is a series of

role-playing video game Role-playing video games, also known as CRPG (computer/console role-playing games), comprise a broad video game genre generally defined by a detailed story and character advancement (often through increasing characters' levels or other skills) ...

s by Nihon Falcom. The first '' Dragon Slayer'' game is an early

action role-playing game An action role-playing game (often abbreviated action RPG or ARPG) is a video game genre that combines core elements from both the action game and Role-playing video game, role-playing game genres. Definition Action role-playing games empha ...

, released in 1984 for the NEC PC-8801 and ported by

Square In geometry, a square is a regular polygon, regular quadrilateral. It has four straight sides of equal length and four equal angles. Squares are special cases of rectangles, which have four equal angles, and of rhombuses, which have four equal si ...

for the

MSX MSX is a standardized home computer architecture, announced by ASCII Corporation on June 16, 1983. It was initially conceived by Microsoft as a product for the Eastern sector, and jointly marketed by Kazuhiko Nishi, the director at ASCII Corpo ...

. Designed by Yoshio Kiya, Reprinted from the game gave rise to a series of sequels, most of them created by Falcom, with the exception of '' Faxanadu'' by Hudson Soft. The ''Dragon Slayer'' series is historically significant, both as a founder of the Japanese role-playing game industry, (

cf. The abbreviation cf. (short for either Latin or , both meaning 'compare') is generally used in writing to refer the reader to other material to make a comparison with the topic being discussed. However some sources offer differing or even contr ...

) and as the progenitor of the action role-playing game genre. The series encompasses several different genres, which include action role-playing, action-adventure, platform-adventure, open world, turn-based role-playing, and

real-time strategy Real-time strategy (RTS) is a Video game genre, subgenre of strategy video games that does not progress incrementally in turn-based game, turns, but allow all players to play simultaneously, in "real time." By contrast, in Turn-based strategy, tur ...

. Many of the early titles in this series were PC games released for the PC-88,

PC-98 The , commonly shortened to PC-98 or simply , is a lineup of Japanese 16-bit and 32-bit Personal computer, personal computers manufactured by NEC from 1982 to 2003. While based on Intel processors, it uses an in-house architecture making it inc ...

, MSX, MSX2, and other early Japanese PC platforms, while some were later ported to

video game console A video game console is an electronic device that Input/output, outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can typically be played with a game controller. These may be home video game console, home consoles, which are generally ...

s. The series also features

video game music Video game music (VGM) is the soundtrack that accompanies video games. Early video game music was once limited to sounds of early sound chips, such as programmable sound generators (PSG) or FM synthesis chips. These limitations have led to t ...

soundtracks composed by chiptune musician Yuzo Koshiro and the Falcom Sound Team JDK.

History

Although commonly referred to as a series, the ''Dragon Slayer'' name is used to designate the body of work from producer Yoshio Kiya. There is no continuity in plot or even genre; however, most of the games use

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out ...

(RPG) elements and experiment with real-time

action game An action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction time. The genre includes a large variety of sub-genres, such as fighting games, beat 'em ups, shooter games, rhythm games and ...

play.

''Dragon Slayer'' and ''Xanadu'' (1984–1985)

The original ''Dragon Slayer'' and its sequel ''Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu'' are credited for being the progenitors of the action RPG genre,Kamada Shigeaki
レトロゲーム配信サイトと配信タイトルのピックアップ紹介記事「懐かし (Retro)
, 4Gamer.net abandoning the command-oriented turn-based battles of previous RPGs in favour of real-time hack and slash combat that requires direct input from the player, alongside

puzzle-solving A puzzle is a game, Problem solving, problem, or toy that tests a person's ingenuity or knowledge. In a puzzle, the solver is expected to put pieces together (Disentanglement puzzle, or take them apart) in a logical way, in order to find the sol ...

elements. These games went on to influence later series such as ''

The Legend of Zelda is a media franchise, video game series created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo; some portable installments and re-releases have been outsourced to Flags ...

'', '' Hydlide'', and Falcom's own '' Ys''. The way the ''Dragon Slayer'' series reworked the entire game system of each installment is also considered an influence on Square's ''

Final Fantasy is a Japanese fantasy Anthology series, anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi which is owned, developed, and published by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). The franchise centers on a series of fanta ...

'', which would do the same for each of its installments. According to '' Games^TM'' and John Szczepaniak (of ''

Retro Gamer ''Retro Gamer'' is a British magazine, published worldwide, covering Retrogaming, retro video games. It was the first commercial magazine to be devoted entirely to the subject. Launched in January 2004 as a quarterly publication, ''Retro Gamer'' ...

