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Topic: Dragon Quest Discussion

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Socar

Hm....no one's made a thread of this series yet...odd.

Anyways, you know the drill. Post stuff about Dragon Quest blah blah blah.

So I decided to get the first one and I'm already confused at what to do here.....Where do I go? What am I suppose to do? And how to beat the game?

Forgive me here because this is the first Dragon Quest game I'm playing now. I know that I could get the later ones but as a game designer, I think I should learn the series from the start.

EDIT: Ok seriously now. I really need help on what I'm suppose to do. I'm currently on level 7 and I haven't even found the first of the three sages. Come on, tell me what the hell I'm suppose to do? Is this game Non-Linear or something?

Also, this is an android port so if at all I have to rely on the original NES guide, can anyone tell me differences between the remake and the original so that it'll be easier for me to progress?

Edited on by Socar

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KingMike

I only know about the NES/SFC/GBC versions but... the first Dragon Quest is sort of an open world game. (though it's not a terribly huge world) You just find where you can go, without dying. HINT: Bridges usually lead to more deadly enemies.

The first of the three "sages", unless it's been changed, should be north-west of the forest town on the eastern side of the world. (I think it was called Kol in either the NES or GBC, don't know if they've renamed stuff yet again)

KingMike

Socar

@KingMike Ah. I figured that it was sort of open world at the start. I can't seem to figure out where I'm suppose to go or what wrong I'm doing it...and then later on, I sort of realized that its open ended.

Currently I'm at level 7 and I can't seem to make any progress. I managed to get 1000 gold. I'm assuming that I need to get the full plate inorder to get the highest defense possible?

How do I actually get to the dragonlord's castle? Is it accessible even without the sages?

EDIT: Also, how to actually see the first sage? Do I need a magic key?

Edited on by Socar

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KingMike

Full Plate isn't the highest, either. The better stuff is in the west (but that's also where the strongest enemies are. On the NES, I wouldn't even think of going there until like at least level 15.)
The BEST armor is a puzzle for later.
The entrance to Dragonlord's castle will be revealed near the end of the game, only after meeting all the sages.
The first Key Shop you can access (there is a key shop in the castle at the start of the game, as I remember, but it's only good for refilling your key stock since you need a key first), is in the town on the southeast island. (the town was previously called Rimuldur.) Though the key shop in that town is meant to be a little tricky to find. On the NES, there was a one-tile wide path you could walk around the edge of town without crossing the invisible map boundary (exiting the town).

KingMike

Socar

Ok......but that still gives me no clue where I'm suppose to go though...

Managed to get to lv 9.

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Pho

Dragon Quest 8 is my favorite game of all time. Played it at least 10 times, and I rarely play a game twice. That's how much I adore it.
Then I played DQ 4, 5 (which I quite enjoyed), 9 and waiting for 6 to arrive in the mail now.

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Socar

So now I'm finally getting the hang of things and...its not anywhere as frustrating as Phantasy Star and 2 in terms of grinding for exp and money. Infact, its kinda giving me that feeling that Phantasy Star gave me. Not much of gameplay but great setting.....but I still love Phantasy Star better.

Odd to see how this series is outsold by Final Fantasy... of course, part of the reason that DQ is region exclusive i guess.

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Socar

I wanted to get the powerful sword in DQ1 but what happened was that I ended up checking out how hard the boss was.....until I beated him at lv 20.........wow.

This.....I don't know what to think........Do I need to get more of the series? At this point, I don't know if I need to get more DQ games.......

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RR529

I've only played the mobile versions of IV & V, but I really liked them both. I'd get more, but I don't like spending money on mobile (I only got those 2, and FFIV, because I was gifted some Google Play cards for Christmas a couple years ago, and SE was having a sale on their games at the time).

I liked how the core mechanics pretty much stayed the same between the two (which I hear is sort of a trademark of the series), while they instead did unique things with the narrative structure to make themselves stand out. With IV each party member had their own little adventure you had to play through before the main thing really started. While in V, you start out as a kid travelling with your father, actively grow up through the adventure, and end up travelling with your own children by game's end.

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Indy83

Socar wrote:

Hm....no one's made a thread of this series yet...odd.

Anyways, you know the drill. Post stuff about Dragon Quest blah blah blah.

So I decided to get the first one and I'm already confused at what to do here.....Where do I go? What am I suppose to do? And how to beat the game?

Forgive me here because this is the first Dragon Quest game I'm playing now. I know that I could get the later ones but as a game designer, I think I should learn the series from the start.

