is a series of

role-playing video game A role-playing video game (commonly referred to as simply a role-playing game or RPG, as well as a computer role-playing game or CRPG) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character (or several party members) immers ...

s by Nihon Falcom. The first ''

Dragon Slayer A dragonslayer is a person or being that slays dragons. Dragonslayers and the creatures they hunt have been popular in traditional stories from around the world: they are a type of story classified as type 300 in the Aarne–Thompson classifica ...

'' game is an early

action role-playing game An action role-playing game (often abbreviated action RPG or ARPG) is a subgenre of video games that combines core elements from both the action game and role-playing genre. Definition The games emphasize real-time combat where the player h ...

, released in 1984 for the

NEC PC-8801 The , commonly shortened to PC-88, are a brand of Zilog Z80-based 8-bit home computers released by Nippon Electric Company (NEC) in 1981 and primarily sold in Japan. The PC-8800 series sold extremely well and became one of the three major Japane ...

and ported by Square for the

MSX MSX is a standardized home computer architecture, announced by Microsoft and 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, then vice-p ...

. 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 is an action role-playing platform video game developed by Hudson Soft for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The name was licensed by computer game developer Nihon Falcom ("Falcom") and was developed and released in Japan by Hudson Soft for the ...

'' by

Hudson Soft was a Japanese video game company that released numerous games for video game consoles, home computers and mobile phones, mainly from the 1980s to the 2000s. It was headquartered in the Midtown Tower in Tokyo Midtown, Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo ...

. The ''Dragon Slayer'' series is historically significant, both as a founder of the Japanese role-playing game industry, ( cf. ) 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. Many of the early titles in this series were

PC game A personal computer game, also known as a PC game or computer game, is a type of video game played on a personal computer (PC) rather than a video game console or arcade machine. Its defining characteristics include: more diverse and user-deter ...

s released for the PC-88, PC-98, 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 be played with a game controller. These may be home video game console, home consoles, which are generally placed i ...

s. The series also features

video game music Video game music (or 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 ...

soundtracks composed by

chiptune Chiptune, also known as chip music or 8-bit music, is a style of synthesized electronic music made using the programmable sound generator (PSG) sound chips or synthesizers in vintage arcade machines, computers and video game consoles. The t ...

musician

Yuzo Koshiro is a Japanese composer and sound programmer. He is often regarded as one of the most influential innovators in chiptune and video game music, producing music in a number of genres including rock, jazz, symphonic, and various electronic genres ...

and the

Falcom Sound Team JDK is a Japanese video game developer, best known for their '' Ys'', ''The Legend of Heroes'', and ''Trails'' series. The company was founded in March 1981, making them one of the oldest active video game companies. They are credited with pioneeri ...

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, but most of the games use

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, 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 these roles within ...

(RPG) elements and experiment with

real-time Real-time or real time describes various operations in computing or other processes that must guarantee response times within a specified time (deadline), usually a relatively short time. A real-time process is generally one that happens in defined ...

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, and platform gam ...

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 Hack and slash, also known as hack and slay (H&S or HnS) or slash 'em up, refers to a type of gameplay that emphasizes combat with melee-based weapons (such as swords or blades). They may also feature projectile-based weapons as well (such as ...

combat that requires direct input from the player, alongside

puzzle-solving A puzzle is a game, problem, or toy that tests a person's ingenuity or knowledge. In a puzzle, the solver is expected to put pieces together ( or take them apart) in a logical way, in order to arrive at the correct or fun solution of the puzzl ...

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

The Legend of Zelda ''The Legend of Zelda'' is an action-adventure game franchise created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo, although some portable installments and re-rele ...

'', ''

Hydlide is an action role-playing game developed and published by T&E Soft. It was originally released for the NEC PC-6001 and PC-8801 computers in 1984, in Japan only; ports for the MSX, MSX2, FM-7 and NEC PC-9801 were released the following year. ...

'', 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 video game, Japanese science fantasy anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and developed and owned by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and ...

