grows with the monster: 0–63 from Slime to Druinlord, 0–94 from Drollmagi to Werewolf, 0–127 from Green Dragon to Blue Dragon, and 0–255 from Stoneman on. Running from a sleeping monster always works.	Code
	Measured in the ROM over all 65,536 generator states, with Agility 40 against a defense byte of 40, the hero escapes 87.70% of the time from the first group, 81.64% from the second, 75.20% from the third, and 50.20% from the fourth; the hero takes the first turn 87.70% of the time.	Verified
	At the start of a battle and before each monster turn, `CheckEnRun` gives the monster a 1-in-4 chance to flee when half the hero's Strength is at least the monster's attack.	Code
	A failed run prints "But was blocked in front" and passes the turn to the monster.	Code
	The NES manual advises running away when the hero's HP is close to 0, calling it “a very important ‘fighting’ technique”.	Manual
	The NES manual says Agility helps the hero escape: "This means that you can more easily avoid the enemy or run away."	Manual
Hit chance	Zero damage from the hero ends the turn as a failed attack, before any dodge check.	Code
	After the damage is set, an awake monster dodges when a roll of 0–63 falls below $d$ , the low nibble of its resistance byte, a chance of $d / 64$ ; a sleeping monster never dodges, and spells skip the check.	Code
	The dodge nibble $d$ of the 40 monsters (each dodges $d / 64$ of the hero's attacks, dodge) is 1 or 2 for 27 of them; the Demon Knight's is 15, the Werewolf's 7, the Poltergeist's and Drakeema's 6, six monsters' 4, and the Golem's and both Dragonlord forms' 0.	Code
	The high nibble $h$ of the same byte blocks Hurt and Hurtmore $h / 16$ of the time (hero-spells); it is 0 for 26 of the 40 monsters and 15 for seven, the Metal Slime, Golem, Demon Knight, Wizard, Red Dragon, and both Dragonlord forms.	Code
	Each fight picks one of its zone's five monster slots with equal chance; zone 0, around Tantegel Castle, holds three Slime slots and two Red Slime slots, and zone 1 adds a Drakee, all with dodge 1.	Code
	The Demon Knight, the hardest monster to hit at 15/64, fills one of the five slots in overworld zones 10, 11, and 12; the Werewolf, at 7/64, fills one in zone 12 and in zone 13, which Hauksness also uses, and one on the Dragonlord's castle ground floor.	Code
	The Dragonlord's castle's six sublevels draw from three rows, Werewolf, Green Dragon, Starwyvern, Wizard, and Axe Knight on the first; Wizard, Axe Knight, two Blue Dragons, and Stoneman on the next three; and Wizard, Stoneman, two Armored Knights, and Red Dragon on the last two and the bottom floor. Apart from the Werewolf's 7, their dodge nibbles are 1 or 2.	Code
Password and battery save	Dragon Warrior saves the hero as a 32-byte record in battery-backed cartridge RAM; bytes 0-1 hold experience, 2-3 gold, 4-7 the inventory, 8 the magic keys (capped at 6), 9 the herbs, 10 the equipment, 11-13 spell, player, and story flags, 14-21 the name, 22 the message speed, 23 HP, 24 MP, 25 whether HP and MP are refilled at the start, 26-29 the filler byte $C8, and 30-31 a check value.	Code
	Dragon Warrior's check value is a 16-bit CRC of the record's first 30 bytes, read from byte 29 down to byte 0, one bit at a time from the top, with the polynomial $1021 and both bytes seeded with $1D.	Code
	Dragon Warrior writes each save 10 times, one record after another, into its slot's 320 bytes; loading checks the copies in order, counts each one whose CRC fails, loads the first that passes, and rewrites all 10 from it, and if none passes the game marks the slot invalid (clearing its valid flag and mask bit, not its data) and says no deeds were recorded.	Code
	Dragon Warrior marks its battery RAM as initialized with the 10 ASCII bytes KEN MASUTA, written both before and after the three save slots; before showing the saved games it checks the copy after the slots and then the one before, and only if neither matches does it erase all three slots, then rewrites both copies.	Code
Random encounter	Each step on the map draws a byte and starts a fight when its masked bits are all 0: 1 in 8 on sand and hills, 1 in 16 in swamp, forest, brick, and barrier squares, and on other terrain 1 in 32 where the X and Y coordinates are both even or both odd, 1 in 16 elsewhere.	Code
	On the overworld's zone 0, the slime-only region around Tantegel Castle, a second byte lets only half of those fights through, and a quarter on hills.	Code
	The NES manual describes encounters as meeting a monster on the map: "If you happen to bump into one of them, the game will automatically enter the fight mode."	Manual
	The NES manual's terrain guide says fewer monsters live on plains, more lurk in forests, and mountains bring "many enemies".	Manual
Random number generator	`UpdateRandNum` steps a 16-bit state as $s \leftarrow 771 s + 129 (\mod 65536)$ , and battle code reads its high byte, `RandNumUB`.	Code
	`GetJoypadStatus` steps the generator each time it reads the controller.	Code
	Computed from the generator's update, its 65,536 states form two cycles of 32,768, and over each cycle the high byte takes every value exactly 128 times.	Code
Turn order	At the start of a battle, `CalcWhoIsNext` gives the hero the first turn when Agility × a random byte is at least the monster's defense byte × a roll of 0–63; otherwise the monster attacks first.	Code
Turn order	After the first turn, the hero and the monster alternate; each of the hero's actions ends by jumping to `StartEnemyTurn`, and each of the monster's to `StartPlayerTurn`.	Code

