"Dragon Quest" is the first famous console RPG. You assume the role of a descendant of Erdrick, a brave warrior of the past. Once upon a time, Erdrick defeated the Dragonlord with the help of the Ball of Light. Now, Dragonlord stole the Ball of Light, and your mission is to recover it and to restore peace in the world.

In "Dragon Quest", you move your character around in a top-down world, and fight enemies from 1st person perspective. Combat is turn based: you select menu options while fighting. When your character dies in a battle, he is automatically restored in a nearby town.