Dragon Warrior III is a classic RPG which despite its age, is still fun to go back to today. Fans of RPGs will immediately recognize the classic RPG tropes of having to choose a character from preset classes-- my favorite character being the "Goof-off", as well as a battle system with attacking, defending, magic, and items. The locations and monsters in the game are memorable and varied, and the dungeons and boss battles, while infrequent are pretty awesome. The game also has a day-night cycle, and many shops in town close during the nighttime.
Dragon Warrior III is pretty damn hard, and like many other games of its time, easy to get stuck and not know where to go next. You will either have to be a Dragon Warrior god, or have to grind a lot to be able to progress in this game. Additionally, GameFAQs is your friend-- some of the things this game expects you to figure out are ridiculous, so a guide is highly recommended. The music in the game, while not as good as the music in Final Fantasy is still very good. The story is what you would expect for its time; however, there is a twist at the end which will blow your mind-- especially if you played the original Dragon Warrior.
While the game is great-- I would go as far as to call it the best Dragon Warrior game on the NES; it is not perfect and suffers from many of the same flaws other RPGs of its time do. That being said, I highly recommend for any retro RPG fan who is willing to put up with its difficulty and obtuseness.
The Good:
- A fun, classic RPG.
- Memorable dungeons and bosses.
- Quality NES chiptunes.
- The ending.
The Bad:
- Expect to grind a LOT. This game is difficult, and the difficulty spikes are uneven.
- Expect to use a FAQ. Like many other games of its time, this game is obtuse and it is easy to get lost.