References

^Family Computer Magazine of 6 June 1986 gives 27 May 1986 as Dragon Quest's scheduled Famicom release date in Japan, at 5,500 yen, and a footnote to Nintendo's 2009 Iwata Asks interview says it was released in May 1986.MagazineFamicom Magazine 13 · Iwata Asks, Dragon Quest IX vol. 1revised
How we know
ドラゴンクエスト』エニックス 5月27日 5500円
p. 114, new-release calendar, May 1986 · archived copy ↗
１９８６年５月に発売され
footnote 1 · archived copy ↗
The quote matches our archived copy.
Revised after a check by a second AI model, 2026-10-23.
In the claim ledger
^ a bNintendo calls Dragon Quest the first game of its series, and says it became a byword for the role-playing game on home consoles.InterviewIwata Asks, Dragon Quest IX vol. 1
How we know
シリーズ第１作目のファミコン用ソフト … 家庭用ゲーム機におけるロールプレイングゲームの代名詞ともなった
footnote 1 · archived copy ↗
The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-23.
In the claim ledger
^ a bNintendo of America's list of NES games dates Dragon Warrior's North American release to August 1989, with Nintendo as licensee.PublisherNintendo, NES Games
How we know
Dragon Warrior Nintendo August 1989
PDF p. 8 · archived copy ↗
The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-23.
In the claim ledger
^Dragon Quest (developer Chunsoft, publisher Enix) came out for the Famicom in Japan on 27 May 1986, and Dragon Warrior for the NES in North America in August 1989.WikidataWikidata
How we know
+1986-05-27T00:00:00Z … +1989-08-00T00:00:00Z
Q2313869, P178 developer, P123 publisher, and P577 publication date qualified by P291 place and P400 platform · archived copy ↗
The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
In the claim ledger
^In the NES manual's story, the Dragonlord has stolen the balls of light from Tantegel Castle and plunged Alefgard into darkness, and the player is the descendant of the hero Erdrick, sent to find and defeat him.ManualDragon Warrior NES manual
How we know
the balls of light were stolen from Tantagel Castle by the evil Dragonlord … a descendent of the valiant Erdrick shall come forth to defeat the Dragonlord. … Your quest is to find and to defeat the evil Dragonlord.
PDF pp. 3-4, The Story of Dragon Warrior · archived copy ↗
The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-23.
In the claim ledger
^After the first turn, the hero and the monster alternate; each of the hero's actions ends by jumping to StartEnemyTurn, and each of the monster's to StartPlayerTurn.Codenmikstas/dragon-warrior-disassembly
How we know
```
6804LE68D:  JSR DoDialogHiBlock     ;($C7C5)It is dodging!...
6805LE690:  .byte $0A               ;TextBlock17, entry 10.
⋮
6807LE691:  JMP StartEnemyTurn      ;($EB1B)It's the enemy's turn to attack.
```
source_files/Bank03.asm lines 6803–6807 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
```
7774LEBE2:  JSR DoDialogLoBlock     ;($C7CB)A miss! no damage hath been scored...
7775LEBE5:  .byte $FB               ;TextBlock16, entry 11.
⋮
7777LEBE6:  JMP StartPlayerTurn     ;($E5CE)It's the player's turn to attack.
```
source_files/Bank03.asm lines 7772–7777 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-20.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
In the claim ledger
^ a bFamicom Tsushin credited the scenario to Yuji Horii, the character design to Akira Toriyama, the music to Koichi Sugiyama, and the programming to Koichi Nakamura, with Enix as the company, and said the team took about a year to make it.MagazineFamitsu 16
How we know
シナリオ／堀井雄二キャラクターデザイン／鳥山明 BGM／すぎやまこういちプログラマー／中村光一 ●株式会社エニックス
p. 4, credit block · archived copy ↗
約1年を費やしてつくられた
p. 4, grand-prize text · archived copy ↗
The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-23.
In the claim ledger
^Nintendo's 2009 interview names Koichi Nakamura as the programmer, involved through Dragon Quest IV, and as head of Chunsoft.InterviewIwata Asks, Dragon Quest IX vol. 1
How we know
中村光一さん＝プログラマーとして『ドラクエＩＶ』までの開発に関わる。チュンソフト代表。
footnote 3 · archived copy ↗
The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-23.
In the claim ledger
^ a bYuji Horii said he had been hooked on Wizardry and Ultima but found them hard to get into, so he built Dragon Quest with devices to make an RPG's appeal easy to grasp, and packed the essence into a cartridge too small, he was told, to hold an RPG at all.InterviewIwata Asks, Dragon Quest IX vol. 1
How we know
『ウィザードリィ』（※8）とか『ウルティマ』（※9）とかにね。 … 敷居がすごく高かったんです。 … いろんな仕掛けを入れてつくったのが『ドラクエ』なんですよ。 … 絶対にムリだと言われたんですね。
section 1, Horii · archived copy ↗
The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-23.
In the claim ledger
^Famicom Tsushin's readers voted Dragon Quest the grand prize of its 1986 Best Hit Game Awards by a wide margin, first in their annual top 20 with 10,999 points against 5,964 for Gradius in second.MagazineFamitsu 16
How we know
読者のキミたちから送られてきたアンケートはがきによる人気投票の厳正なる集計結果である
p. 4, introduction · archived copy ↗
他のゲームに圧倒的な差をつけて、みごと大賞の座についたのがこの『ドラゴンクエスト』だ。
p. 4, grand-prize text · archived copy ↗
1 ドラゴンクエストエニックス 10,999
p. 5, annual best 20 · archived copy ↗
The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-23.
In the claim ledger
^ a bIn 2009 Oricon reported Square Enix's published series table, which gives the Famicom original's shipments as 1.5 million copies, with no as-of date.WebOricon, DQIX shipmentsrevised
How we know
『ドラゴンクエストI』（FC）150万本
reference table at the end of the article · archived copy ↗
The quote matches our archived copy.
Revised after a check by a second AI model, 2026-10-23.
In the claim ledger
^Nintendo Power's May/June 1989 issue introduced Dragon Warrior as the beginning of "a new and different direction for NES games", and said that in Japan it had launched three sequels and was unmatched in popularity.MagazineNintendo Power 6
How we know
It marks the beginning of a new and different direction for NES games. … In Japan, this is the game that launched three sequels, and is unmatched in popularity.
p. 52 · archived copy ↗
The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-23.
In the claim ledger
^Bob Mackey wrote for 1UP in 2007 that few people bought Dragon Warrior in North America, and that most owners got it free with a subscription to Nintendo Power.Web1UP, Smart Bombs
How we know
Few people bought it, and most people who owned the game got it for free with a subscription to Nintendo Power.
p. 2, Dragon Warrior · archived copy ↗
The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-23.
In the claim ledger
^ a bSatoru Iwata said that, while at HAL Laboratory, he localized Dragon Warrior for Nintendo, taking over the program from Koichi Nakamura, who was too busy with Dragon Quest III.InterviewIwata Asks, Dragon Quest IX vol. 1
How we know
そのローカライズ、 … 中村さんはローカライズができないほど忙しいと。 … ＨＡＬ研究所にいた
section 1, Iwata · archived copy ↗
The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-23.
In the claim ledger
^Iwata said Dragon Quest brought about a huge expansion of the game audience, and that many people first understood what a role-playing game was through it.InterviewIwata Asks, Dragon Quest IX vol. 1
How we know
巨大なユーザー拡大をしたのは … ロールプレイングなるものを理解した人はすごく多いと思いますし。
section 1, Iwata · archived copy ↗
The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-23.
In the claim ledger
^Mackey called Dragon Warrior America's first introduction to the Japanese console RPG, and Dragon Quest the foundation on which all later Japanese RPGs would build.Web1UP, Smart Bombs
How we know
it was the first introduction America had to the Japanese console RPG, and Dragon Quest happens to be the foundation on which all future Japanese RPGs would build
p. 2, Dragon Warrior · archived copy ↗
The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-23.
In the claim ledger
^The hero's attack power is Strength plus the weapon's bonus; defense power is half of Agility, rounded down, plus the armor's and shield's bonuses, plus 2 with the Dragon's Scale.Codenmikstas/dragon-warrior-disassembly
How we know
```
8667LF0D9:  ADC DisplayedStr        ;Add bonus from weapons table to strength attribute.
8668LF0DB:  STA DisplayedAttck      ;
⋮
8671LF0DF:  LSR                     ;Divide agility by 2 and add to defense attribute.
⋮
8702LF107:  ADC #$02                ;Dragon's scale equipped. Add 2 to defense.
```
source_files/Bank03.asm lines 8655–8704 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-20.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
In the claim ledger

