Action role-playing game
An important influence on the action RPG genre was the 1986 action-adventure, "The Legend of Zelda", which served as the template for many future action RPGs. In contrast to previous action RPGs, such as "Dragon Slayer" and "Hydlide," which required the player to bump into enemies in order to attack them, "The Legend of Zelda" featured an attack button that animates a sword swing or projectile attack on the screen. It was also an early example of open-world, nonlinear gameplay, and introduced new features such as battery backup saving. These elements have been used in many action RPGs since.
Dragon Quest (video game)
Bill Johnson compared "Dragon Warrior" to modern RPGs and noted the game's complete lack of replay value, which is due as much to the requirement that almost everything in the game must be done to beat it as to its difficulty. Johnson noted the game's historical importance; he said: "[Playing "Dragon Warrior" is] a tough road to walk, but reaching its end will instill a new appreciation of what today's RPG's are all about." The 2009 book "Vintage Games" contrasted "Dragon Warrior" to the 1986 NES title "The Legend of Zelda"; it said, while both titles share common RPG elements, "Zelda" features a fantasy setting and magic but no level or turn-based combat system, and "Dragon Warrior" features both. "Nintendo Power" said the game's historical significance is its greatest aspect, and noted that "playing "Dragon Warrior" these days can be a bit of a chore". "GamePro" wrote that their favorite aspect of the game was the Elizabethan-English dialogue, and that they were disappointed by its removal in the GBC remake.