Dragon Slayer

Dragon Slayer is a role-playing game commonly regarded as a progenitor of the action RPG genre. Released on July 15, 1985, it was developed by Nihon Falcom and published by Square for Epoch Super Cassette Vision and Microsoft MSX.

Players control a knight exploring large, overhead, maze-like dungeons. Combat takes place on the exploration screen: the knight must approach enemies and bump into them to deal damage while avoiding their attacks. Monsters may pursue the knight if he tries to retreat, and dungeon locations and items are not randomized.

Progression and Magic

• Power stones increase the hero's strength.
• Coins increase his hit points.
• Defeated enemies provide experience points that determine the hero's maximum HP.
• Magic spells can break walls, teleport the knight, and create maps, and are used mostly outside combat.