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

Enix was a Japanese video game publisher that produced video games, anime and manga. Enix is known for publishing the ''Dragon Quest'' series of role-playing video games. The company was founded by Yasuhiro Fukushima on September 22, 1975, as . Th ...

's ''

Dragon Quest previously published as ''Dragon Warrior'' in North America until 2005, is a franchise of Japanese role-playing video games created by Armor Project (Yuji Horii), Bird Studio (Akira Toriyama) and Sugiyama Kobo (Koichi Sugiyama) to its publi ...

'' was also influenced by ''Dragon Slayer'' and in turn defined many other RPGs. The original ''

'', 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 A dungeon crawl is a type of scenario in fantasy role-playing games in which heroes navigate a labyrinth environment (a "dungeon"), battling various monsters, avoiding traps, solving puzzles, and looting any treasure they may find. Video games an ...

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 Item may refer to: Organizations * ''Instituto del Tercer Mundo'' (ITeM), the Third World Institute * ITEM club, an economic forecasting group based in the United Kingdom Newspapers * ''The Item'', an American independent, morning newspaper ...

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 Square. 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 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 that are not control ...

'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 (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means 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 descriptivel ...

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, setting records for PC game sales, selling more than 400,000 copies.
Translation
''

Xanadu Scenario II , also known as ''Xanadu: Dragon Slayer II'', is an action role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom and released in 1985 for the PC-8801, X1, PC-8001, PC-9801, FM-7 and MSX computers. Enhanced remakes were later released for the Sega Saturn ...

'', released the following year, was also an early example of an expansion pack. The game was

non-linear In mathematics and science, a nonlinear 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, mathematicians, and many other ...

, allowing the eleven levels to be explored in any order. It was also composer

'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 The action-adventure genre is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Typically, pure adventure games have situational problems for the player to solve to complete a story ...

. 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 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 ''

'', a side-scrolling platform-action RPG. Later that year, the fifth entry ''

Sorcerian is a 1987 action role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom as the fifth installment in the ''Dragon Slayer'' line of games. Originally released for the PC-8801 Personal Computer, it has since been released on a wide variety of platforms. Game ...

'' 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 The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit Third generation of video game consoles, third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redes ...

, ''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 on April 23, 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 ope ...

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 as the outside North America, is a home video game console designed by Hudson Soft and sold by NEC Home Electronics. It was the first console marketed in the fourth generation, commonly known as the 16-bit era, thoug ...

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 ''The Legend of Heroes'', known in Japan as is a series of role-playing video games developed by Nihon Falcom. First starting as a part of the ''Dragon Slayer'' series in the late 1980s, the series evolved into its own decade-spanning, interconne ...

'' 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 is a real-time strategy war game by Nihon Falcom. The game is considered to be part of the ''Dragon Slayer'' series. It was originally released in 1991 for the NEC PC-9801, ported 1992 to the Super Famicom and 1994 to the Mega Drive. In 1997, it ...

'', on the other hand, was an early real-time strategy 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 "The Legend of Xanadu" is a single by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich that reached number one in the UK Singles Chart in 1968 and was the group's biggest hit. It was written by songwriters Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley. As was the case with m ...

'' and '' The Legend of Xanadu II'', released in 1994 and 1995 respectively, as well as ''

Xanadu Next is a 2005 action role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom for Windows. The game is a spin-off of the 1985 action role-playing game '' Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu''. ''Xanadu Next'' was released worldwide in English by Xseed Games in 2016. An N-G ...

'' in 2005 and '' Tokyo Xanadu'' in 2015.

List of games

The games in the series include: # ''

'' (1984) #* ''Dragon Slayer Gaiden'' (1992) #* ''Dragon Slayer: Michi Kareshi Houkan no Senshi-tachi'' (2012) # '' Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu'' (1985) #* ''

'' (1986) #* ''

'' (November 16, 1987) #* ''Revival Xanadu'' (1995) #* ''Revival Xanadu 2: Remix'' (1995) #* ''

'' (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) # ''

'' (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) # ''

'' (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