Developer: Tose Publisher: Bandai Release: 03/88 Genre: Action
The NES is host to a litany of strange titles. With its rapid success, everyone wanted to cash in on it. How else would you explain a Christian game producer going out of its way to bypass the NES lockout chip to publish their games? But we only received a fraction of the weird games the Famicom did in Japan. Dragon Power was a game I always found odd. From its weird Engrish to its fascination with “sandwiches” I knew something was not right with this one. Little did I know that it was actually a chopped up version of Dragon Ball: Shenron no Nazo, the second title in the series. I can appreciate the work done to bring it overseas but they should not have bothered. Like the vast majority of Dragon Ball games Dragon Power is not good.
Dragon Power despite divorcing itself from its license in its first half roughly follows the first volume of the manga. Nora and Goku travel around the world searching for the dragon balls (or crystal balls here) and run afoul of Emperor Pilaf to receive a wish. The second half of the game is an original story that is complete nonsense. But that also describes this game as a whole.
Dragon Power is a top-down action game that has more in common with beat em ups. Goku attacks with his fists mainly which unfortunately presents problems. The Kamehameha is called the wind wave here and is in short supply as your only ranged attack. The controls are surprisingly responsive and Goku moves at a brisk pace. There are not too many items; the various food items restore health while the sandwich temporarily raises your speed. Turtle shells grant more wind waves while his trademark power pole is a temporary item you find. You can find items everywhere; as drops from enemies, by smashing the environment and as rewards from the various rooms dotting the landscape.
Despite the sound controls the gameplay in Dragon Power is awful. Goku has little reach with his punches and the viewing angle makes lining up attacks problematic. In addition the hit detection is terrible. Even with the power pole hitting enemies feels like a crap shoot. You will almost always trade damage making combat practically worthless. You are better off avoiding enemies unless absolutely necessary. One, because it does not feel satisfying and two because the game is incredibly stingy with healing items. Your life constantly drains so conserving life is the best option.
With the action being something you tolerate more than appreciate you are left with a mediocre adventure. Everything feels random. The hidden rooms have no rhyme or reason behind their placement. The items that drop from enemies, including healing and their strength are random. Even the doors you enter and where you end up feels haphazard. Each level has an objective, be it finding the exit, locating a particular character or collecting four carrots to restore Nora. They do not liven up the game sadly. The levels are mercifully short but frustrating due to all the factors listed previously. In most games boss battles are the highlight. Here despite cameos from the series (not that we knew it at the time) they are god awful. The only reason I finished the game was for closure. But like Dr. Chaos I feel like I wasted my time.
The only enjoyment is examining the little things that were changed from the original. As it follows the first story arc of the manga there are a few cameos. Yamcha is Lancer, Bulma is Nora, Oolong is now Pudgy and Master Roshi is simply the turtle hermit. Krillin and the Ox King are also present but are nameless. Even a minor character like the Monster Rabbit is in the game. Bulma’s panties play a big role in the first arc of Dragon Ball and Shenron no Nazo has many references to them. Panties are now sandwiches but if you look closely they simply turned the panties upside down. Many of the Red Ribbon Army members serve as the game’s bosses. It sounds like a lot of work but the changes are only slight. I question why Bandai bothered as there were plenty of other titles they could have localized instead.
In Closing
It is funny to examine Dragon Power now that Dragon Ball is everywhere. But that is the only entertainment you will have with this game. Even if they had kept the license this would still be a bad game. Let Dragon Power rest in obscurity and play something else.
A few notes:
-“With its rapid success everyone wanted to cash in on its success,” is repetitive. It should read, “With its rapid success, everyone wanted to cash in on it.”
-Your naming convention is inconsistent. You call some characters, like Pilaf, but their Japanese names, but call Bulma by her English name, Nora. You should stick with one naming convention or the other: either use the English names, such as King Minos for Emperor Pilaf, or stick with the Japanese names like Bulma instead of Nora.
-You imply that sandwiches permanently increase your speed, but they’re only a temporary boost. It should be noted, such as, “the sandwich temporarily raises your speed.”
-You say that the power pole is temporary, but this is not entirely true. You only lose it if you die, otherwise it stays with you.
I’m enjoying your reviews, though. Keep it up!
You catch some of the stuff I can’t on the days I don’t have enough time to edit as much as I would like. Much appreciated. Also they take the power pole away after each stage.
I’m an editor and proofreader lol, I can’t help it. I hope to see you review the NES versions of Hook and TMNT Tournament Fighters one of these days! Hook isn’t particularly good, but it has a nostalgic charm for me. The NES TMNT Tournament Fighters is super underrated compared to the SNES version, and being one of the few (if not only) Street Fighter-esque games on the console, it’s very special. Since you like Disney games too, I’d love to see you cover the NES Jungle Bok as well.
Those are definitely on the list. I never played the NES Hook so I am looking forward to seeing how it turned out.