Developer: Konami Publisher: Konami Release: 12/4/87 Genre: Action RPG
Konami could do no wrong in the 80s. At least that was my prevailing thought as they released hit after hit in almost every genre. One genre they shied away from was the RPG. In the West it was understandable as the pickings were slim. But in Japan they were more prolific than Square on the Famicom. Dragon Scroll was their attempt at the action RPG and sadly I can kind of see why it never left Japan. Like Simon’s Quest its heart is in the right place but it is frustrating on so many levels. You need a high tolerance for frustration to appreciate this one.
Long ago there were two clans: the White Mages, who worshipped the Gold Dragon and the Black Mages, who revered the Chrome Dragon. The two clans fought over territory for many years before a hero named Narume put both dragons to sleep and sealed them away. Narume also took magic from both clans and sealed them in eight books and hid them. Hundreds of years later three thieves steal the books of magic and unwittingly awaken the Chrome Dragon who threatens to burn the land. Narume foresaw this and infused the Gold Dragon with magic to assume human form. This human, Feram is the only capable of stopping the Chrome Dragon.
Dragon Scroll was Konami’s first attempt at an action RPG and was released a year after the Legend of Zelda. Despite the change in genre it shares many similarities with Simon’s Quest. Both titles drop you in the world with no context, story, or direction. How you go about that is up to you. They are completely nonlinear like the Legend of Zelda. But where Nintendo’s classic manages to guide you somewhat Dragon Scroll only offers vague hints that are hard to parse. The game’s means of communication is weird. Slain enemies offer hints that in most cases mean nothing. There are only a few normal NPCs and they are just as clueless. This is not down to the fan translation either; the Japanese version is just as obtuse.
Feram only has a weak staff at the beginning of the game. It produces a short wave attack so at least you will not have to put up with melee combat. Over the course of the game you will find two more, a fire staff and a bullet staff. These are more powerful but require a certain level to use. Luckily you will reach the requirement through normal play. You will amass a decent size inventory of items to aid in the quest, most helping to uncover secret objects. And that is where the trouble starts.
I like nonlinear games but Dragon Scroll goes about it the wrong way. The Legend of Zelda guides you to the first dungeon and from there can surmise that this is how the game progresses. There are dungeons in this game but many of them only house items that restore your magic or sometimes health. The game name drops locations but until you actually kill someone and they mention it you have no idea where you are. The world has five zones so there is a lot of ground to cover. The eight books can be anywhere; at least two are sitting in chests that are right in the overworld! Once you have collected a book the UI does not indicate which ones are in your possession. You will need to keep your own list to avoid retracing your steps if you receive a hint.
I mentioned the game’s vague hints before. The items you collect along the way will help you however their uses are never explained. Some are obvious; the silver ring increases walking speed while the crystal ball provides a useful auto map. The most important item in the game is the yunke fruit which reveals hidden items. Unfortunately they never tell you where these hidden items are. Many critical items are hidden in seemingly random pillars and stones in the game that are never hinted at. Some even involve multiple steps like using the Rain bell plus yunke fruit to make the door to a tower appear. Sometimes mandatory warps are between two random statues you must stand between for a few seconds. I am absolutely baffled as to how anyone discovered some of these. If you are not playing with a guide you are screwed.
Despite the confusing progression Dragon Scroll is not all that hard. Only the initial portion of the game is difficult due to your low health. Combat is simple since your default attack is ranged. Oddly there are no healing items to carry. The only means of restoring health is to either find a chest that will restore full health or to level up. It sounds incredibly limiting but in practice is little deterrent. You will not have to grind for experience too much so new levels come quickly. Odds are your only deaths will come from the few bosses. Even that only carries a small penalty as you restart in the current area with all experience and levels intact. The challenge comes from figuring out where to go and what to do of which the game has that in spades.
In Closing
Dragon Scroll has a lot of problems. Most of these are present in the majority of action RPGs of the 80s. But that makes it no less frustrating. Even with a guide the game is annoying and as much as I want to like it I think you can skip this one. I will give Konami credit: between the Goonies II, Simon’s Quest, Esper Dream, and Getsu Fuma Den they were determined to crack the genre. Only half of those titles manage it however.
