is a series of role-playing video games by

Nihon Falcom 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 ...

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

Square In Euclidean geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral, which means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles (90- degree angles, π/2 radian angles, or right angles). It can also be defined as a rectangle with two equal-length a ...

for the MSX. 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. The ''Dragon Slayer'' series is historically significant, both as a founder of the

Japanese role-playing game While the early history and distinctive traits of role-playing video games (RPGs) in East Asia come from Japan, many have also been developed in South Korea and in China. Japanese role-playing games Japanese computer role-playing games O ...

industry, (

cf. The abbreviation ''cf.'' (short for the la, confer/conferatur, both meaning "compare") is used in writing to refer the reader to other material to make a comparison with the topic being discussed. Style guides recommend that ''cf.'' be used onl ...

) and as the progenitor of the action role-playing game genre. The series encompasses several different genres, which include action role-playing,

action-adventure 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 storyli ...

platform-adventure A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action game, action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform game ...

, open world,

turn-based In video and other games, the passage of time must be handled in a way that players find fair and easy to understand. This is usually done in one of the two ways: real-time and turn-based. Real-time Real-time games have game time progress cont ...

role-playing Role-playing or roleplaying is the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role. While the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' offers a definition of role-playing a ...

, and

real-time strategy Real-time strategy (RTS) is a subgenre of strategy video games that do not progress incrementally in turns, but allow all players to play simultaneously, in "real time". By contrast, in turn-based strategy (TBS) games, players take turns to p ...

. 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 , is a lineup of Japanese 16-bit and 32-bit personal computers manufactured by NEC from 1982 to 2000. The platform established NEC's dominance in the Japanese personal computer market, and, by 1999, more th ...

, MSX,

MSX2 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- ...

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

video game console A video game console is an electronic device that outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can be played with a game controller. These may be home consoles, which are generally placed in a permanent location connected to ...

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 t ...

soundtracks composed by chiptune 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.

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 (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 gameplay.

''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

battles of previous RPGs in favour of real-time hack and slash combat that requires direct input from the player, alongside puzzle-solving 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 ''Retro Gamer'' is a British magazine, published worldwide, covering 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'' soon became ...

'' 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'' 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

roguelike Roguelike (or rogue-like) is a subgenre of role-playing computer games traditionally characterized by a dungeon crawl through procedurally generated levels, turn-based gameplay, grid-based movement, and permanent death of the player charac ...

s, ''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 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

. 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'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 Platform may refer to: Technology * Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run * Platform game, a genre of video games * Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models * Weapons platform, a system or ...

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 Metroidvania is a sub-genre of platform video games focused on guided non-linearity and utility-gated exploration and progression. The term is a portmanteau of the names of the video game series ''Metroid'' and ''Castlevania'', with games in the ...

" 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'', 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 or collectible card game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, characters, or ...

. The game was non-linear, 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 ''Wizardry'' is a series of role-playing video games, developed by Sir-Tech, that were highly influential in the evolution of modern role-playing video games. The original ''Wizardry'' was a significant influence on early console role-playing ...

'' 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 encounter A random encounter is a feature commonly used in various role-playing games whereby combat encounters with non-player character (NPC) enemies or other dangers occur sporadically and at random, usually without the enemy being physically detected b ...

s, 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. 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 player may take on (or even encounter) only some of the challenges possible, and the same challenges may be played ...

similar to "

" 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. Gam ...

'' 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 A quest is a journey toward a specific mission or a goal. The word serves as a plot device in mythology and fiction: a difficult journey towards a goal, often symbolic or allegorical. Tales of quests figure prominently in the folklore of ev ...

, to play through in the order of their choice. It was also an

episodic video game An episodic video game is a video game of a shorter length that is commercially released as an installment to a continuous and larger series. Episodic games differ from conventional video games in that they often contain less content but are develo ...

, 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 home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in America ...

, ''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 ''Legacy of the Wizard'', originally released in Japan as is a fantasy-themed action role-playing platform game released for the MSX, MSX2 and Famicom in Japan and for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the United States. ''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 Sierra Entertainment, Inc. (formerly On-Line Systems and Sierra On-Line, Inc.) was an American video game developer and publisher founded in 1979 by Ken and Roberta Williams. The company is known for pioneering the graphic adventure game genr ...

''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, thou ...

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

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 "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 ...

'' and '' The Legend of Xanadu II'', released in 1994 and 1995 respectively, as well as '' Xanadu Next'' in 2005 and ''

Tokyo Xanadu is a 2015 action role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom. The game was developed out of Nihon Falcom's desire to create a game of a different type and setting than their other role-playing game franchises, ''The Legend of Heroes'' and '' Ys' ...

'' 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) #* '' Xanadu Scenario II'' (1986) #* ''

'' (November 16, 1987) #* ''Revival Xanadu'' (1995) #* ''Revival Xanadu 2: Remix'' (1995) #* '' Xanadu Next'' (2005) #* ''

'' (2015) #* ''Tokyo Xanadu eX+'' (2016) # '' Dragon Slayer Jr: Romancia'' (1986) #* ''Dragon Slayer Jr: Romancia ~Another Legend~'' (1999) # ''

'' (''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) # '' 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