^ a bPlyrCalcHitDmg takes

X = A - ⌊ D / 2 ⌋

, the hero's attack power less half the monster's defense byte; if

X \geq 2

, damage is

⌊ (X + ⌊ r (X + 1) / 256 ⌋) / 4 ⌋

for a random byte

r

, so from

⌊ X / 4 ⌋

⌊ X / 2 ⌋

.Codenmikstas/dragon-warrior-disassembly · Ryan8bit, DW Formulas

How we know

6719LE60C:  LDA DisplayedAttck      ;
6720LE60E:  STA AttackStat          ;Save a copy of the player's attack and enemy's defense.
6721LE610:  LDA EnBaseDef           ;
6722LE613:  STA DefenseStat         ;

source_files/Bank03.asm lines 6719–6722 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗

8492LEFE5:  LSR DefenseStat         ;
8493LEFE7:  LDA AttackStat          ;
8494LEFE9:  SEC                     ; A = AttackStat - DefenseStat/2. 
8495LEFEA:  SBC DefenseStat         ;
8496LEFEC:  BCC PlyrWeakAttack      ;

source_files/Bank03.asm lines 8491–8500 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗

8543LF032:  STA MultNum2LB          ;A = A+1.
8544LF034:  INC MultNum2LB          ;
⋮
8554LF046:  LDA MultRsltUB          ;A = (A/256 + BaseAttack) / 4.
8555LF048:  CLC                     ;
8556LF049:  ADC BaseAttack          ;
8557LF04B:  ROR                     ;Total equation for normal attack damage:

source_files/Bank03.asm lines 8541–8560 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗

(HeroAttack - EnemyAgility / 2) / 4,

II.B, Hero attack formulas · archived copy ↗

Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-20.

Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.

In the claim ledger

^When $X < 2$ , the hero deals 0 or 1 damage, each half the time.Codenmikstas/dragon-warrior-disassembly
How we know
```
8537LF02B:  AND #$01                ;Player is too weak to fight this enemy. 50% chance 
8538LF02D:  STA CalcDamage          ;of doing 1 point of damage or 50% chance of missing.
```
source_files/Bank03.asm lines 8533–8539 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-20.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
In the claim ledger
^Zero damage from the hero ends the turn as a failed attack, before any dodge check.Codenmikstas/dragon-warrior-disassembly
How we know
```
6762LE651:  JSR PlyrCalcHitDmg      ;($EFE5)Calculate the damage player will do to the enemy.
6763LE654:  LDA CalcDamage          ;Did player do damage to the enemy?
6764LE656:  BNE SetEnDmg1           ;If so, branch.
```
source_files/Bank03.asm lines 6761–6773 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-20.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
In the claim ledger
^ a bMeasured in the ROM over all 65,536 generator states, attack power 60 against a defense byte of 40 deals 10–20 damage, each of 10 to 19 in 25 of 256 rolls and 20 in 6; attack power 20 deals 0 or 1, half each.Verified“Dragon Warrior (USA) (Rev 1)” · nmikstas/dragon-warrior-disassembly
How we know
In the cartridge (“Dragon Warrior (USA) (Rev 1)”): bank 3 $EFE5-$F04F, PlyrCalcHitDmg through NormalAttack. We don't reproduce the bytes.
LSR DefenseStat LDA AttackStat SEC SBC DefenseStat BCC PlyrWeakAttack … AND #$01 STA CalcDamage … ADC BaseAttack ROR LSR …
source_files/Bank03.asm#L8491-L8560 · upstream ↗
Measured by a script in MesenCE 2.2.1 (build 4b8a196), on Dragon Warrior (USA) (Rev 1) (SHA-1 66809063b828…). It fails if the result disagrees with the claim.
The numbers come from the run; its author, an AI model, checked the script measures what the claim says, 2026-10-25.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-25.
In the claim ledger
^ a bBefore the normal formula, a 1-in-32 roll gives the hero an "excellent move", except against either form of the Dragonlord; it deals $A - ⌊ r ⌊ A / 2 ⌋ / 256 ⌋$ for a random byte $r$ , from $⌈ A / 2 ⌉ + 1$ to $A$ (more than half to all of the attack power), and ignores defense.Codenmikstas/dragon-warrior-disassembly · Ryan8bit, DW Formulasrevised
How we know
```
6725LE617:  CMP #EN_DRAGONLORD1     ;
⋮
6729LE61D:  BEQ ChkPlyrMiss         ;If so, branch. no excellent moves permitted.
⋮
6733LE624:  AND #$1F                ;Did player get an excellent move(1/32 chance)?
⋮
6748LE63B:  LDA DisplayedAttck      ;
6749LE63D:  LSR                     ;A = DisplayedAttack/2 * rnd(255).
⋮
6757LE64B:  SEC                     ;Damage=DisplayedAttack-(DisplayedAttack/2 * rnd(255))/256.
6758LE64C:  SBC MultRsltUB          ;
```
source_files/Bank03.asm lines 6724–6759 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
Excellent moves have a 1/32 chance of happening per attack
II.B, Hero attack formulas · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-20.
Revised after a check by a second AI model, 2026-10-21: The smallest excellent move was given as ⌈A/2⌉; the code gives ⌈A/2⌉ + 1.
In the claim ledger

^ a bAfter the damage is set, an awake monster dodges when a roll of 0–63 falls below

d

, the low nibble of its resistance byte, a chance of

d / 64

; a sleeping monster never dodges, and spells skip the check.Codenmikstas/dragon-warrior-disassembly · Ryan8bit, DW Formulas

How we know

6780LE66A:  BIT PlayerFlags         ;Is the enemy asleep?
6781LE66C:  BVS PlyrHitEn           ;If so, branch. Enemy can't dodge.
⋮
6786LE673:  AND #$3F                ;Get a random number and keep lower 6 bits(0-63).
⋮
6789LE677:  LDA EnBaseMDef          ;Does enemy have magic defense?
6790LE67A:  AND #$0F                ;
6791LE67C:  BEQ PlyrHitEn           ;If not, branch. Enemy can't dodge.
⋮
6795LE681:  CMP RandNumUB           ;

source_files/Bank03.asm lines 6775–6796 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗

6809SetSpellDmg:
6810LE694:  STA EnDamage            ;
6811LE696:  LDA #$00                ;Set the damage the player will do. Enemy can't dodge spells.
⋮
6814PlyrHitEn:

source_files/Bank03.asm lines 6809–6814 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗

The second nibble / 64 is the chance of dodging

III.C, Combat · archived copy ↗

Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-20.

Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.