'' and '' The Escapist''), Enix's '' Dragon Quest'' was also influenced by ''Dragon Slayer'' and in turn defined many other RPGs. The original '' Dragon Slayer'', released for the PC-88 in 1984, is considered to be the first action-RPG. In contrast to earlier turn-based roguelikes, ''Dragon Slayer'' was a dungeon crawl RPG that was entirely real-time with action-oriented combat. ''Dragon Slayer'' also featured an in-game map to help with the dungeon-crawling, required item management due to the inventory being limited to one item at a time, and introduced the use of item-based puzzles which later influenced ''The Legend of Zelda''. ''Dragon Slayer'' was a major success in Japan, where its overhead action-RPG formula was used in many later games. The game's MSX port was also one of the first titles to be published by

. The sequel '' Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu'', released in 1985, was a full-fledged action RPG with many character statistics and a large quest. ''Xanadu'' incorporated a side-scrolling view during exploration and an overhead view during battle, though some rooms were also explored using an overhead view. The game also allowed the player to visit towns with training facilities that can improve statistics and shops that sell items, equipment that change the

player character A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional Character (arts), character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters tha ...

's visible appearance, and food that is consumed slowly over time and is essential for keeping the player character alive. It also introduced gameplay mechanics such as platform jumping, magic that can be used to attack enemies from a distance, an early

Karma Karma (, from , ; ) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called ...

morality system where the character's Karma meter will rise if he commits sin which in turn affects his ability to level up, a heavier emphasis on puzzle-solving, and individual experience for equipped items. It is also considered a "proto- Metroidvania" game, due to being an "RPG turned on its side" that allowed players to run, jump, collect, and explore. The game gained immense popularity in Japan; it set sales records for PC games in the country, where it sold more than 400,000 copies.
Translation
'' Xanadu Scenario II'', released the following year, was also an early example of an

expansion pack An expansion pack, expansion set, supplement, or simply expansion, is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game, video game, collectible card game or Miniature wargaming, miniature wargame. An expansion may introduce new rules ...

. The game was

non-linear In mathematics and science, a nonlinear system (or a non-linear system) is a system in which the change of the output is not proportional to the change of the input. Nonlinear problems are of interest to engineers, biologists, physicists, mathe ...

, allowing the eleven levels to be explored in any order. It was also composer Yuzo Koshiro's first

soundtrack. According to creator Yoshio Kiya in 1987, when he developed ''Dragon Slayer'', "'' Wizardry'' and '' Ultima'' were the only two kinds of RPGs", and so he "wanted to make something new" with ''Dragon Slayer'' which "was like a bridge" to the 'action RPG' genre and ''Xanadu'' took "those ideas to the next level", after which "more and more action RPGs were released" to the point that action RPGs became "one of the main genres of computer games". He also avoided random encounters, stating he "always thought there was something weird about randomized battles, fighting enemies you can't see, whether you want to or not".

''Romancia'' to ''Sorcerian'' (1986–1987)

In 1986, '' Dragon Slayer Jr: Romancia'' simplified the RPG mechanics of ''Xanadu'', such as removing the character customization and simplifying the numerical statistics into icons, and emphasized faster-paced platform action, with a strict 30-minute time limit. The action took place entirely in a side-scrolling view rather than switching to a separate overhead combat screen like its predecessor. These changes made ''Romancia'' more like a side-scrolling

action-adventure game An action-adventure game is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Definition An action adventure game can be defined as a game with a mix of elements from an action ...

. In 1987, '' Dragon Slayer IV: Drasle Family'' returned to the deeper action-RPG mechanics of ''Xanadu'' while maintaining the fully side-scrolling view of ''Romancia''.Kurt Kalata
Romancia
Hardcore Gaming 101 The game also featured an open world and

nonlinear gameplay A video game with nonlinear gameplay presents players with challenges that can be completed in a number of different sequences. Each may take on (or even encounter) only some of the challenges possible, and the same challenges may be played in a ...

similar to " Metroidvania" platform-adventures, making ''Drasle Family'' an early example of a non-linear, open-world action RPG. That same year also saw the release of ''Xanadu's'' spin-off '' Faxanadu'', a side-scrolling platform-action RPG. Later that year, the fifth entry '' Sorcerian'' was released. It was a party-based action RPG, with the player controlling a party of four characters at the same time in a side-scrolling view. The game also featured character creation, highly customizable characters, class-based puzzles, and a new scenario system, allowing players to choose which of 15 scenarios, or quests, to play through in the order of their choice. It was also an episodic video game, with expansion disks released soon after offering more scenarios.Sorcerian (PC)
''GameCola.net'', October 30, 2010 Two of the games released for the Nintendo Famicom, ''Dragon Slayer IV: Drasle Family'' and the spin-off of ''Xanadu'' known as ''Faxanadu'', were released on the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America. The former was renamed '' Legacy of the Wizard''. The second of the three games released for the Nintendo Famicom, ''Romancia'', has never been released in North America for any platform. An English fan translation of the Famicom version of ''Romancia'' was released in April 2008, by DvD Translations. An English version of ''Sorcerian'' was released in North America for

MS-DOS MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few op ...

in 1990, published by Sierra On-Line.

