I’m old enough to remember a time before Roguelikes. A time before randomisation and infinite playability really came along and hooked the masses, resulting in more than any one human could play. For those more knowledgeable though the Roguelikes were here all along, with obscure PC titles and import games slowly creating what would one day become a beloved genre. Now for the first time, those of us can finally experience one of the roots of Roguelike. Without Torneko’s Mystery Dungeon we’d have never had Pokémon Mystery Dungeon or Shiren the Wanderer, and in its shiny new form Dragon Quest Heroes: Torneko’s Mystery Dungeon -Classic HD- still holds up.
For those unfamiliar with classic Dragon Quest, Torneko is one of the most lovable characters in the whole series. This rotund shopkeeper is never far from adventure, and when he hears about a mysterious dungeon that is said to house valuable treasure he can see all the potential profits. Torneko moves his family to the nearby town, and goes to meet with the king to get permission to adventure. First he’ll have to beat a small tutorial dungeon to prove his strength, but then it’s deep dungeon diving time. There’s not a whole bunch of narrative in Torneko’s Mystery Dungeon, but breaks between runs allow you to learn new item hints from characters at your store.
As you’d expect from an early entry in the genre, Torneko’s Mystery Dungeon is a very traditional Roguelike. You’ll walk around dungeons one step at a time, and any time you move the enemies move. You’ll soon get overwhelmed and beaten by monsters if you don’t level and gear up accordingly, so making sure you’re prepared to fight all the Draks and Lump Wizards is half of the battle. Battling is simple once you do start scraping though, with most fights involving basic attacks back and forth until someone drops.
Combat may not be complex in this classic Roguelike, but the item variety and management more than makes up for it. Once you’ve finished the tutorial dungeon you get no indication what an item does when you pick it up, outside of the vague Dragon Quest word tied to it. A specific scroll might strengthen a shield, or it might shoot fire in all directions. You won’t know until you try, and this comes with plenty of risk.
Once you discover how an item works you’ll be able to make use of it with a bit of common sense. Whereas a herb that causes hallucinations might not be much help when you’re low on health, it’s perfect for throwing at a tough enemy so you can escape unharmed. Torneko’s Mystery Dungeon is all about taking the random items you’re dealt and finding a way to succeed with them, and with practice you’ll get further and further into the depths.
I would never try to argue that Torneko’s Mystery Dungeon is one the best Roguelikes I’ve ever played, because it so clearly influenced dozens and dozens of titles that have improved on the formula. That being said the Dragon Quest setting does some heavy lifting, with a nostalgic soundtrack and beloved jingles that’ll make the JRPG fans out there squeal with joy. No Roguelike enemy could ever warm my heart like a Slime, and all this meant I enjoyed my time with Torneko a little bit more.
As someone who didn’t import this game from Japan back in 1993, I can’t really comment on any changes that were made other than the visuals. These are charming enough, but don’t go in expecting the HD-2D magic of the recent Dragon Quest remakes. This is a HD spruce up that is perfectly fine for handheld play, but still looks its age.
Dragon Quest Heroes: Torneko’s Mystery Dungeon -Classic HD- is a wonderful curiosity that it’s fantastic to see made accessible for a modern audience. As a grandfather of modern Roguelikes it’s not the most thrilling and flashy of titles, but for the sake of history we should still respect and take lessons from the old fella. Square Enix’s commitment to Dragon Quest has been fantastic recently, and I’ll happily play more weird spinoffs if they want to keep remastering them.
