# What NES game was this? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 21, 2015, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nes-game-was-this/735342 "2015-10-21T11:55:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nes-game-was-this/735342/1 "2015-10-21T11:55:58Z")
I remember at a friend’s house I used to play a game on his NES. It was a sword and sorcery type game. You started out in a house, and you had to select a family member to play as (mom, dad, son, daughter, or pet. The pet was this pink baby-dragon-like thing that to my recollection shot little magic bubbles at enemies.) Each had different powers, some jumping higher, some having a more powerful hit, etc. If I recall correctly, you could level up, or at least, there was some kind of customization mechanism whereby you could give the character you were playing more hit points, more attack strength, and so on. Once you selected your character, the game was kind of a roguelike platformer IIRC (!?). And I recall one room had a giant tapestry of a dragon. I always imagined the game probably involved making that dragon come to life, but I never actually got to that point in the game. In fact to my recollection we were all stuck at some point in the game, unable to figure out how to proceed, and well we just kind of gave up eventually. Any recollection as to what game this might have been? ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nes-game-was-this/735342/2 "2015-10-21T12:02:24Z")
Oh, I found it! [Legacy of the Wizard](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz5LgYUxJic)! Oh man and now I remember the music, and now it’s not going to leave my head for a few days. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nes-game-was-this/735342/3 "2015-10-21T15:29:42Z")
And you didn’t even thank the poster who found it for you. So very rude ---
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2015, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nes-game-was-this/735342/4 "2015-10-22T03:06:02Z")
I played that game. I remember you had to play all characters in order to beat it. Because parts of the game could only be reached based on each character’s power. I remember the daughter’s power was that she could jump high, but she was a weak attacker (unless you gave her the power booster item, which was necessary to play her at all.) The pet had the advantage that seeing as he was a monster, he was immune to damage from monsters, yet he could attack them. He couldn’t jump to save his life, though. One of the characters was the only one who could travel through the paintings. It was actually one of the best underrated NES games out there. Especially because you had to play different sections with different characters to get all the various items you needed to unlock more of the game. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2015, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nes-game-was-this/735342/5 "2015-10-22T03:22:31Z")
I had this game, but I was too young to really understand it and I never got anywhere with it. You’re right about the music - immediately triggered a sense memory for me. Sitting on a carpet, square controller in my hand… ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2015, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nes-game-was-this/735342/6 "2015-10-25T20:56:31Z")
In Japan, it’s actually part of the [Dragon Slayer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Slayer) series, most of which never left Japan or got changed into a standalone title like this one. ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2015, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nes-game-was-this/735342/7 "2015-10-25T22:38:04Z")
> [@Hoopy\_Frood](#): > > I played that game. > > I remember you had to play all characters in order to beat it. Because parts of the game could only be reached based on each character’s power. I remember the daughter’s power was that she could jump high, but she was a weak attacker (unless you gave her the power booster item, which was necessary to play her at all.) > > The pet had the advantage that seeing as he was a monster, he was immune to damage from monsters, yet he could attack them. He couldn’t jump to save his life, though. > > One of the characters was the only one who could travel through the paintings. > > It was actually one of the best underrated NES games out there. Especially because you had to play different sections with different characters to get all the various items you needed to unlock more of the game. I recall this being true of Super Mario Brothers 2 as well. Even though Toad was almost always the best, there were certainly levels where Luigi’s crazy high-jump or Princess’s floating ability were required. It’s certainly possible I’m misremembering, however… ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2015, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nes-game-was-this/735342/8 "2015-10-26T00:08:48Z")
Super Mario 2 could be played straight through with any of the four characters… but there were some parts that were a lot easier with one or another, and a couple of specific little bonuses that only Luigi could reach. I don’t think there was anything that only the Princess could reach at all, but the others had to do a bunch of perfect crazy jumps off of falling monsters, or the like, to reach them. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2015, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nes-game-was-this/735342/9 "2015-10-26T20:30:05Z")
No SMB2 levels require a particular character, though some are certainly easier with some than others. Even things I read in NP or other guides that “only Luigi can reach here” were often wrong and many of them you can get to with any character (though they were certainly easier with weegie). ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2015, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nes-game-was-this/735342/10 "2015-10-26T23:19:10Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Super Mario 2 could be played straight through with any of the four characters… but there were some parts that were a lot easier with one or another, and a couple of specific little bonuses that only Luigi could reach. I don’t think there was anything that only the Princess could reach at all, but the others had to do a bunch of perfect crazy jumps off of falling monsters, or the like, to reach them. There was that one world, I think it was 5 or 6, near the beginning, where Luigi and the Princess can run and jump from the start to the exit without having to go through the level. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nes-game-was-this/735342/11 "2015-10-27T00:03:06Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > There was that one world, I think it was 5 or 6, near the beginning, where Luigi and the Princess can run and jump from the start to the exit without having to go through the level. Yeah, I think later in the game there were things like this, but the ones I was thinking of were early on. Like the back door route to Birdo in the first level. Not hard to do with any character, but I definitely read a guide or something where it was said only Luigi could do it. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nes-game-was-this/735342/12 "2015-10-27T17:01:13Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Yeah, I think later in the game there were things like this, but the ones I was thinking of were early on. Like the back door route to Birdo in the first level. Not hard to do with any character, but I definitely read a guide or something where it was said only Luigi could do it. I think anyone can do it, you hold down and crouch for a few seconds until you glow, then you can do a super jump. I’m sorta certain that’s the secret back entrance, or it may be the main one. There was another level, I think level 2 with the desert, where you can go left from the start and sink into the quicksand until you can move under the building, but keep jumping so you won’t die, then eventually you get to a secret door. Man, I gotta play that game again ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-nes-game-was-this/735342/13 "2015-10-27T18:50:11Z")
I think that one was intentional, though.