In the claim ledger

^The dodge nibble $d$ of the 40 monsters (each dodges $d / 64$ of the hero's attacks, dodge) is 1 or 2 for 27 of them; the Demon Knight's is 15, the Werewolf's 7, the Poltergeist's and Drakeema's 6, six monsters' 4, and the Golem's and both Dragonlord forms' 0.Codenmikstas/dragon-warrior-disassembly · Ryan8bit, DW Formulas
How we know
```
4432;Mdef - Enemy's magical defense.
⋮
4439EnStatTbl:
4440;Enemy $00-Slime.
4441;             Att  Def   HP  Spel Agi  Mdef Exp  Gld   |--------------Unused--------------|
4442L9E4B:  .byte $05, $03, $03, $00, $0F, $01, $01, $02, $69, $40, $4A, $4D, $FA, $FA, $FA, $FA
```
source_files/Bank01.asm lines 4425–4442 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
```
4504;Enemy $10-Metal slime.
⋮
4506L9F4B:  .byte $0A, $FF, $04, $03, $FF, $F1, $73, $06, $3F, $47, $43, $69, $40, $4A, $4D, $FA
```
source_files/Bank01.asm lines 4504–4506 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
```
4552;Enemy $1C-Demon Knight.
⋮
4554LA00B:  .byte $4F, $40, $32, $00, $FF, $FF, $25, $96, $0F, $12, $F8, $22, $10, $15, $FA, $FA
```
source_files/Bank01.asm lines 4552–4554 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
```
3873L9975:* LDA (GenPtr3C),Y        ;Use the general pointer to load the enemy data.
3874L9977:  STA EnBaseAtt,Y         ;
```
source_files/Bank01.asm lines 3873–3874 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
```
550.alias EnBaseAtt        $0100   ;Enemy base attack attibute.
⋮
573.alias EnBaseMDef       $0105   ;Enemy base magic defense.
```
source_files/Dragon_Warrior_Defines.asm lines 550–573 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
Dodge is the chance that the enemy will dodge any physical attack.
II.B, Combat, monster list (#28 Demon Knight) · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-21.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
In the claim ledger
^EnCalcHitDmg takes $X = A - ⌊ D / 2 ⌋$ , the monster's attack less half the hero's defense power; if $X \geq ⌊ A / 2 ⌋ + 1$ , it uses the hero's normal formula, and otherwise the monster deals $⌊ (⌊ r (⌊ A / 2 ⌋ + 1) / 256 ⌋ + 2) / 3 ⌋$ , from 0 to about $A / 6$ .Codenmikstas/dragon-warrior-disassembly · Ryan8bit, DW Formulas
How we know
```
7761LEBCD:  LDA EnBaseAtt           ;Make a copy of enemy's attack stat.
7762LEBD0:  STA AttackStat          ;
7763LEBD2:  LDA DisplayedDefns      ;Make a copy of player's defense stat.
7764LEBD4:  STA DefenseStat         ;
```
source_files/Bank03.asm lines 7761–7765 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
```
8503LEFF4:  LSR DefenseStat         ;
8504LEFF6:  LDA AttackStat          ;
8505LEFF8:  LSR                     ;A = AttackStat - DefenseStat/2.
8506LEFF9:  STA MultNum2LB          ;
8507LEFFB:  INC MultNum2LB          ;
⋮
8513LF004:  CMP MultNum2LB          ;Is enemy AttackStat more than 2X player DefenseStat?
8514LF006:  BCS NormalAttack        ;If so, branch to do normal attack damage.
⋮
8527LF01B:  ADC #$02                ;
```
source_files/Bank03.asm lines 8502–8531 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
So the end result is floor(((((EnemyStrength >> 1 + 1) * RAND) >> 8) + 2) / 3).
III.C, Combat · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-20.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
In the claim ledger
^ a bMeasured the same way, a monster's attack of 90 against defense power 60 deals 15–30 damage, and an attack of 20 against defense power 40 deals 0–4, mostly 1–3.Verified“Dragon Warrior (USA) (Rev 1)” · nmikstas/dragon-warrior-disassemblyrevised
How we know
In the cartridge (“Dragon Warrior (USA) (Rev 1)”): bank 3 $EFF4-$F04F, EnCalcHitDmg through NormalAttack. We don't reproduce the bytes.
LSR DefenseStat LDA AttackStat LSR STA MultNum2LB INC MultNum2LB … CMP MultNum2LB BCS NormalAttack … LDA MultRsltUB CLC ADC #$02 …
source_files/Bank03.asm#L8502-L8560 · upstream ↗
Measured by a script in MesenCE 2.2.1 (build 4b8a196), on Dragon Warrior (USA) (Rev 1) (SHA-1 66809063b828…). It fails if the result disagrees with the claim.
The numbers come from the run; its author, an AI model, checked the script measures what the claim says, 2026-10-25.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
Revised after a check by a second AI model, 2026-10-25.
In the claim ledger
^A monster's physical attack has no critical branch and no dodge roll for the hero; EnPhysAttack goes straight to EnCalcHitDmg, and only 0 damage misses.Codenmikstas/dragon-warrior-disassembly
How we know
```
7765LEBD6:  JSR EnCalcHitDmg        ;($EFF4)Calculate enemy hit damage on player.
⋮
7767LEBD9:  LDA CalcDamage          ;Did enemy do damage to the player?
7768LEBDB:  BNE EnHitsPlayer        ;If so, branch to subtract damage from player's HP.
```
source_files/Bank03.asm lines 7751–7774 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-20.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
In the claim ledger
^A monster's HP is its base value less up to a quarter, $H - ⌊ ⌊ r H / 256 ⌋ / 4 ⌋$ ; the Dragonlord's final form always has its base HP.Codenmikstas/dragon-warrior-disassembly
How we know
```
6614LE583:  LDA EnNumber            ;Is this the end boss?
6615LE585:  CMP #EN_DRAGONLORD2     ;
⋮
6631LE599:  LDA EnBaseHP            ;Prepare to multiply enemy HP by random number(0 to 255).
⋮
6643LE5B0:  LSR                     ;Take upper byte of result and divide it by 4.
6644LE5B1:  LSR                     ;
⋮
6649LE5B8:  SBC MultRsltLB          ;
```
source_files/Bank03.asm lines 6614–6652 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-20.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
In the claim ledger

^ a bThe hero's Hurt deals 5–12 damage and Hurtmore 58–65, whatever the stats on either side; a roll of 0–15 below the high nibble of the monster's resistance byte blocks the spell instead.Codenmikstas/dragon-warrior-disassembly

How we know

6927LE73A:  LDA EnBaseMDef          ;
⋮
6933LE741:  JSR ChkSpellFail        ;($E946)Check if the spell will fail or succeed.
⋮
6937LE749:  AND #$07                ;Hurt will do between 5 and 12 damage.
6938LE74B:  CLC                     ;
6939LE74C:  ADC #$05                ;
⋮
6956LE764:  AND #$07                ;Hurtmore will do between 58 and 65 damage.
6957LE766:  CLC                     ;
6958LE767:  ADC #$3A                ;

source_files/Bank03.asm lines 6924–6960 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗

7311LE94D:  AND #$0F                ;
⋮
7313LE94F:  CMP GenByte3E           ;Is the spell test byte greater than the random number?
7314LE951:  BCC SpellFailed         ;If so, branch. The spell failed.

source_files/Bank03.asm lines 7306–7316 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗

Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-20.

Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.

In the claim ledger

^A monster's Hurt deals 3–10 damage and Hurtmore 30–45; Magic Armor or Erdrick's Armor cuts either to

2 ⌊ d / 3 ⌋

.Codenmikstas/dragon-warrior-disassembly

How we know

7828LEC2F:  AND #$07                ;Keep 3 bits of random number(0-7).
7829LEC31:  CLC                     ;
⋮
7840LEC3E:  CMP #AR_MAGIC_ARMR      ;Does player have magic armor?
⋮
7851LEC4F:  ASL                     ;Multiply player damage by 2. Result is 2/3 damage.
⋮
7864LEC61:  AND #$0F                ;
7865LEC63:  CLC                     ;Add 30.

source_files/Bank03.asm lines 7821–7867 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗

Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-20.

Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.

In the claim ledger

^At the start of a battle, CalcWhoIsNext gives the hero the first turn when Agility × a random byte is at least the monster's defense byte × a roll of 0–63; otherwise the monster attacks first.Codenmikstas/dragon-warrior-disassembly
How we know
```
6655LE5BF:  JSR CalcWhoIsNext       ;($EEC0)Randomly calculate who attacks next.
⋮
6657LE5C2:  BCS StartPlayerTurn     ;($E5CE)It's the player's turn to attack.
```
source_files/Bank03.asm lines 6654–6663 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
```
8293LEEC5:  AND #$3F                ;Keep only lower 6 bits(0-63).
⋮
8297LEEC9:  LDA EnBaseDef           ;
⋮
8313LEEE6:  LDA DisplayedAgi        ;
⋮
8321LEEF5:  SEC                     ;Subtract the enemy's defense*rnd from player's agility*rnd. 
```
source_files/Bank03.asm lines 8290–8325 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-20.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
In the claim ledger
^ a b cTryRun lets the hero escape when Agility × a random byte is at least the monster's defense byte × a roll whose range grows with the monster: 0–63 from Slime to Druinlord, 0–94 from Drollmagi to Werewolf, 0–127 from Green Dragon to Blue Dragon, and 0–255 from Stoneman on. Running from a sleeping monster always works.Codenmikstas/dragon-warrior-disassembly · Ryan8bit, DW Formulas
How we know
```
7191LE894:  BIT PlayerFlags         ;Is the enemy asleep?
7192LE896:  BVS RunSuccessful       ;If so, branch for a successful run.
⋮
7194LE898:  JSR TryRun              ;($EE91)Determine if player can run.
```
source_files/Bank03.asm lines 7191–7195 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
```
8260LEE96:  CMP #EN_STONEMAN        ;Dragonlord 1 or Dragonlord 2?
⋮
8263LEE9A:  LDA RandNumUB           ;Load a random number and keep all the bits(0-255).
⋮
8276LEEAC:  BCC CalcWhoIsNext       ;If not, branch.
⋮
8279LEEB0:  AND #$3F                ;
⋮
8284LEEB9:  AND #$1F                ;previous number to get a range of 0-95.
8285LEEBB:  ADC MultNum2LB          ;
```
source_files/Bank03.asm lines 8256–8293 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
```
970.alias EN_DRUINLORD     $13     ;Druinlord.
971.alias EN_DROLLMAGI     $14     ;Drollmagi.
⋮
981.alias EN_GDRAGON       $1E     ;Green dragon.
⋮
986.alias EN_STONEMAN      $23     ;Stoneman.
```
source_files/Dragon_Warrior_Defines.asm lines 970–986 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
Group 1: #00 (Slime) - #19 (Druinlord)
II.B, Running · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-20.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
In the claim ledger
^ a bMeasured in the ROM over all 65,536 generator states, with Agility 40 against a defense byte of 40, the hero escapes 87.70% of the time from the first group, 81.64% from the second, 75.20% from the third, and 50.20% from the fourth; the hero takes the first turn 87.70% of the time.Verified“Dragon Warrior (USA) (Rev 1)” · nmikstas/dragon-warrior-disassembly
How we know
In the cartridge (“Dragon Warrior (USA) (Rev 1)”): bank 3 $EE91-$EEFC, TryRun through CalcNextOdds, the code the probe calls. We don't reproduce the bytes.
LDA RandNumUB AND #$7F … LDA EnBaseDef … JSR WordMultiply … LDA DisplayedAgi … SBC GenWord42LB LDA MultRsltUB SBC GenWord42UB
source_files/Bank03.asm#L8256-L8325 · upstream ↗
Measured by a script in MesenCE 2.2.1 (build 4b8a196), on Dragon Warrior (USA) (Rev 1) (SHA-1 66809063b828…). It fails if the result disagrees with the claim.
The numbers come from the run; its author, an AI model, checked the script measures what the claim says, 2026-10-25.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-25.
In the claim ledger
^A failed run prints "But was blocked in front" and passes the turn to the monster.Codenmikstas/dragon-warrior-disassembly
How we know
```
7194LE898:  JSR TryRun              ;($EE91)Determine if player can run.
7195LE89B:  BCS RunSuccessful       ;Was player able to run? If so, branch.
⋮
7197LE89D:  JSR DoDialogLoBlock     ;($C7CB)But was blocked in front...
⋮
7200LE8A1:  JMP StartEnemyTurn      ;($EB1B)It's the enemy's turn to attack.
```
source_files/Bank03.asm lines 7194–7200 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-20.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
In the claim ledger
^At the start of a battle and before each monster turn, CheckEnRun gives the monster a 1-in-4 chance to flee when half the hero's Strength is at least the monster's attack.Codenmikstas/dragon-warrior-disassembly
How we know
```
8456LEFB7:  LDA DisplayedStr        ;Is player's strength at least double the enemy's attack?
8457LEFB9:  LSR                     ;
8458LEFBA:  CMP EnBaseAtt           ;
8459LEFBD:  BCC EnRunExit           ;If not, branch. Enemy will not run.
⋮
8463LEFC4:  AND #$03                ;Player is very strong. 25% chance enemy will run.
```
source_files/Bank03.asm lines 8455–8467 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
```
6654LE5BC:  JSR CheckEnRun          ;($EFB7)Check if enemy is going to run away.
```
source_files/Bank03.asm line 6654 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
```
7683LEB48:  JSR CheckEnRun          ;($EFB7)Check if enemy is going to run away.
```
source_files/Bank03.asm lines 7682–7683 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-20.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
In the claim ledger

^ a b cEach step on the map draws a byte and starts a fight when its masked bits are all 0: 1 in 8 on sand and hills, 1 in 16 in swamp, forest, brick, and barrier squares, and on other terrain 1 in 32 where the X and Y coordinates are both even or both odd, 1 in 16 elsewhere.Codenmikstas/dragon-warrior-disassembly

How we know

1888LCDA2:  JSR UpdateRandNum       ;($C55B)Get random number.

source_files/Bank03.asm lines 1887–1888 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗

1949LCDFB:  LDA #$0F                ;Get random number.
⋮
1952LCDFD:  AND RandNumUB           ;Is lower nibble 0?
1953LCDFF:  BEQ DoRandomFight       ;If so, branch to start a random fight.
⋮
1957LCE02:  CMP #BLK_SAND           ;Is the player on a sand block?
⋮
1960LCE06:  CMP #BLK_HILL           ;Is the player on a hill block?
⋮
1968LCE13:  LDA #$07                ;Twice as likely to get into a fight in the sandy areas!
⋮
1972LCE17:  CMP #BLK_TREES          ;Is player on a tree block?     
⋮
1975LCE1B:  CMP #BLK_BRICK          ;Is player on a brick block?
⋮
1978LCE1F:  CMP #BLK_FFIELD         ;Is player on a force field block?

source_files/Bank03.asm lines 1948–1981 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗

2025LCE63:  LDA CharXPos            ;Is character on an odd X map position?
⋮
2040LCE74:  LDA #$1F                ;Higher chance for fight. Check 5 bits instead of 4.

source_files/Bank03.asm lines 2020–2045 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗

Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-20.

Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.

In the claim ledger

^On the overworld's zone 0, the slime-only region around Tantegel Castle, a second byte lets only half of those fights through, and a quarter on hills.Codenmikstas/dragon-warrior-disassembly · Ryan8bit, DW Formulas
How we know
```
2095LCEBD:  AND #$0F                ;data from OvrWrldEnGrid.
2096LCEBF:  BNE GetEnemyRow         ;
⋮
2106LCECC:  AND #$03                ;Do another check to avoid the fight. 25% chance the fight 
2107LCECE:  BEQ GetEnemyRow         ;may not happen. Is fight going to happen?
⋮
2112LCED3:  AND #$01                ;Do another check to avoid the fight. 50% chance the fight 
```
source_files/Bank03.asm lines 2093–2114 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
In the zones where you fight only Slimes and Red Slimes around Tantegel (which I call Zone 0), the encounter rates are significantly lower.
II.A, Encounters · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-20.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
In the claim ledger
^ a bUpdateRandNum steps a 16-bit state as $s \leftarrow 771 s + 129 (\mod 65536)$ , and battle code reads its high byte, RandNumUB.Codenmikstas/dragon-warrior-disassembly · Ryan8bit, DW Formulas
How we know
```
668UpdateRandNum:
⋮
673LC563:  ASL RandNumLB           ;
674LC565:  ROL RandNumUB           ;
⋮
687LC57C:  ADC #$81                ;
```
source_files/Bank03.asm lines 668–692 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
$9495 = $9495 * 771 + 0x81
III.A, Common algorithms · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-20.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
In the claim ledger
^GetJoypadStatus steps the generator each time it reads the controller.Codenmikstas/dragon-warrior-disassembly · Ryan8bit, DW Formulas
How we know
```
805GetJoypadStatus:
⋮
807LC60A:  PHA                     ;Prepare to update the random number by first saving registers 
⋮
811LC60E:  JSR UpdateRandNum       ;($C55B)Get random number.
```
source_files/Bank03.asm lines 805–811 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
If you sit by idly while waiting to make a command, the random generator is run 60 times per second.
IV, Frequently Asked Questions · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-20.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
In the claim ledger
^ a bComputed from the generator's update, its 65,536 states form two cycles of 32,768, and over each cycle the high byte takes every value exactly 128 times.Codenmikstas/dragon-warrior-disassembly · Ryan8bit, DW Formulasrevised
How we know
ASL RandNumLB ROL RandNumUB CLC ADC RandNumLB … ADC #$81
source_files/Bank03.asm#L668-L692 · upstream ↗
This makes 32,768 possibilities.
III.A, Common algorithms · archived copy ↗
Measured by a script in MesenCE 2.2.1 (build 4b8a196), on . It fails if the result disagrees with the claim.
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-25.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
Revised after a check by a second AI model, 2026-10-25.
In the claim ledger
^The Famicom original saves by password, the "revival spell", which the King gives the player to write down before stopping.ManualDragon Quest FC manual
How we know
ゲームをやめるときは、必ず王様に会いにいき、復活の呪文を書きとっておいてください。
section まえの続きをするには (p. 7) · archived copy ↗
The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-23.
In the claim ledger
^The North American release saves to a battery in the cartridge, holding up to three games as Adventure Logs, recorded by visiting King Lorik in Tantegel Castle.ManualDragon Warrior Explorer's Handbook · Dragon Warrior NES manual
How we know
Pak has a battery in it. This allows it to save your game … Up to three different games can be saved at once
p. 2, Option Screen · archived copy ↗
To save your game, you must return to Tantegel Castle and visit King Lorik on the second floor.
PDF p. 15 (pp. 27-28), Visit the King · archived copy ↗
The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-23.
In the claim ledger

^Dragon Warrior writes each save 10 times, one record after another, into its slot's 320 bytes; loading checks the copies in order, counts each one whose CRC fails, loads the first that passes, and rewrites all 10 from it, and if none passes the game marks the slot invalid (clearing its valid flag and mask bit, not its data) and says no deeds were recorded.Codenmikstas/dragon-warrior-disassembly

How we know

662.alias SavedGame1       $6068   ;Through $61A7. Save game slot 1. Data repeated 10 times.
⋮
666.alias CRCFail1         $6432   ;CRC failures for save game 1.

source_files/Dragon_Warrior_Defines.asm lines 662–668 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗

9815LF9F9:  JSR SaveData            ;($FA18)Save player's data to battery backed RAM.
9816LF9FC:  JSR GetCRC              ;($FBE0)Get CRC for selected game data.
⋮
9825LFA0F:  JSR Save10Times         ;($FAA3)Save game data 10 times accross different addresses.

source_files/Bank03.asm lines 9798–9832 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗

9980LFAD0:  LDX #$0A                ;Prepare to copy game data to 10 different locations.
⋮
9986LFAD4:  JSR CheckValidCRC       ;($FB4A)Check if the CRC for the selected save game is valid.
9987LFAD7:  BCS CRCCheckFail        ;Is data valid? If not, branch.
⋮
9989LFAD9:  JSR LoadSavedData       ;($FB6B)Load save game data into game engine registers.
⋮
9997LFAE9:  JSR Copy10Times         ;($FB15)Copy of saved game data 10 times to same addresses.
⋮
10005LFAF3:  LDX SaveNumber          ;Increment CRC fail counter.
10006LFAF6:  INC CRCFail1,X          ;
⋮
10022LFB0A:  LDA #$FF                ;Indicate saved game data cannot be successfully copied.

source_files/Bank03.asm lines 9966–10035 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗

9320LF781:  JSR Copy100Times        ;($FAC1)Make up to 100 copies of saved game to validate.
9321LF784:  CMP #$00                ;Is RAM for saved game valid?
9322LF786:  BEQ DoneValidateSave    ;If so, branch to check next saved game.
⋮
9324LF788:  LDA SaveNumber          ;Saved game RAM was corrupted. Erase game.
9325LF78B:  JSR ClearValidSaves     ;($F80F)Clear ValidSave variable for selected game.
⋮
9337LF79E:  JSR DoDialogHiBlock     ;($C7C5)Unfortunately no deeds were recorded...

source_files/Bank03.asm lines 9315–9338 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗

9455LF834:  AND #$06                ;Clear LSB of saved game bit mask.
9456LF836:  LDX #$00                ;Clear ValidSave1.
9457LF838:  STX ValidSave1          ;
⋮
9460LF83B:  STA SaveBitMask         ;Update valid save game bit mask.

source_files/Bank03.asm lines 9455–9460 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗

Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-22.

Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-22.

In the claim ledger

^Dragon Warrior's check value is a 16-bit CRC of the record's first 30 bytes, read from byte 29 down to byte 0, one bit at a time from the top, with the polynomial $1021 and both bytes seeded with $1D.Codenmikstas/dragon-warrior-disassembly

How we know

10209DoCRC:
10210LFBEF:  LDY #$1D                ;30 bytes of saved game data.
⋮
10212LFBF1:  STY CRCLB               ;Seed the LFSR.
10213LFBF3:  STY CRCUB               ;
⋮
10215LFBF5:* LDA (GameDatPtr),Y      ;Loop until all saved data bytes are processed.
10216LFBF7:  STA GenByte3C           ;
10217LFBF9:  JSR DoLFSR              ;($FC2A)Put data through an LFSR.
10218LFBFC:  DEY                     ;

source_files/Bank03.asm lines 10209–10220 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗

10265LFC2C:  LDY #$08                ;
10266LFC2E:* LDA CRCUB               ;
10267LFC30:  EOR GenByte3C           ;
10268LFC32:  ASL CRCLB               ;
10269LFC34:  ROL CRCUB               ;
10270LFC36:  ASL GenByte3C           ;
10271LFC38:  ASL                     ;Some kind of linear feedback shift register I think.
10272LFC39:  BCC +                   ;The saved data is run though this function and a 16-bit
10273LFC3B:  LDA CRCLB               ;CRC appears to be generated. 
10274LFC3D:  EOR #$21                ;
10275LFC3F:  STA CRCLB               ;
10276LFC41:  LDA CRCUB               ;
⋮

source_files/Bank03.asm lines 10261–10284 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗

Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-22.

Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-22.

In the claim ledger

^Horii said that while developing the game he wrote about what RPGs are in his Famicom column in Weekly Shōnen Jump, hoping readers would become "teachers" who showed their friends.InterviewIwata Asks, Dragon Quest IX vol. 1
How we know
ロールプレイングとはどういうものかという記事も展開したんです。 … 同時にロープレの“先生”をつくろうと思ったんです。
section 1, Horii · archived copy ↗
週刊少年ジャンプに１９８５年から８８年頃まで掲載。
footnote 10 · archived copy ↗
The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-23.
In the claim ledger
^ a bIn February 1987 Horii called Dragon Quest an orthodox command-based RPG with no action, said he had worried whether it would catch on, and called it an introduction made easy to understand, with Dragon Quest II far more full-fledged.MagazineFamitsu 16
How we know
『ドラゴンクエスト』はアクション性のないコマンド方式の正統派RPG。 … すごく不安だったのですが … Iは、とにかくわかりやすく作った入門編でしたが、IIはかなり本格的です。
p. 4, comment of Yuji Horii (scenario) · archived copy ↗
The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-23.
In the claim ledger
^Koichi Nakamura said the part he liked best was the multi-window display, a first on the Famicom as he put it.MagazineFamitsu 16
How we know
自分でけっこう気に入ってるのが、マルチウインドー。ファミコンじゃ、初めてだったですからね。
p. 4, comment of Koichi Nakamura (programming) · archived copy ↗
The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-23.
In the claim ledger
^In February 1988 the newsletter Computer Entertainer reported that Nintendo had removed Dragon Warrior from its NES lineup for the first half of 1988, and that it didn't know if or when the game would come out.MagazineComputer Entertainer, Feb 1988
How we know
DRAGON WARRIOR has been removed from the first-half lineup. … We do not know if or when DRAGON WARRIOR will be released.
Many Delays Expected in New Games for NES · archived copy ↗
The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-23.
In the claim ledger
^Nintendo says the series came out in North America as Dragon Warrior at first because of a rights problem, and kept that name until Dragon Quest VIII.InterviewIwata Asks, Dragon Quest IX vol. 1 · 1UP, Smart Bombs
How we know
版権の問題があり、当初は『Dragon Warrior』の名称で登場していたが、『VIII』より『DRAGON QUEST』の名称で発売されている。
footnote 2 · archived copy ↗
the "Quest" was changed in the United States due to copyright issues
p. 2, Dragon Warrior · archived copy ↗
The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-23.
In the claim ledger
^Dragon Warrior's title screen reads "©1989 ENIX" and "LICENSED TO NINTENDO", by the disassembly's comments on the strings' tiles.Code notesnmikstas/dragon-warrior-disassemblyrevised
How we know
```
7375;             COPY  1    9    8    9    _    E    N    I    X
7376LBF5D:  .byte $62, $01, $09, $08, $09, $5F, $28, $31, $2C, $3B
⋮
7386;              L    I    C    E    N    S    E    D    _    T    O    _    N    I    N    T
7387LBF72:  .byte $2F, $2C, $26, $28, $31, $36, $28, $27, $5F, $37, $32, $5F, $31, $2C, $31, $37
7388;              E    N    D    O 
7389LBF82:  .byte $28, $31, $27, $32
```
source_files/Bank00.asm lines 7375–7389 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-25.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
Revised after a check by a second AI model, 2026-10-25.
In the claim ledger
^Rev 1 differs from the build of nmikstas's disassembly in three bytes of text and none of code; on its title screen "TRADEMARK TO NINTENDO" becomes "TRADEMARK OF NINTENDO".Code“Dragon Warrior (USA) (Rev 1)” · nmikstas/dragon-warrior-disassemblyrevised
How we know
In the cartridge (“Dragon Warrior (USA) (Rev 1)”): bank 0 $BF9E-$BF9F, the tiles for "OF". We don't reproduce the bytes.
```
7399;              T    M    _    T    R    A    D    E    M    A    R    K    _    T    O    _
7400LBF91:  .byte $37, $30, $5F, $37, $35, $24, $27, $28, $30, $24, $35, $2E, $5F, $37, $32, $5F
```
source_files/Bank00.asm lines 7399–7400 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
In the cartridge (“Dragon Warrior (USA) (Rev 1)”): bank 2 $AF6C, $F0 where the disassembly has $EF, the plural code in "Thy Hit decreased". We don't reproduce the bytes.
```
2841LAF65:  .byte $37, $11, $22, $5F, $2B, $12, $1D, $EF, $5F, $0D, $0E, $0C, $1B, $0E, $0A, $1C
```
source_files/Bank02.asm lines 2840–2841 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-25.
Revised after a check by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-25.
In the claim ledger
^Dragon Warrior II (NA NES) changes Dragon Warrior's battle rules: the hero's 1-in-32 "excellent move" becomes a 1-in-64 "tremendous blow", the fixed alternation of hero and monster becomes a round order sorted by half the agility plus a roll, and running no longer weighs the hero's Agility against the monster.Codenmikstas/dragon-warrior-disassembly · Nathan-R-Og/dq2revised
How we know
```
6733LE624:  AND #$1F                ;Did player get an excellent move(1/32 chance)?
```
source_files/Bank03.asm lines 6724–6759 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
```
6249    lda #$40
6250    sta $A6
```
src/us/prg/bank4.asm lines 6249–6250 at 0fb64a4 · upstream ↗
```
6807LE691:  JMP StartEnemyTurn      ;($EB1B)It's the enemy's turn to attack.
```
source_files/Bank03.asm lines 6803–6807 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
```
7777LEBE6:  JMP StartPlayerTurn     ;($E5CE)It's the player's turn to attack.
```
source_files/Bank03.asm lines 7772–7777 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
```
9274B04_B790:
9275    lsr
9276    sta $99
```
src/us/prg/bank4.asm lines 9274–9286 at 0fb64a4 · upstream ↗
```
8313LEEE6:  LDA DisplayedAgi        ;
```
source_files/Bank03.asm lines 8290–8325 at ebe6a13 · upstream ↗
```
3191B04_95BF:
3192    lda $06DD
3193    beq B04_95CB
3194    lda #$03
```
src/us/prg/bank4.asm lines 3191–3197 at 0fb64a4 · upstream ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-21.
Revised after a check by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.
In the claim ledger
^ a bFamitsu's issue of 17 December 1993 listed Enix's Super Famicom Dragon Quest I & II, the first two games on one cartridge with battery backup, for release in Japan on 18 December 1993; it called the pair the series' origin and said they kept the Famicom version's feel while being easier and more convenient to play.MagazineFamitsu 261revised
How we know
スーパーファミコンバックアップカートリッジ RPG エニックス 9600円 12月18日発売
p. 16, most-anticipated top 20 · archived copy ↗
「ドラクエ」シリーズの原点ともいえる「ドラゴンクエストI」と「II」が1本のソフトになって新登場。 … ファミコン版の雰囲気を壊さずに、より遊びやすく、 … バッテリーバックアップ搭載だ。
p. 180, Pick Up · archived copy ↗
The quote matches our archived copy.
Revised after a check by a second AI model, 2026-10-23.
In the claim ledger
^In August 1999 Famitsu listed Enix's Game Boy Dragon Quest I & II for release in Japan on 23 September 1999.MagazineFamitsu 555
How we know
ゲームボーイバックアップカートリッジ ■エニックス RPG 9月23日発売予定
p. 18, most-anticipated top 30 · archived copy ↗
The quote matches our archived copy.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-23.
In the claim ledger
^Famitsu announced in February 2004 that Dragon Quest would be distributed from 1 March 2004 to NTT DoCoMo's FOMA 900i phones, with its story and system unchanged and its graphics and sound renewed.WebFamitsu.com, DQ mobile (2004)revised
How we know
『ドラゴンクエスト』と『ファイナルファンタジー』が、3月1日から配信されることになったぞ。
article body · archived copy ↗
ストーリーやシステムはそのままに、グラフィックやサウンドなどがリニューアルされているのだ。
caption · archived copy ↗
The quote matches our archived copy.
Revised after a check by a second AI model, 2026-10-23.
In the claim ledger

