An early hack that showed the power and dedication of one person using DOS-based tools to get things done.

Sliver X completely changed Dragon Warrior from a generic fantasy game with no plot to a sci-fi futuristic styled game in the vein of Phantasy Star.

No catgirls here! Your female protagonist is all you get for your solo party of one.

Fantastic aesthetics, a deep and moody/grim atmosphere, and NPCs that always remind you just how hopeless everything will be if you fail at your task.

The music is top-notch for certain specific tracks but is far surpassed by the sequel’s music.

The constant random battles prevent you from really hearing the entire Overworld theme unless you stand still and really listen to it.

The battle music is quite short and loops often, creating a reptitive drudge to grinding.

The story is significantly improved from Dragon Warrior and you’ll likely enjoy talking to NPCs.

It isn’t REQUIRED to play this game to enjoy the sequel but it is still a nice romp down memory lane to see just how ‘Nintendo Hard’ games used to be.

As a final note, this game uses the DW1 engine so many of the features and bugs present in the original DW1 are also in this game. These include the Dragon’s Scale glitch, the Treasure Chest glitch, and having your stats and growth determined by your character’s name.

Give this patch a go and try out the Easy Mode patch if grinding for hours isn’t your thing :)