''The Legend of Heroes'' to ''Tokyo Xanadu'' (1989–2015)

An English version of the 1989 title '' Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes'' was released for the

TurboGrafx-CD The TurboGrafx-16, known in Japan as the , is a home video game console developed by Hudson Soft and manufactured by NEC. It was released in Japan in 1987 and in North America in 1989. The first console of the fourth generation of video game con ...

in 1991, and is usually known as simply ''Dragon Slayer''. A sequel, '' Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes II'', was released in 1992, but never saw an official English release. Subsequent '' The Legend of Heroes'' games dropped their association with the ''Dragon Slayer'' series. In contrast to the action-oriented gameplay of most other ''Dragon Slayer'' titles, both ''The Legend of Heroes'' titles use turn-based combat. The 1991 title '' Lord Monarch'', on the other hand, was an early

game. Several more games were released in the following years as part of the ''Xanadu'' subseries: the action role-playing games '' The Legend of Xanadu'' and '' The Legend of Xanadu II'', released in 1994 and 1995 respectively, as well as '' Xanadu Next'' in 2005 and '' Tokyo Xanadu'' in 2015.

List of games

The games in the series include: # '' Dragon Slayer'' (1984) #* ''Dragon Slayer Gaiden'' (1992) #* ''Dragon Slayer: Michi Kareshi Houkan no Senshi-tachi'' (2012) # '' Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu'' (1985) #* '' Xanadu Scenario II'' (1986) #* '' Faxanadu'' (November 16, 1987) #* ''Revival Xanadu'' (1995) #* ''Revival Xanadu 2: Remix'' (1995) #* '' Xanadu Next'' (2005) #* '' Tokyo Xanadu'' (2015) #* ''Tokyo Xanadu eX+'' (2016) # '' Dragon Slayer Jr: Romancia'' (1986) #* ''Dragon Slayer Jr: Romancia ~Another Legend~'' (1999) # '' Legacy of the Wizard'' (''Dragon Slayer IV: Drasle Family'') (July 17, 1987) # '' Sorcerian'' (December 20, 1987) #* '' Sorcerian Additional Scenario Vol. 1'' (1988) #* ''Sorcerian System Utility Vol.1'' (1988) #* '' Sorcerian Additional Scenario Vol. 2: Sengoku Sorcerian'' (1988) #* '' Sorcerian Additional Scenario Vol. 3: Pyramid Sorcerian'' (1988) #* ''Sorcerian System New Scenario Vol.1: Uchuu kara no Houmonsa'' (1989) #* ''Selected Sorcerian 1'' (1989) #* ''Selected Sorcerian 2'' (1990) #* ''Selected Sorcerian 3'' (1990) #* ''Selected Sorcerian 4'' (1990) #* ''Selected Sorcerian 5'' (1990) #* ''Gilgamesh Sorcerian'' (1990) #* ''Sorcerian'' Sega Mega Drive (1990) #* ''Sorcerian'' PC-Engine (1990) #* ''Sorcerian Forever'' (1997) #* ''Sorcerian: Shichisei no Mahou no Shito'' (2000) #* ''Sorcerian Original'' (2000) #* ''Sorcerian'' Mobile (2003) #* ''Sorcerian Online'' (2006) #* ''Advanced Sorcerian'' (2007) #* ''Sorcerian Complete'' (2010) # '' Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes'' (1989) #* '' Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes II'' (1992) # '' Lord Monarch'' (1991) #* ''Lord Monarch Advanced'' (1991) #* ''Lord Monarch'' Super Famicom (1992) #* ''Lord Monarch: Tokoton Sentou Densetsu'' (1994) #* ''Lord Monarch Original'' (1996) #* ''Lord Monarch The First'' (1997) #* ''Lord Monarch Online'' (1997) #* ''Lord Monarch Pro'' (1997) #* ''Monarch Monarch'' (1998) #* ''Minna no Mona Mona'' (1999) #* ''Minna no Mona Mona 2'' (1999) #* ''Minna no Mona Mona 3'' (1999) #* ''Minna no Lord Monarch'' (1999) #* ''Minna no Lord Monarch 2'' (1999) #* ''Minna no Lord Monarch 3'' (1999) #* ''Mobile Edition Lord Monarch'' (2004) # ''The Legend of Xanadu'' (1994) #* ''The Legend of Xanadu II'' (1995)

References

External links

*
Hardcore Gaming 101: ''Dragon Slayer''
{{The Legend of Heroes series Dragon Slayer (series) Video game franchises Video game franchises introduced in 1984