The Tower of Druaga — stories left

In the Gamest mook The Best Game 2 (1998) it was selected for "The Best Games", titles certified as "masterpieces, excellent works and works of genius". In the same publication the writer Zenji Ishii pointed out that the game was a major work and at the same time an unusual one, and, after touching on the way the presence of the treasure chest, a hidden item, raised the appetite of enthusiasts for a challenge and captivated many players, described it as "a work with a devilish charm".

The special supplement "PC Engine All Catalog '93" in the 10/1993 issue of the same magazine pointed out that the game was a remake of a work that had been talked about on other systems, and rated the conditions for the appearance of the treasure chest positively, saying that "working out what these conditions are is the greatest enjoyment of the game".

The Wii Virtual Console release in 2009 was met with a largely negative reception in North America, with many criticizing the game's controls, high difficulty and design.

Reviewing the Wii Virtual Console port, Dan Whitehead of Eurogamer referred to the game's design as "diabolically obtuse" and criticized Gilgamesh's slow movement, notably with deflecting projectiles.

Whitehead also criticized its hidden treasures for being too elusive and only appealing to dedicated players, but said it was an interesting gameplay idea.

Brett Alan Weiss of Allgame also criticized its hidden items, especially those required for later levels, as well as the player's "wimpy" attack and time limit.

The 2009 Virtual Console release for the Wii in North America, however, was met with a largely negative reception for its obtuse design, which many said was near-impossible to finish without a guidebook, alongside its high difficulty and controls.

In a 2003 interview, Endō stated he had somewhat regretted making the game as difficult as it is, noting that it might have made players more "paranoid" about finding secrets in games.

Reviewing the Wii Virtual Console port, Dan Whitehead of Eurogamer referred to the game's design as "diabolically obtuse" and criticized Gilgamesh's slow movement, notably with deflecting projectiles.

Whitehead also criticized its hidden treasures for being too elusive and only appealing to dedicated players, but said it was an interesting gameplay idea.

Thomas of IGN was the most critical of the game, lambasting its "arbitrary, off the wall" item requirements, slow pace, and high difficulty, calling it "woefully boring and pointless" to play.

The 2009 Virtual Console release for the Wii in North America, however, was met with a largely negative reception for its obtuse design, which many said was near-impossible to finish without a guidebook, alongside its high difficulty and controls.

In a 2003 interview, Endō stated he had somewhat regretted making the game as difficult as it is, noting that it might have made players more "paranoid" about finding secrets in games.

The Wii Virtual Console release in 2009 was met with a largely negative reception in North America, with many criticizing the game's controls, high difficulty and design.

Thomas of IGN was the most critical of the game, lambasting its "arbitrary, off the wall" item requirements, slow pace, and high difficulty, calling it "woefully boring and pointless" to play.

Two Japanese mobile phone ports were released: the first was a Java version on November 1, 2002, followed by an i-Mode version on February 21, 2003.

Whitehead also criticized its hidden treasures for being too elusive and only appealing to dedicated players, but said it was an interesting gameplay idea.

The first was released in 1986, The Return of Ishtar, which was based on the original prototype for Druaga.

A Famicom prequel game, The Quest of Ki, was released in 1988 — controlling Ki, the player was to make it to the top of Druaga's tower in search of the Blue Crystal rod, leading up to the events of the first game.

In the "Cross Review" feature of the magazine Famitsu,the game scored a total of 21 out of 40. In the "Game Report Card" reader poll run by Family Computer Magazine,it scored 18.90 out of 30, as listed separately.

In the "Cross Review" of the game magazine Famitsu it received 6, 4, 7 and 5 for a total of 22 out of 40; in Monthly PC Engine it received 85, 90, 90, 80 and 80 for an average of 85 out of 100; in Marukatsu PC Engine it received 8, 8, 6 and 5 for a total of 27 out of 40; and in the "Game Report Card" based on reader voting in PC Engine FAN it was rated 20.62 out of 30, as listed separately.

This score also placed it 292nd among all PC Engine titles (485 titles in total, as of 1993).

In addition, entering the hidden command of the FC version on the title screen displays messages such as "There is no back side, you know", and there are other elements that play on past ported versions.

In the PlayStation version Namco Museum vol. 3, whose motto was a complete port including bugs and misprints, it was left as it was, but in the PSP version Namco Museum vol. 2 the correct spelling ("CONGRATULATIONS !

The same magazine's special supplement "Game Boy All Catalog" (1991-5-24 issue) compared it with the Family Computer version and noted that "the system has been changed considerably".

In 2004, Namco partnered with Arika to develop The Nightmare of Druaga: Fushigi no Dungeon for the PlayStation 2, one of the few Babylonian Castle Saga games to be localized outside Japan.

The same magazine's special supplement "Game Boy All Catalog" (1991-5-24 issue) compared it with the Family Computer version and noted that "the system has been changed considerably".