In 1989 Enix brought to the
United States one of the first role playing games to grace the circuits of a console. At
the time Nintendo was proving that consoles had staying power. Dragon Warrior helped to
establish this fact. Since then Nintendo has let loose a fury that has yet to subside.
This phenomenon is called Pokemon, and there are few gamers over the age of fifteen who
will admit to owning such a game. Despite this, those games have been top sellers for the
Game Boy and Game Boy Color. I personally have just begun to experience the world of
monster collecting. Many other companies have taken the concept of catch and raise and
added their own flair. This is where Enix comes in and takes Dragon Warrior to a new
existence. Frightfully fun to play, this will captivate your mind and pass the time like
no other.
Tara’s adventure is one of two games that share the title of Dragon
Warrior Monsters 2. The other is named after her brother Cobi; the adventures are the same
except that each has their own unique monsters that are located throughout the worlds. The
goal in Tara’s adventure is to replace the naval plug of their world. In order to
accomplish this, she must travel to various lands and collect treasures hoping to find the
artifact that will save her world. In each land there are a multitude of creatures out to
do her harm. As these creatures are defeated they may want to join your group on your
quest. You can have a max of three monsters with you at one time. Those monsters that you
do not want at that moment can be sent to your farm to be called upon later. In typical
RPG fashion, your party gains experience from battles, which makes them stronger. Dragon
Warrior Monsters 2 also allows you to breed monsters in order to get a different type.
There are a total of 11 classes of monsters and well over 100 individual creatures.
Ever play a GBC game and wonder why they decided to use the colors they did?
Many times the colors are not chosen right. This leaves the viewer wishing they could go
back to the wheat colors of the old Game Boy. Enix has gotten the colors right in this
game allowing items, people, and the creatures stand out beautifully from the environment.
Even the various terrains do not bleed, which allows you to be aware of your surroundings.
With so many monsters it’s amazing that the ones they designed still look unique and
not a nock-off of other creatures. They are even recognizable when they are following Tara
in their pixilated form. With the vibrant colors and unique character design, your eyes
will never be bored.
Audibly
this game will take you back to the days of the 8-bit Nintendo with the synthesized sound
effects and music. By stating that, it does not mean that this is bad in anyway. The music
sets the pace for the game play; when the music changes tones and beats to fit a
situation, it is a plus because this makes the music relevant and not just filler. Also
well suited for the game are the beeps and squawks of the sound effects. Spells and
acquiring special items each have their own audio support. Rounding out the package are
the easy to use controls --as well they should be. It’s the basic command interface
found in many RPGs. There are some slight twists, however, that separate it from the
others. You can plan out what attacks you want your party to perform before you even enter
the first battle. Once you attack plan is set, a simple push of a button will take care of
the rest. If faced with a monster that will need an alternate approach, you can still
choose your attacks in a battle.
Dragon Warrior Monsters 2: Tara’s Adventure is a solid game that will
entertain you for hours. Having superb visuals, nostalgic audio, and plenty of game play,
there is no reason not to give this a try. Even you Game Boy Advance owners should not
overlook this just because it’s for Game Boy and Game Boy color. Overlooking this
game would be a tragedy. Just maybe this will be one monster collecting game that you can
admit to owning.
