Sorry, I am not the hippest on fan translations and patches so this might remain a Japanese exclusive experience but the general sentiment is that the PS2 remake of Dragon Quest V is the best version of the game, closely followed by the NDS version. (The iOS port is based on the NDS version so anything below applies to the iOS version equally.)
The NDS version is a strange animal because it is not based on the pre-existing PS2 remake. Rather, it re-uses the engine of DQ4 NDS, which itself seemed to be adapting the engine of DQ4 PS1 (which used the same engine as DQ7 PS1).
As a result, the NDS version of DQ5 has less animations (cutscenes, enemies etc.) and less unique graphics (NPC models, building models) than the PS2 version, since it re-uses many assets from DQ4 NDS. I like the DS soundtrack (once again using the same virtual instruments as DQ4) but most people will also lament that the PS2’s orchestrated soundtrack is missing from the DS version.
On the other hand, the NDS version changes many more things than the PS2 version. I don’t think it’s accurate to describe it as 1:1 faithful remake, for instance. There is one new [size=11]{small in-game feature spoiler}[/size] ||possible heroine to marry (although her plotline is really tacked on)||, Boss battles have been rebalanced, battles are faster, menus/UI has been improved, one notoriously frustrating dungeon has been slightly redesigned etc. And obviously, it’s on a handheld.
So it kinda depends whether presentation or comfort matters more to you. Personally, I like the DS version more but I am pretty sure I am in the minority. Furthermore, I am also among the minority of people who prefer DQ4 and DQ6 to DQ5 so the homogeneous graphics for all three NDS remakes never were a problem for me. My hardcore DQ-loving friends swear by DQ5 above all and they were definitely a bit disappointed by the DS version.
I don’t know of anyone who would advise playing the SFC version but I am sure such purists exist. I honestly can’t see why you would prefer that version unless you have played it back then and have personal memories attached to that version. The graphics and UI of the game were already thought of as archaic by ^1995~1996.
I don’t think it’s comparable with Chrono Trigger since that game looked fantastic from the get-go and kept exporting the same Super Famicom assets to each platform (SFC → PS1 → DS → Steam), resolution and interface be damned. All three versions of DQ5 have a pretty distinct look. I also think the changes of DQ5 DS are more pertinent (or at worst completely inoffensive like the potential spoiler above) compared to the superfluous additions of Chrono Trigger’s re-releases.
@"captain"#p41599 I happen to know the people in charge of translating DQ5 in French (that’s how I found out about the remakes’ existence haha). Honestly can’t remember any problem with the French translation, although ① we were so happy to have the game officially released in French that we would have been lenient with the translation quality anyway, and ② standards may have been raised since then? But SQEX has been generally been pretty strong with EFIGS translations since the mid-2000s. Pretty much since FF12, they have taken the job very seriously.
Regarding the translation of the NDS remake trilogy, the huge complain about DQ4’s translation was not the quality of the script but the decision to remove the party chat feature (in all non-Japanese languages). Following the backlash, they did keep and translate party chat for DQ5 and DQ6.