Don’t go changing. A Dragon Quest retrospective.

For those that have been visiting my review site for a while, you might have noticed a bunch of reviews (often in near-succession) for games in the Dragon Quest series. One might think that I gained a sudden interest in the series. That’s partially true. I actually played the first Dragon Quest game (while it was still referred to as Dragon Warrior) on the Game Boy Color. It was released alongside Dragon Quest (or Warrior) II in a collection. After I finished the first one, I immediately started the second. I never finished it and, after that, I invariably disconnected years ago.

Fun fact: that was over two decades ago. To this day, I’m still not sure why I stopped caring about the series back then. Nor am I sure why I started becoming interested in it again. Hell, I’m not even sure why I decided to write this retrospective on it. Kind of like my thoughts on the series as a whole, I can already tell that this retrospective is going to be kind of all over the place. When it comes to getting back into the series, I think a catalyst was receiving a collection of the first three games on the Switch. That definitely sparked something. But, the question was do I restart with Dragon Quest II or begin anew with Dragon Quest III? I restarted with Dragon Quest II, and it almost got to a point where I thought the series just wasn’t going to do it for me after all this time. Still, I’m glad I stuck with it because it made getting into Dragon Quest III much sweeter. If there was ever a game where people new to the series should start, it’s Dragon Quest III.

I had a lot of fun with Dragon Quest III. Obviously, I wanted more. I wanted more turn-based combat. I wanted more of Toriyama’s artwork despite not liking it one lick. I wanted more. But why? When you think about it, Dragon Quest is as basic as it gets when it comes to RPGs. Other than Dragon Quest XI – the entry that FINALLY modernized the series (and even that’s a stretch) – every game is nearly identical to the last. You have a party of heroes partaking in the most basic of turn-based combat. Said combat usually occurs when you’re wandering the world map or a dungeon. And, it occurs often thanks to a high encounter rate. Then, there’s actually figuring out how to move the plot forward. Let’s not forget about how funds are constantly in low supply, how bosses tend to get more turns than they should be allowed, the ridiculous localizations, and/or the tedious item management. If any of the above were found in a game that wasn’t titled Dragon Quest, then it would be lambasted from top to bottom.

I’m still not fully sure why Dragon Quest gets a pass. My guess is its pedigree. The series has been around for years and years. It’s seen spinoffs, remakes, remasters, and more. Clearly, it has its fans. Hell, I remember reading about Japan literally shutting down on the days a new Dragon Quest got released. Don’t get me wrong; I had a lot of fun with most of the entries but none of them warranted me taking a day off from work just to dedicate to them. The only game where I called off the day of release day was Final Fantasy XIII – so not worth the PTO. At any rate, when a series is around for such a long time, and when its fanbase is that invested in it, then it feels like there really is no choice but to give it a pass with all it does wrong. I never did in any my reviews. I’m confident others did, though.

I think the biggest offender is Dragon Quest VIII. It is quintessential Dragon Quest through and through. It’s often regarded as the best in the series. It’s a fun game but the flaws are tangible. I say this having played the remastered version of it on the 3DS. AKA the version that fixed some of the original game’s problems. Then there’s Dragon Quest IX. My oh my, when it comes to taking liberties with translations, one need to look no further than Dragon Quest IX. The game is dull as crap, too. But, again, there are fans of it that have logged over 200 hours into it. I don’t get it. It’s the one game in the series I dropped before finishing. I logged about 20 hours in it before realizing I was beyond bored.

But, I do get that, despite each game’s flaw, the classic approach to role-playing has a such a comforting, familiar appeal. I knew what I was getting into before starting a new game in each new entry. Since I knew what I was getting into, I knew how to approach each new journey. As a result, I enjoyed (most of) the journeys and seeing the teams come together to take down evil. I enjoyed hearing everyone’s thoughts on the current situation via Party Chat. I enjoyed learning how to take advantage of the job systems found in the games that featured them. I just enjoyed the series despite it never evolving. It’s strange to think about Dragon Quest XI being the first game in the series to feature modern touches.

So, is the series worth checking out? Yes and no. You’re not missing a thing by skipping the first two games. You’re also going to save yourself a lot of frustration by skipping the PlayStation release Dragon Quest VII and the PlayStation 2 release of Dragon Quest VIII. Finally, avoid Dragon Quest IX. Please. It’s just too extra for all the wrong reasons. But, that’s just my opinion. I think starting with Dragon Quest III is the best approach. My favorite is Dragon Quest IV, so if you go sequentially then you’ll be able to dive into it not long after. From that point, play them as you like.

I’m glad that I decided to dive back into the series after over 20 years had passed. Most of the time, playing through a series with titles released from the late 80s to the current day really lets you see how far a series has come. In the case of Dragon Quest, it shows you how stubborn its creators are when it comes to change. Maybe that’s another part of its charm? Who knows. If there is ever a Dragon Quest XII or a revamp of the older titles, then I’ll be curious to see what exactly it is they do differently. If anything. I need to conclude this little retrospective with a shoutout to my fellow gaming buddy and all-around cool dude, Horith. If there was ever a SME for Dragon Quest, then it’s him. I had a lot of questions about a few of the games before going in and he was more than eager to help answer those questions.