EDIT: Ok seriously now. I really need help on what I'm suppose to do. I'm currently on level 7 and I haven't even found the first of the three sages. Come on, tell me what the hell I'm suppose to do? Is this game Non-Linear or something?

Also, this is an android port so if at all I have to rely on the original NES guide, can anyone tell me differences between the remake and the original so that it'll be easier for me to progress?

Untitled

Edited on by Indy83

Indy83

Socar

@DarthNocturnal I played a third party game. Happy? Cause I didn't like the first one.

I'm now really wondering if it can only get better after 1. Do I really need to get into DQ to develop my tastes? Can't I just be fine with Nintendo games alone? If the first game wasn't even close to fun, how will the other games get any better?

I'm now even wondering if at all DQ8 really is the game that I should regret not getting or regret getting.

Edited on by Socar

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Indy83

Socar wrote:

@DarthNocturnal I played a third party game. Happy? Cause I didn't like the first one.

I'm now really wondering if it can only get better after 1. Do I really need to get into DQ to develop my tastes? Can't I just be fine with Nintendo games alone? If the first game wasn't even close to fun, how will the other games get any better?

I'm now even wondering if at all DQ8 really is the game that I should regret not getting or regret getting.

Yes the series gets better... But honestly that's just not saying much.... The first game is really mediocre... A turn based RPG with just one party member?
Mediocre goes a long way to describing most of the series really.

Braindead, simplistic boring, unengaging, the series is super celebrated in Japan, I can only guess because it may have been the first game Japans most beloved gag artist did the art for...

The series barely got any attention outside of Japan... Probably because the rest of the world sees it as bland and mediocre. Things don't get better with SNES, they don't get better with psx, even squares 5th gen rpg's which were a straight de-evolution of end of fourth gen rpg's (with scant exceptions like half of xenogears) completely curb stomp dragon quest/warriors 5th gen rpg's.

8 is the one exception, as it just blows everything else in the series out of the water...

Honestly, if you want to experience 3rd and 4th gen rpg's there is quite a long list of games better than the dragon quest series.

Indy83

Socar

@Indy83 I don't know if that was sarcasm there or if it was something you really just meant. Cause even a lot of Nintendo fans seem to adore the series.

Well...I didn't find the first one bad....I just found it bland. It was easy and yeah, I can see why Iwata-San praised it at the time, but as a remake....i kinda expected something else like better English for instance.

Again, I don't know if I can get into the series at all....something which I find odd since this gave me the same feeling that Phantasy Star 2 did. Frustrating Gameplay but amazing worlds. In PS2, it worked. It had great atmosphere, amazing soundtrack and a great story.

Here.....it only has a great setting and nothing else.

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Indy83

Socar wrote:

@Indy83 I don't know if that was sarcasm there or if it was something you really just meant. Cause even a lot of Nintendo fans seem to adore the series.

Well...I didn't find the first one bad....I just found it bland. It was easy and yeah, I can see why Iwata-San praised it at the time, but as a remake....i kinda expected something else like better English for instance.

Again, I don't know if I can get into the series at all....something which I find odd since this gave me the same feeling that Phantasy Star 2 did. Frustrating Gameplay but amazing worlds. In PS2, it worked. It had great atmosphere, amazing soundtrack and a great story.

Here.....it only has a great setting and nothing else.

Well, then play other games in the series and tell me which you think it is.

But for the record, you are going to be repeating that last sentence of yours a lot in your head ....

I suggest you save yourself the headache and go for ff4, ff6, or chrono trigger if you want some great design lessons...

Unless you just really want to experience bland unengaging design from the 80's and 90's.

Indy83

Fiyaball

My family owns 1-9 in some form. (I own them all except 7, which my sister has) I've only beat 9,6, and 3 (in that order). I'll probably continue 4/5 sometime after my SMT 4 addiction is finished. (which will take a while )

Fiyaball

CanisWolfred

Socar wrote:

@Indy83 I don't know if that was sarcasm there or if it was something you really just meant. Cause even a lot of Nintendo fans seem to adore the series.

Well...I didn't find the first one bad....I just found it bland. It was easy and yeah, I can see why Iwata-San praised it at the time, but as a remake....i kinda expected something else like better English for instance.

Again, I don't know if I can get into the series at all....something which I find odd since this gave me the same feeling that Phantasy Star 2 did. Frustrating Gameplay but amazing worlds. In PS2, it worked. It had great atmosphere, amazing soundtrack and a great story.

Here.....it only has a great setting and nothing else.

