I must say this is quite a match-up. These 2 games are probably my favorite games for the Game Boy. Yes I know Dragon Warrior Monsters was actually released as a Game Boy Color game but, it was actually released before the Game Boy Color even was released in Japan so it is more of a Game Boy game with added color. I think it is also the only Game Boy Color game to be backwards compatible with the original Game Boy supporting my theory. Both these games even came out the same year and month in Japan so I feel they are pretty comparable.
Presentation:
Both of these games look and sound great! The cartoon pixel art style is very close to my heart and the art styles they're based off of (Ken Sugimori and Akira Toriyama) make every monster in the game look great. Pokemon Yellow has cool looking attacks but, they are totally outclassed compared to those in Dragon Warrior Monsters. Dragon Warrior Monsters has cool sound effects in battle but, they are rehashed from other Dragon Warrior games and there is less variety. While Pokemon Yellow on the other hand had great sound effects that made every move sound so iconic (dat Rockslide).
I was also a little disappointed to find out that Dragon Warrior Monsters did not a have a boss theme which would have given us a break from the normal battle theme. The sprites in battle unfortunately do not work to Pokemon Yellow's favor. While Dragon Warrior Monsters does not show the monster you are fighting with in battle it saved itself from the poor representation that Pokemon Yellow give us. Pokemon Yellow definitely trumps Dragon Warrior Monsters in music while Dragon Warrior Monsters wins in the looks department so this category ends in a tie.
Story:
The story of Pokemon Yellow is very similar to the story of the original Pokemon games. A trainer is taxed with filling out a Pokedex by catching Pokemon and trying to be the best Pokemon trainer. Pokemon Yellow did have new story elements that were taken from the Pokemon anime like the implementation of Jesse and James or the ability to receive all three starter Pokemon. Of course the obvious gimmick for Pokemon Yeelow was the ability to start the game with a Pikachu just like Ash Ketchum in the anime. The story of Pokemon Yellow is not too deep but, the story was appropriate for what the game was trying to convey to the player. Since the game didn't try to relay a detailed story to the player there was more room for the player’s self-expression.
Dragon Warrior Monsters also had a bit of self-expression but, because everything you did in the game was mostly mission based there was not much room to deviate from the path. Dragon Warrior Monsters does have a much deeper story with our protagonist Terry (yes the same one from Dragon Quest VI just younger) and his sister being sucked into a fantasy world Narnia style and Terry losing his sister when he arrives. Terry is then taxed with doing missions from the King of the world he arrived in with hope of finding his sister during his journey. There are loads of surprises and funny dialogue along the way so it is a very enjoyable quest. The win for this category goes to Dragon Warrior Monsters.
Game System:
While Dragon Warrior Monsters and Pokemon Yellow are both monster RPGs they couldn't have more different game systems. Pokemon battles are one on one battles between Pokemon and most battles are between other Pokemon trainers while in Dragon Warrior Monsters you would most likely have 3 on 3 monster battles. While in Dragon Warrior Monsters you can fight other monster tamers they are rare in areas and randomly generated just like the dungeons. This brings me to the next point, the areas. While Pokemon you travel to towns, caves, forests, etc. in Dragon Warrior Monsters from the main hubworld you go to warp zones that take you to different randomly generated dungeons.
The bosses in Pokemon Yellow were expert Pokemon trainers that specified in one type that you needed to beat in order to gain entry into the Pokemon League but, in Dragon Warrior Monsters most bosses were wild monsters that were committing crimes the king needed you to prevent. Though Dragon Warrior Monsters did have a tournament hall where you could battle other monster tamers regularly and were probably the hardest fights in the whole game.
Speaking of fights both Pokemon Yellow and Dragon Warrior Monsters had a unique battle system. In Pokemon Yellow you were limited to four moves per Pokemon in Dragon Warrior Monsters you could have more. In Pokemon Yellow you controlled your Pokemon directly with orders while in Dragon Warrior Monsters you gave your monsters battle commands to determine how they should act in certain situations. Depending on how high the knowledge stat of the monster was how well they would follow these orders.
While these games are both different they did have some things that were similar in both games. In Pokemon Yellow you catch wild Pokemon by weakening them and then capturing them in Pokeballs while in Dragon Warrior Monsters you give monsters meat, and then defeat them to sometimes get a monster to join your party. Though unlike Pokemon Yellow in Dragon Warrior Monsters you can "capture" monsters from other monster tamers with meat but, this is not allowed in tournament matches. Pokemon evolve in Pokemon Yellow when they reach a certain level or a special requirement is met while in Dragon Warrior Monsters if you wanted new and stronger monsters you would have to breed the ones you had to get them. This category is also a tie as both games have game systems that are both fun and unique.
Monsters:
The monster designs in both games are excellent as you would expect from both Ken Sugimori and Akira Toriyama. Pokemon Yellow does take the win here however. While Dragon Warrior Monsters creatures are mostly awesome there are some that are not much (ArmyAnt) and alot of the other monsters lack the iconic nature of the monsters in Pokemon Yellow. There are also more monsters in Pokemon Yellow than there are in Dragon Warrior Monsters.
Verdict:
This is really hard as I really love both games. My allegiance goes to Dragon Warrior Monsters though. It may not have all the cool monsters that Pokemon Yellow has but, I can honestly say I have had more fun playing Dragon Warrior Monsters. The journey was not completely personal like in Pokemon Yellow but, Dragon Warrior Monsters did give me the substantial story.
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