Sources

Code

nmikstas. 2023. “dragon-warrior-disassembly: NES Dragon Warrior software disassembly.” Commit ebe6a13. nmikstas/dragon-warrior-disassembly @ ebe6a13 · licence, all uses
1989. “Dragon Warrior (USA) (Rev 1).” · licence, all uses
Nathan-R-Og. 2026. “dq2: Disassembly of NES Dragon Warrior II.” Commit 0fb64a4. Nathan-R-Og/dq2 @ 0fb64a4 · licence, all uses

Primary

Co., Nintendo and Ltd. 2009. “社長が訊く『ドラゴンクエストIX 星空の守り人』 Vol.1: 20年以上も前の出会い (Iwata Asks: Dragon Quest IX, vol. 1).” Nintendo Co., Ltd. original · archived · licence, all uses
America, Nintendo of. n.d. “NES Games (Nintendo of America release list).” Nintendo of America. original · archived · licence, all uses
America, Nintendo of. 1989. “Dragon Warrior instruction booklet (NES, North America).” Nintendo of America. original · archived · licence, all uses
Enix. 1986. “Dragon Quest Famicom instruction booklet (Japan).” Enix. original · archived · licence, all uses
America, Nintendo of. 1989. “Dragon Warrior Explorer's Handbook (NES pack-in).” Nintendo of America. original · archived · licence, all uses

Secondary

Family Computer Magazine editors. 1986. “Family Computer Magazine, no. 13 (6 June 1986): New Release Calendar.” Family Computer Magazine, no. 13, p. 114. Tokuma Shoten. original · archived · licence, all uses
Wikidata contributors. 2026. “Wikidata.” Wikimedia Foundation. original · licence, all uses
ASCII editors. 1987. “Famicom Tsushin (Famitsu) no. 16, 6 February 1987: 1986 Best Hit Game Awards.” Famicom Tsushin, no. 16, pp. 4-7. ASCII. original · archived · licence, all uses
News, Oricon. 2009. “ドラクエ9、シリーズ最高415万本出荷 (Dragon Quest IX shipments top the series at 4.15 million).” Oricon. original · archived · licence, all uses
Nintendo Power editors. 1989. “Nintendo Power, issue 6 (May/June 1989).” Nintendo Power, vol. 6 (May/June 1989), p. 52. Nintendo of America. original · archived · licence, all uses
Mackey, Bob. 2007. “Smart Bombs: Beloved Games That Flopped (page 2, Dragon Warrior).” 1UP.com (Ziff Davis). original · archived · licence, all uses
Ryan8bit. 2011. “Dragon Warrior (NES) Formulas.” GameFAQs. v1.0. original · archived · licence, all uses
Computer Entertainer editors. 1988. “Computer Entertainer: the newsletter, vol. 6 no. 11 (February 1988).” Computer Entertainer, vol. 6, no. 11. Computer Entertainer. original · archived · licence, all uses
ASCII editors. 1993. “Weekly Famicom Tsushin (Famitsu) no. 261, 17 December 1993.” Weekly Famicom Tsushin, no. 261, pp. 16, 180. ASCII. original · archived · licence, all uses
ASCII editors. 1999. “Weekly Famitsu no. 555, 6 August 1999.” Weekly Famitsu, no. 555, p. 18. ASCII. original · archived · licence, all uses
Famitsu.com. 2004. “『ドラクエ』、『FF』が3月1日から配信スタート！ (Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy start distribution on 1 March).” Enterbrain (Kadokawa). original · archived · licence, all uses

#How it plays

#Fighting

#Spells

#Turns and running

#Encounters

#Randomness

#Saving

#Development

#North American release

#Across the series

Related

See also

Mentioned in

Mechanics

References

Sources

Code

Primary

Secondary