I recently experienced my first proper Dragon Quest game with Chapters of the Chosen for the DS and have since fallen in love with the series. As a result of my sudden infatuation, I�ve set out to acquire and play through every localized Dragon Quest title right up until I replay the fourth entry� on the NES. And, so that I remember this occasion after I�ve moved on to the next amazing and shiny thing, I�ve decided to chronicle my adventures right here.

If you�ve played any of the games I�ll be talking about, I�d appreciate your comments as I don�t know anyone locally who I can talk to about this wonderful series.

Part One:

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King



Getting the Game:

This is bound to be the most boring �getting the game� as Dragon Quest VIII is still pretty new (2005) and still available in most stores. I managed to snag a used copy from Game Crazy for $12.99 and was able to enjoy the game for about 20 hours before I was stopped by an epic scratch on the bottom of the disc. I brought it back in to Game Crazy and, to my dismay, found out that they don�t give refunds for used games; they�ll only issue store credit� and they didn�t have another copy of the game. So I went to GameStop and picked up another used copy for the same price. And that�s why I now have two copies of Dragon Quest VIII.

Playing the Game:

Like I said before, I�ve only just completed my first proper Dra-Que title in the form of Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen for the DS. It was a great game and, despite its rather humble presentation, had a charming story and a rather clever way of telling it. Similarly, VIII seems to tell a rather simple story in a clever fashion by switching the chronology of the events around (a la Pulp Fiction). But quite different from IV is VIII�s presentation. After thirty hours of midi-music and modest polygonal architecture, I�m blown away by VIII�s elaborate design and orchestrated--ORCHESTRATED!--soundtrack.

Going back to similarities, though, what really surprises me is how little the series� mechanics have changed from its fourth title to its eighth. With the exception of a few miniscule changes, the menu navigation, battle systems, items, and even many of the monsters are exactly the same. Not that I�m complaining; I was delighted to be able to sink my teeth into the game without having to learn how to play it. It was instantly familiar and altogether new. Seriously, I�m happy to know what a metal slime is worth right from the get-go.

In about twenty hours of playtime, I feel I�ve gotten a pretty good grasp on the story, and it�s got me sucked in something fierce. I�m no good at summarizing things like this (I�m far enough into the game that I�d probably just confuse rather than shed any light), so here�s a portion of a review by former Gamespot editor Bethany Massimilla:

�An evil wizard named Dhoulmagus has seized a legendary scepter, cursing the castle from which it was taken and turning the king into a toadlike creature and the princess into a horse. You (a palace guard and hero of this tale) were the only other inhabitant of the castle to survive the tragic events, and you set off with King Trode, the equine Medea, and a portly companion named Yangus to track down the foul magician.�

The story has become a little darker at this point, as Dhoulmagus has since murdered a number of people and left a few areas in shambles. He�s become really powerful, and I�ve come across many townsfolk that say they�ve seen a mysterious jester walking across the ocean. Creepy.

Oh yeah, also, I keep dying. A lot. Another thing that this game shares with its previous entries is the need to grind, and I can�t seem to do it enough. I find myself using the �heal all� macro after almost every single battle, and when in dungeons, Jessica pretty much checks out at the door. Luckily, Angelo recently learned �Zing!� which revives fallen party members. No, there are no Phoenix Downs; before learning �Zing!� you have to take fallen party members to a church and pay to have them revived. On the upside, however, you don�t lose any experience points, items, or equipment when you die... just half the gold in your bag. That�s a bummer, for sure, but at least you can store your money at a bank for safekeeping. If only I had Torneko�s steel strongbox!

Just very recently, I�d finally obtained a boat to travel the world with. As I set sail, I was immediately stopped by a terrible scratch on the game disk that turned my game into a screenshot. After a big hullabaloo about getting another copy of the game, I made my way to a big casino town called Baccarat. Unfortunately, the casino is closed� the owner, Golding, is rumored to have been murdered by a mysterious jester, and his two kids, Cash & Carrie (heh), have set out to avenge him.

More after I track down his kiddies� does anyone know where the heck they are?!??

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Total elapsed time across entire Dragon Quest series: 54 hours, 32 minutes. (IV & VIII)
Total amount of money spent on Dragon Quest Series: ~$100.00 (IV, VIII twice, and adorable slime controller)