Dragon Warrior

Although Dragon Warrior is not the first RPG developed by a Japanese company, it is considered one of the forerunners of the Japanese RPG genre and the first to appear on a home console. The player controls a lone, pre-made protagonist through a top-down overworld, reaching locations represented by icons, much like in the early Ultima games. Unlike most other RPGs of the time, dungeons are also viewed from an overhead perspective. In towns and palaces you can talk to people, rest in inns and buy weapons, armor and items in stores. While wandering in the wilderness or in dungeons, the player character encounters randomly appearing enemies. Combat is turn-based, with the player selecting menu options during combat. It is possible to attack with the equipped weapon, cast one of the few available spells (which consumes some magical energy), use an item or try to run away. All fights in the game are exclusively one-on-one. Killing monsters will give you experience, and the character's attributes will automatically improve as he levels up. With the exception of the last location, the entire game world is theoretically open for exploration from the start. However, the enemies get stronger the farther the player character gets from the starting city, so he has to limit himself to certain areas depending on his level. The hero has only a limited number of hit points, loses them when he is attacked by enemies, and dies when he has none left. It is only possible to save the game by talking to the king in the initial castle.