Forums

Topic: Which Dragon Quest game should I start out with?

Posts 1 to 12 of 12

Socar

I would like to try to get myself into the Dragon Quest series for three reasons.

1. To understand how FE borrows elements from Dragon Quest
2. To understand its appeal towards RPG gamers
3. For further studying for my own research.

Besides, many of you seem to complain that I only stick with Nintendo a lot so I thought I'd spend some time with a third party game instead.

I thought about getting Dragon Quest 8 ( the cursed kingdom I think) on the 3DS but I'm not sure if its the best place to start for me to be convinced that its worth trying it out.

Before that I want to know a few things.
1. Is this series force you to get other games to experience the overall story? Is it done so that you won't get that many references from other games?

2. How's the difficulty here? Like insane to the point that It will take weeks upon weeks to beat?

Edited on by Socar

After so long...I'm back. Don't ask why

Nintendo Network ID: ArtwarkSwark | Twitter:

RR529

1. Story wise, it's like Final Fantasy, where every entry is it's own seperate entity.

2. Gameplay is very old school JRPG. While there have been additions here & there (such as a Pokémon-esque monster recruitment feature), they all use the standard turn based battle system the series has been using since the beginning (along with random encounters). This consistency is appealing, because if you liked one, chances are you'll like the others (unlike, Final Fantasy, where the battle system can wildly change from entry to entry).

3. As for difficulty, there are times when you'll have to grind, but nothing insurmountable. You WILL have to make use of buffing & debuffing magic, at least moreso than any other JRPG series I've played (even basic enemies your own level can whallop you if you don't use magic to boost your stats, and lower theirs, asap).

4. For reference, I've played both IV & V (the Android versions, which are ports of the DS remakes), and I highly enjoyed them both.

Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)

RR529

@DarthNocturnal, ah, they may have done away with the random encounters in the newer games (again, I've only played the two I mentioned).

As for the mobile ports, the only irritation is the DRM. You can only play them with an internet connection, because they have to "authenticate" everytime you start them up (this doesn't last more than a second or two, though). Oh, you won't be able to play them for the first few hours after you buy them, though (for some reason, none of the SE games I've gotten on Android would pass the authentication screen for the first few hours after I bought them. Once they got through later in the day, though, they never had that issue again).

Other than that, they play fine, though. Movement in the overworld is handled via a digital analog nub, but I never had any issues since there's nothing that requires precision control. All combat is menu based, so it suits mobile just fine. No bugs, as far as I noticed.

EDIT: in terms of the analog nub, I should mention I played it on a 10 inch tablet, meaning there was a less chance of my finger slipping off of it (due to the larger real estate). It may be more difficult on a smaller screen, but again, there's nothing that requires precision control, so it shouldn't be too much of an issue (if at all).

Edited on by RR529

Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)

Tasuki

Oh I don't know where a good place will be to start. Maybe try the beginning you know Dragon Warrior/Quest on NES.

RetiredPush Square Moderator and all around retro gamer.

My Backlog

Nintendo Network ID: Tasuki311

RR529

Tasuki wrote:

Oh I don't know where a good place will be to start. Maybe try the beginning you know Dragon Warrior/Quest on NES.

Now, I don't know if it was intentional or not, but you sound a little snarky there. (Sorry if I read it wrong, though)

I know @Socar isn't the most agreeable user at times, but this here is a completely legitimate question/thread. I certainly wouldn't recommend someone start out with the NES versions of Zelda or Metroid if they were a newbie to those series (and I don't think I'd be alone in saying so), so I think it's completely fine for someone to wonder where to start, if there's not big plot implications. (Of course, some games may age better than others, and the original DQ may be one of those games, as I haven't played it, but enough don't age well, to make such questions legitimate).

Edited on by RR529

Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)

Socar

@RR529: Wait.....the android ports have DRM?!? I thought that they didn't have DRM at all! That's the big issue that I had with Chrono Trigger and well I didn't bother playing more because of it. For you see, in my area, internet is just poor.

You certain that all the DQ ports are DRM for Android?

After so long...I'm back. Don't ask why

Nintendo Network ID: ArtwarkSwark | Twitter:

jump

RR529 wrote:

Tasuki wrote:

Oh I don't know where a good place will be to start. Maybe try the beginning you know Dragon Warrior/Quest on NES.

Now, I don't know if it was intentional or not, but you sound a little snarky there. (Sorry if I read it wrong, though)

I know @Socar isn't the most agreeable user at times, but this here is a completely legitimate question/thread.

Maybe but he does have a history of bait and switch, ask a seeming simple question just to get an audience for his rants and the way he's keeps on going on about evil Square and their evil non-localizing of Dragon Quest recently I wouldn't rule it out.

Nicolai wrote:

Alright, I gotta stop getting into arguments with jump. Someone remind me next time.

Switch Friend Code: SW-8051-9575-2812 | 3DS Friend Code: 1762-3772-0251

Socar

DarthNocturnal wrote:

I did a search online, and it said that DQ's DRM is like the FF titles; it needs to do a "check-in" at startup only once every 5-10+ times being run. Otherwise, they can be played offline.

