I have only ever really played the first game on the GBC but I will say it hits a lot of the same sweet spot that Phantasy Star 1 hits for me of being a simple straight forward RPG that I can just play to pass the time. I mostly played it in bed when I was having trouble sleeping and it was great for just calming my mind and my hands. I think I will one day play V at least as it is held in such high regard and that era of RPGs is super important to me.
I’ve found I don’t really like the 3D Dragon Quest games for some reason. There’s some weird part of my brain that likes the classic, whimsical adventures of the earlier entries, but finds it boring when that same formula is fully fleshed out into 3D environments. I don’t know.
Anyway it snowed here a few weeks ago and I woke up in the mood to sit down with DQ V (SFC) for the first time. Binged it over the next few days and boy, is that a _very good_ video game. It’s a nice feeling when you fire up a game commonly referred to as an all-timer and just _get it_ from the jump.
The only DQ I've ever played was VIII which I bought just for the FF12 demo disk. I got maybe 4-5 hours in and then lost interest.
_I am ashamed_
I'd like to get DQXI for the PS4 and give it another go 'round.
i‘m real good at playing and then not beating Dragon Quest games. i love them and they’re super pleasant, but i usually end up hitting a point where i feel like i've gotten what i need out of the game?
IV is my favorite (and i beat it!), but i still haven't played V! i still plan to beat XI, one day, although i keep wondering if i should just get XI S and restart? probably not, no.
Oh wait, DQXIS is on the Switch?! That owns.
I love most of DQ but can not get past the puff puff and the bunny girls and its pervy sense of humor. That stuff is so jarring in an otherwise family friendly game that it seems more obscene than similar stuff in say Persona. It's just a real bummer how prominent it is in every entry
I love the Dragon Quest series, they're hands-down my favorite RPGs. I played through all of the numbered games that were released in the US in order, starting with 1-3 on the GBC, 4-6 on the DS, 7 on PS1, 8 on PS2, 9 on DS, and 11 on PS4.
There's something to be said for playing all the games in order and seeing how they build on their own ideas, but I'll admit this is too awkward for most folks. The second one is definitely the worst of the series. The first one has a minimalist charm but the second one explodes that in a way that feels cumbersome outside of its historical context. However the third one is SO GOOD and is loosely connected to the first two in a way that makes it kind of worth playing through all three in order as long as you have the patience and dedication it takes to get through the second. If nothing else it's a more enjoyable game than Final Fantasy II.
I'll rank my three favorites for the series:
**Dragon Quest III** - this is the one that cemented my love of the series, the job system is so much fun and the mechanics of this game feel PERFECT. The story and the world are good too!
**Dragon Quest VII** - probably the most decisive entry in the series, it's extremely long and takes a few hours before you even have a combat encounter, so I don't recommend it to newcomers to the series. But if you've already drunk the DQ Kool-Aide it's exquisite. The world is VAST, the story is great, and it feels like a game I never wanted to end and it JUST KEPT GOING. There's a story about one area that has my favorite DQ moment. I really need to revisit it and play the 3DS remake
**Dragon Quest V** - there's a reason this one is as popular as it is, the story is great and hooks you pretty early. I really ought to replay this one myself to experience a different marriage option
I'll echo the consensus that DQ XI is the best jumping on point for the series. It delivers everything a fan would want from the series with some new features that make the game more approachable for folks who don't play retro games. Plus it's easily available on all current-gen platforms. My only caveat to this one is that the "post-game" content is not the "optional extra challenge" it is in other games, it's actually a full 1/3 of the game and propels the story forward in some surprising ways. If someone stops after the first ending, I feel like they'll be kind of let down.
Another aspect to DQ I really like is that ALL the Dragon Quest games are _real_ Dragon Quest games. Even if you're playing a weird spinoff that looks like a ripoff of Pokemon (Monsters) or Minecraft (Builders), you're getting a finely crafted experience from Yuji Hori, music by Koichi Sugiyama, and art by Akira Toriyama. It's not like Final Fantasy, where most fans consider spinoffs like Mystic Quest, Legends, or Crystal Chronicles to be something different.
I can gush about the series endlessly...
I feel like I hear that among Japanese players, III has the kind of BGOAT reputation that FFVI or VII has in the US. I‘m interested in it for that reason. On one of the promotional streams the Eiyuden Chronicle team did, a couple of the team members said DQIII was their favorite RPG. Also in an article on Kotaku about Dragon Quest speedrunners heating up their consoles to trigger a level 99 glitch, the game they’re doing it in is III.
Damn I forgot I also played IX until about halfway through, mostly at a laundromat, I only remember that a bald dude with a headband was a prominent member of my team
@Nemoide#12273
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The second one is definitely the worst of the series.
Okay. Thank you. Because I bounced of that one really hard going into it after the first (since they are on the same cartridge). It just felt like such a slog in comparison. Glad to hear 3 is a big step up. There's something cozy about playing a JRPG on GBC.
Dragon Quest 3: The Seeds of Salvation is on sale on the Switch store for like $8. Yeah, or nah for a DQurious individual like myself?
@CidNight#12303 I got that recently too but haven‘t started it. People will tell you to play the SNES versions with a translation patch… and they’re not incorrect, but there‘s nothing “wrong” with the Switch DQ III. It’s still the same great game. Maybe look at some videos to see if you like the UI/design.
@sotojuan#12305 Looking at the images on the nintendo website, it does have a weird looking “updated” vibe to it that is a little reminiscent of (although not as bad as) the FF6 iOS version. I don‘t think doing an SNES cart is in the cards for me, so it’s probably the Switch version or bust.
yeah, i can't really take the look of the Switch DQ rereleases - definitely reminiscent of mobile game hell (those fonts! what the hell?!) - but also, i want an easy way to play the DQ games on my Switch. sigh, choices
@isfet#12337 My main issue is the same as the 2D mode in XI - the enemies have no attack animations. It‘s a weird hybrid of 16-bit and 8-bit design. The SNES remake of DQ III has attack animations, if you don’t mind emulation and using a fan translation.
At the end of the day all of these versions are still DQ III, and I personally find kvetching about different versions a little boring, but just figured I'd give a heads up on the Switch version.
anyone else love this song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncLJyiPTmQ4
@Syzygy#12304 and anyone else: if FF3 was chasing DQ3, at what point did FF stop taking cues from DQ?
Don’t know about internal motivations but FFVII/VIII vs DQ VII I think
@tapevulture#12400 I do!
Koichi Sugiyama also did the music for Godzilla vs. Biollante, and it is _so weird_ watching a Godzilla movie where all the music sounds like Dragon Quest
https://youtu.be/J4fTB_rlQQ8
https://youtu.be/Tfi4vJ287Tc
@GigaSlime#12433 That movie rules
Godzilla vs Korea