I'd actually say Indy83 was being pretty harsh. I definitely won't say he's wrong - Dragon's Quest is intentionally basic and formulaic (at least after DQ2), at least in terms of story and combat. Oh yeah, and it'll always be grind-y, but at least it's never as bad as the first two games. But I think he makes it sound worse than it is, and they definitely improve with each entry, once the series gets its footing. By the third game, you'll always have good idea of where to go next, and if you spend your gold wisely, and explore the world thoroughly, you usually don't have to do a lot of grinding all at once...just a little between each destination.

With that said, what you described as the strengths are generally always there, and they only get better with each each entry (especially 5-9). More atmosphere, better music, a large and explorable world full of life and color - That's why people like these games. They don't need the combat to be complicated - they always add layers of depth so you always have more things to do and work towards, but it's mostly things like class skills and monster medals, or game-specific stuff like recruitable monsters or class-switching.

I guess, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" sums up the series best. I recommend giving it another shot...though, you might want to avoid DQ2, since it's a lot like Phantasy Star II...except even Phantasy Star II is better and....well, you've played PSII. I think you know where I'm going with this...

And while I'm on that topic, play Phantasy Star IV if you haven't already. It really does redeem the series. I loved the first game, but I'll admit I gave it a lot of slack considering its age (it apparently came out before FF1, even). PSIV didn't need the excuse as much. Only major complaint I can level at it is that it's still pretty grind-y, but that was the standard of the genre at the time...at least until FF6 unintentionally proved that when you take away the barriers to entry, and just let people enjoy the vibrant world and characters you put in so much effort to make, you suddenly wind up with a lot more fans. It's not nearly as bad as the first 3 games in terms of grind, though. Admittedly, the encounter rate might have something to do with that - it's still a little too high, even for the standards of the time...retro RPGs will always be a test of your patience to some degree...

Edited on by CanisWolfred

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Socar

@CanisWolfred Yeah, I already played Phantasy Star 4 and I loved it....though it makes me wonder why a Phantasy Star V can never happen.

As for DQ.....ok, I'll give it another shot. You sure I can skip directly to three instead of going to order? Is DQ2 considered the blacksheep of the series or something?

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the_shpydar

@Socar DQ2 isn't a black-sheep game at all; i think @CanisWolfred was getting at is that the second game is very much like the first, just with an expanded world and two additional characters in your party (not to mention that there's a ridiculous spike in difficulty once you get to the last parts of the game, which will require you to grind to an insane degree). I'd say you could even jump straight to 4, which is one of best entries in the entire series.

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CanisWolfred

the_shpydar wrote:

@Socar DQ2 isn't a black-sheep game at all; i think @CanisWolfred was getting at is that the second game is very much like the first, just with an expanded world and two additional characters in your party (not to mention that there's a ridiculous spike in difficulty once you get to the last parts of the game, which will require you to grind to an insane degree). I'd say you could even jump straight to 4, which is one of best entries in the entire series.

Yeah, it's not really much of a step up. I can enjoy the first, but only because it's quick and I already know where everything is now after multiple playthroughs. It also has a sort of rustic charm to it that few other RPGs can (or should, honestly) match. But I think that charm wore out its welcome by the end of DQ2, and it doesn't do anything that games like Final Fantasy and Phantasy Star didn't do better.

As for Dragon Quest 3, the GBC version is actually tied with Dragon Quest IV as one of my favorite RPGs, and I think the mobile version is based on that remake. (EDIT: No, it's based on the SFC version, but the GBC version didn't add as much as I thought it did. But the mobile versions cut out the monster animations for some reason...) Coming off of DQ1, I think it'd actually be a good next stop, especially considering its story connections. I wouldn't fault anybody for skipping to IV and beyond, though.

Speaking of DQ4, I've played both the DS and NES versions (twice!), and I'm surprised by how little they actually needed to change compared to the first 3. Outside of cosmetics, I think all they did was adjust the difficulty so it's not quite as grindy, and maybe added a few story-bits to flesh out the main villain. I think even Mini-Medals/TinyMedals started with that one.

Edited on by CanisWolfred

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Moroboshi876

I unearth this thread because I wanted to know if (well, where) there is merchandising of the series with affordable prices on the internet. I mean specific stores, because in eBay you can find something every now and then, but I'm having difficulty finding figures of characters.

I was in Japan in 2016, the 30th anniversary of the series, and I found plushes and monsters, most of all. But I'd rather buy figurines of the human characters.

Thanks

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