Dragon Slayer

Developer: Nihon Falcom · Published by Nihon Falcom · 1984

Falcom’s foundational action RPG that kicked off the legendary Dragon Slayer series.

About This Game

Dragon Slayer is a 1984 action role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom for the NEC PC-8801 personal computer. It is the first entry in the long-running Dragon Slayer series, which would later spawn the Sorcerian, Xanadu, and The Legend of Heroes franchises. The game tasks the player with exploring maze-like dungeons, fighting monsters, and collecting four crowns to defeat a three-headed dragon. Only one item can be equipped alongside the sword, forcing strategic swapping between a cross, ring, key, and power stone. The Level 2.0 revision, released later in 1984, significantly overhauled the game with balance changes and quality-of-life improvements, and served as the basis for all subsequent ports. The game is considered a milestone in Japanese computer RPGs. D4 Enterprise brought Dragon Slayer Level 2.0 to the Nintendo Switch as part of its EGG Console retro game series in 2026.

Screenshots2 shots

In the News3 mentions

Jul 262026

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Preservation

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Hardware

Jul 242026

Dragon Slayer Level 2.0 Lands on Switch via EGG Console

Falcom’s 1984 action RPG Dragon Slayer, in its Level 2.0 revision, hits the Switch eShop for $6.49 as an EGG Console release.

Release