Shame other territories never got V and VI back in the day. Then we could put every DQ up till VI on Wii U and 3DS VC. But unless they decide to translate V and VI and release them that way anyway, the mobile ports are the only existing option....

EDIT: An alternative would be to put 1-3 on NES VC, then the DS remakes of IV-VI on Wii U VC. Or maybe provide them as digital DS titles on 3DS. We know it can be done, and the DS DQ games are rare, so I say it's time we take advantage of digital distribution.

EDIT 2: Let's throw in IX while we're at it

Funny...I never had that issue when playing Final Fantasy Tactics......nor does the reviews on the sites mention that they are DRM stuff in DQ android games.

After so long...I'm back. Don't ask why

Nintendo Network ID: ArtwarkSwark | Twitter:

Socar

Ok um....I guess I should have asked the question earlier....which game to start with?

After so long...I'm back. Don't ask why

Nintendo Network ID: ArtwarkSwark | Twitter:

RevolverLink

Socar wrote:

Ok um....I guess I should have asked the question earlier....which game to start with?

Well, Dragon Quest VIII was the first one I played and is still in the running for my favorite DQ overall - it's just a really strong all-around game with a lot of fun things to do and, more than a decade later, it's still beautiful. That one always comes highly recommended from me - I still think of it as the quintessential "Dragon Quest" adventure, though there's undoubtedly some biased nostalgia at play with my opinion there. My other big favorite is Dragon Quest V, which has my favorite story in the series, with really interesting, charming characters and a monster-recruiting element that eventually spun-off into the Dragon Quest Monsters sub-series.

Dragon Quest IV is a good starting point too, with a unique chapter structure that has you playing as the individual party members and experiencing each of their stories before they all join the protagonist later in the game. Dragon Quest IX is also a good entry point, though keep in mind that all of the party characters are silent, blank slates and, since the servers have been shut down, all of the expansive (and free) DLC for it is inaccessible unless you luck into a friend that has all of it on their cart. It's still a very meaty game without it though. And Dragon Quest III is probably the first DQ that's palatable by modern standards and it's still one of the most popular entries in Japan, though it's naturally more straightforward than the later games.

I'd avoid making I or II your first Dragon Quest. They're very important parts of video game history, but I, in particular, is about as old-school as JRPGs get and not in a good way. It's just a simple, dull grind imo. The GBC remakes (and presumably the mobile versions) are more playable, but they're still relatively basic NES games at their cores.

I'd also consider not making Dragon Quests VI or VII your first foray into the series. It's not that they aren't good, far from it, but they both take a REALLY long time to get going - you don't even unlock the class system in VI until 12-15 hours into the game and the PS1 version of VII infamously didn't have your first enemy encounter until 3-5 hours in. However, everything we've seen and read about 3DS remake of VII indicates that the beginning's pacing has been greatly overhauled and that the game overall has been made much more user-friendly than the original PS1 game, so maybe you should consider that entry when it comes out later this year.

Of course, what you can play all depends on what systems you have. I can't personally speak for how good the mobile versions are, though I've heard they're all competently done (granted, I have to imagine VIII naturally loses some of its majesty in the conversion). But with the DS, you have access to IV, V, VI and IX, while the 3DS, being backwards compatible, has those plus the upcoming re-releases of VII and VIII. And if you have a PS2 lying around somewhere, absolutely consider VIII, even with the 3DS version on the way.

The Revloggery

Switch Friend Code: SW-4605-3581-8608 | 3DS Friend Code: 4339-3392-1142 | Nintendo Network ID: RevolverLink

RevolverLink

As for difficulty, it can be steep at times, even in later games, but it's never insurmountable and victory is always meant to be achieved. It's actually one of the reasons why its been such a huge hit in Japan, even among people that don't normally play games. Combat is relatively simple and while an enemy may wipe out your party, you will always keep all of your experience and accomplishments when you die (so long as you save before you turn the game off, obviously), so you'll always be at least a little stronger the next time you face them. Just be sure to ALWAYS keep your buffs up during boss fights.

And like others in this thread have said, none of the game's stories are directly connected or even take place in the same world, aside from the first three. Like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest shares themes, monsters, items, spells, music and gameplay systems between entries, but every game is very much a standalone affair.

Edited on by RevolverLink

The Revloggery

Switch Friend Code: SW-4605-3581-8608 | 3DS Friend Code: 4339-3392-1142 | Nintendo Network ID: RevolverLink

the_shpydar

As a big DW/DQ fan, the first two games are amongst my favorites, but i have to agree with @RevolverLink that they are probably not the best place to start nowadays. I love them because i played them when they first came out, but they are a bit archaic in comparison to modern gameplay aesthetics and mechanics. If those things don't bother you, by all means start with the first two games — maybe the GBC or SFC remakes of them if you can, since they are a bit updated.

But the DS remake of IV is probably the best place to start, especially since it's also one of the best games in the entire series.

The Shpydarloggery
She-Ra is awesome. If you believe otherwise, you are clearly wrong.
Urban Champion is GLORIOUS.

Switch Friend Code: SW-5973-1398-6394 | 3DS Friend Code: 2578-3211-9319 | My Nintendo: theShpydar | Nintendo Network ID: theShpydar

  • Page 1 of 1

This topic has been archived, no further posts can be added.