One of the most delightful, charming and relaxing RPG ever made. The series is very good at keeping things traditional and recognizable without reinventing the wheel. The roster of playable characters is intentionally small but it works because in that way you can relate to the characters even more. If you like RPG's, it's a must-play.
Dragon Quest VIII is wonderful. It is without a doubt one of the best adventure and RPG games out there, and it was a true evolution for the DQ series by presenting a world with open areas in full 3D, small improvements in gameplay, a sublime soundtrack with orchestration and a cast of characters and story on a slightly more concentrated scale, but allowing it to shine more, and end up making it one of the best titles for PS2.
As opposed to other popular PS2 RPGs like Final Fantasy X, or even the previous game in the series, Dragon Quest VII, which had a very linear structure focused entirely on presenting strong narrative arcs, Dragon Quest VIII on the other hand has a more classic take on the genre. This game presents us with a large world, and we can cross into it as we want and when we want as in the JRPGs of the SNES era, the structure is open, although there will be some places inaccessible for plot reasons or because we will need a special vehicle to access them. There is no minimap or markers, but only an extremely minimalist interface that will only show us a compass with which to orient ourselves, and this lack of an explicit path to follow elevates the sense of adventure, because discovering places is something we have to do on our own, all this while an eminent and relaxing melody sounds that result in exploring and being in the world of this game is a joy.
This time we take the role of an adventurer who is traveling with an ex-bandit, a mare and a minitroll, however, the latter two are actually a princess and a king (as the title of the game says). So they find themselves traveling the world to find Dhoulmagus, the one responsible for the terrible curse. The story and premise are pretty simple as usual in the series, but it shines by having a charismatic cast of characters, a lot of small plot arcs with fun and interesting characters with some touching moments, and many magical moments and locations that make it a memorable journey.
Dragon Quest VIII has beautiful cel-shaded graphics based heavily on Akira Toryama's art style, but at the same time also being reminiscent of Dark Cloud 2's graphics as both titles were developed by Level-5. The world is in full 3D and the camera is not fixed but fully rotational, allowing us to appreciate the beauty of the landscapes in all their splendor. There are many places that are breathtaking and really worth admiring. This game really does a good job in giving more personality to the Dragon Quest world thanks to its graphics, the NPCs and also the monsters. I'm sure many people came to this game because they recognized Akira Toriyama's drawings. It's a game that looks good not only for the time, but it still looks good today.
One thing I do have to point out is that the pacing of this game is a bit slow. Normally getting from one place to another usually takes time due to the size of the map, and also because the battles are random and this time they take a little longer, this is because for the first time in the series we will be able to see our party in combat, so the game was given special attention to make the combat more spectacular, with a lot of animations for each attack and action that occurs in the battles, which certainly gives a little more excitement and life to this aspect of the game. Other additions that were made to the gameplay is that you can now select which specific monster you want to attack when monsters are grouped together, which is a very welcome change. Speaking of my favorite, the "tension" system is the newest addition to the series in terms of gameplay and it's pretty simple to understand; through the "psyche up" command we can accumulate these tension points to make our attacks or spells more powerful, for example, the heal spell can restore more than 30HP if we psyche up in the previous turn, and this is a great mechanic, as it opens a range of possibilities to create new tactics in battles, and the best thing about this is that we can use the command several times until we reach a limit of 100 tension points, which will allow us to unleash a very powerful attack, sometimes even being possible to defeat enemies with just two hits in this way, although be careful, because if you neglect too much your overall strategy you may end up being defeated.
This game leaves aside the class system that the series has been using since DQVI, and instead presents a simpler approach. In this game there will only be 4 members in your party for the whole game, the hero, who knows a bit about everything, Yangus, who is the tank of the party, but has no magic, Jessica who is the mage of the party and is especially good with whips, and Angelo, who is a priest and has a decent physical attack. It might sound a bit boring, however this game introduces skill points, which we gain every time we level up and we can invest in some talent, for example, the hero can equip swords and spears, and if we invest skill points in these talents we can unlock special abilities that are quite useful. It is a simple customization system, but it is effective and can be an incentive to experiment if you replay this game in the future.
There is also an alchemy system, which is very cool, as it allows you to combine items to get new and better ones. The only downside is that this has a waiting time, and that sometimes figuring out the recipes can be very difficult, so on the latter it is sometimes not a bad idea to consult a guide.
This game also has a side quest of monster tournaments in the purest style of Dragon Quest Monsters, although a little more simplified. Basically, we can recruit some monsters that we find scattered around the map (they are the only ones that are not random battles), and they can join us to fight in the arena. It is quite entertaining to do this side-quest and also gives some pretty good rewards, as well as the ability to use your team of monsters outside the arena in normal battles.
The soundtracks that the series has featured have always been splendid, but this time, Koichi Sugiyama delights us with what is probably one of his best soundtracks ever made. Since the second game I was always a big fan of the music in this franchise, it was always in MIDI, so I didn't really think the orchestrated music was a big deal, but it is. Not only does it make the game more atmospheric, but many of the scenes hit harder thanks to this, although with this I don't mean to say that the MIDI soundtrack of this game is bad, because I listened to it and I thought it was just as good, only that the symphonic version really makes it stand out more.
