Introduction
Dragon horse was a Japanese tactical RPG localised by Working Designs, who were responsible for many of the most sought-after conversions of sometimes-quirky RPGs such as the Lunar series. I have been a Sega RPG collector since Master System days, but this title stands out as an interpretation of a genre which still has no equal.
It is rather rare, and will even now fetch 50 notes or more on eBay, a Sega Ages conversion for the PS2 and a Dragon horse II were also released, but both only in Japanese.
Gameplay
The game is a simplified tactical conquest game with RPG elements, but I wouldn't say it was dumbed-down, but distilled and honed so that only the most enjoyable elements are left - it knows it's a game, rather than trying to be a battlefield simulation.
After some rather well done animé character introductions you start out on a map which shows all the castles you and the other characters control as well as armies marching in real time. It's your job to control all the other characters by (usually) beating them and convincing them to join you.
When that's done you send off your heroes to the corners of the map to trigger events which see you sequentially fighting manifestations of the big baddie, Madruk.
Conquest is achieved by sending up to 10 Generals, with up to 100 Troops each into battle. Each round is a maximum of 99 seconds long, always with a clear winner, if all Troops are destroyed, the Generals duke it out in a Duel, continuing until one side runs out of Generals.
The 10 or so different Troop types are very important as they all have strengths/weaknesses against certain other types (for example Harpies>Soldiers>Archers>Harpies), as are Formations and Special Attacks. These are where your General's own type comes into play as they can command Troops into pincer or breaching formations concentrating attacks on either enemy Troops or the enemy General, and do exactly the same thing with one-off Special Attacks. Both of these strategies require good timing and an eye on the scanner in the lower left of the screen.
After a game-time month you will get the management menus. Here awards are granted and can be handed out to Generals of your choosing, increasing Troop numbers, captured Generals can be persuaded to join you, existing Generals can be quizzed as to their happiness (not enough and they leave you), and castles can be either barricaded or searched for items that either improve General's stats or change their Troop type.
As well as all this, there are a number of hidden side-quests, usually triggered when certain Generals travel to certain locations - these add a lot to the backstory, as they usually revolve around characters who have a history with each other, and are also a gratuitous excuse for more lovely animé cutscenes.
Sights and Sounds
It's all sprite-based graphics for the characters and maps, with the Saturn's limited 3D capability only really being used for the (convincingly varied) battlefield backdrops.
Music is suitably rousing, and keyed quite well to events - some of it I can remember even now.
Stuff that sucks
Once you have a lot of Generals under you command (I'd guess there are at least 100 in the game) it can be a rather tedious affair to check each one's happiness, the same goes for searching/fortifying many castles and persuading captive Generals, but at least the rewards are greater.
There's also a periodic pest that pops up in a random village on the map by the name of the Skull Children. They are immortal, and while easy to beat at first, come back stronger every few cycles. However they always make a beeline for your leader's location, so it is possible to trap them between enemy castles, although it takes a bit of planning and no little luck.
It can be perplexing until you get the hang of it, particularly since General's types dictate the Special Attacks and Formations available to them - a strategy used with one General may simply not be available with another.
Conclusion
A rare classic, that in my view is justifiably worth more now than when it was new. The sheer joy of sending 100 Dragon Troops into a formation attack of your choosing without having to worry about armies sneaking up behind you or about planting crops/building houses, whilst simultaneously pummelling the enemy commander with horse waves and sucking his Troops into a vortex is a gaming experience which has never been surpassed in my experience.
Score :
8/10Given it's age, the gameplay carries it - it's graphically poor by modern standards.
Edit: I've reduced the score, while it's still a 9 in my memory, it's hard to justify that score when explaining it to other people, as it was very much of its time. It may have been the first, but the 'controlling a big army' thing has been done much bigger since, and so this game will never have as big an impact as it did on me as it would for a new player these days.