And lastly, speaking in general terms of the story, I loved it. It's great to have a Dragon Quest that revolves more around our party rather than saving the world, and each of the characters is very charismatic and likable. I also like that, although simplified, the party chat from DQVII is back, you just press start and your companions will have some dialogue about what is happening at that instant in the story. It really feels like you are traveling with people who feel close to you and by the end of the adventure you will have a great attachment to them. At the end I was so moved that I will not deny it, I even let out a few tears, maybe of happiness, or maybe of sadness to know that this wonderful adventure had already come to an end.
Conslusion
Dragon Quest VIII easily became one of my favorites. Although at the beginning it seemed to me that it was a little far from what a Dragon Quest is for me, looking back, it is a game that not only modernizes and evolves the formula in some aspects, but at the same time remains totally faithful to the original essence.
It has truly been an unforgettable adventure.
As opposed to other popular PS2 RPGs like Final Fantasy X, or even the previous game in the series, Dragon Quest VII, which had a very linear structure focused entirely on presenting strong narrative arcs, Dragon Quest VIII on the other hand has a more classic take on the genre. This game presents us with a large world, and we can cross into it as we want and when we want as in the JRPGs of the SNES era, the structure is open, although there will be some places inaccessible for plot reasons or because we will need a special vehicle to access them. There is no minimap or markers, but only an extremely minimalist interface that will only show us a compass with which to orient ourselves, and this lack of an explicit path to follow elevates the sense of adventure, because discovering places is something we have to do on our own, all this while an eminent and relaxing melody sounds that result in exploring and being in the world of this game is a joy.
This time we take the role of an adventurer who is traveling with an ex-bandit, a mare and a minitroll, however, the latter two are actually a princess and a king (as the title of the game says). So they find themselves traveling the world to find Dhoulmagus, the one responsible for the terrible curse. The story and premise are pretty simple as usual in the series, but it shines by having a charismatic cast of characters, a lot of small plot arcs with fun and interesting characters with some touching moments, and many magical moments and locations that make it a memorable journey.
Dragon Quest VIII has beautiful cel-shaded graphics based heavily on Akira Toryama's art style, but at the same time also being reminiscent of Dark Cloud 2's graphics as both titles were developed by Level-5. The world is in full 3D and the camera is not fixed but fully rotational, allowing us to appreciate the beauty of the landscapes in all their splendor. There are many places that are breathtaking and really worth admiring. This game really does a good job in giving more personality to the Dragon Quest world thanks to its graphics, the NPCs and also the monsters. I'm sure many people came to this game because they recognized Akira Toriyama's drawings. It's a game that looks good not only for the time, but it still looks good today.
One thing I do have to point out is that the pacing of this game is a bit slow. Normally getting from one place to another usually takes time due to the size of the map, and also because the battles are random and this time they take a little longer, this is because for the first time in the series we will be able to see our party in combat, so the game was given special attention to make the combat more spectacular, with a lot of animations for each attack and action that occurs in the battles, which certainly gives a little more excitement and life to this aspect of the game. Other additions that were made to the gameplay is that you can now select which specific monster you want to attack when monsters are grouped together, which is a very welcome change. Speaking of my favorite, the "tension" system is the newest addition to the series in terms of gameplay and it's pretty simple to understand; through the "psyche up" command we can accumulate these tension points to make our attacks or spells more powerful, for example, the heal spell can restore more than 30HP if we psyche up in the previous turn, and this is a great mechanic, as it opens a range of possibilities to create new tactics in battles, and the best thing about this is that we can use the command several times until we reach a limit of 100 tension points, which will allow us to unleash a very powerful attack, sometimes even being possible to defeat enemies with just two hits in this way, although be careful, because if you neglect too much your overall strategy you may end up being defeated.
This game leaves aside the class system that the series has been using since DQVI, and instead presents a simpler approach. In this game there will only be 4 members in your party for the whole game, the hero, who knows a bit about everything, Yangus, who is the tank of the party, but has no magic, Jessica who is the mage of the party and is especially good with whips, and Angelo, who is a priest and has a decent physical attack. It might sound a bit boring, however this game introduces skill points, which we gain every time we level up and we can invest in some talent, for example, the hero can equip swords and spears, and if we invest skill points in these talents we can unlock special abilities that are quite useful. It is a simple customization system, but it is effective and can be an incentive to experiment if you replay this game in the future.
There is also an alchemy system, which is very cool, as it allows you to combine items to get new and better ones. The only downside is that this has a waiting time, and that sometimes figuring out the recipes can be very difficult, so on the latter it is sometimes not a bad idea to consult a guide.
This game also has a side quest of monster tournaments in the purest style of Dragon Quest Monsters, although a little more simplified. Basically, we can recruit some monsters that we find scattered around the map (they are the only ones that are not random battles), and they can join us to fight in the arena. It is quite entertaining to do this side-quest and also gives some pretty good rewards, as well as the ability to use your team of monsters outside the arena in normal battles.
The soundtracks that the series has featured have always been splendid, but this time, Koichi Sugiyama delights us with what is probably one of his best soundtracks ever made. Since the second game I was always a big fan of the music in this franchise, it was always in MIDI, so I didn't really think the orchestrated music was a big deal, but it is. Not only does it make the game more atmospheric, but many of the scenes hit harder thanks to this, although with this I don't mean to say that the MIDI soundtrack of this game is bad, because I listened to it and I thought it was just as good, only that the symphonic version really makes it stand out more.
And lastly, speaking in general terms of the story, I loved it. It's great to have a Dragon Quest that revolves more around our party rather than saving the world, and each of the characters is very charismatic and likable. I also like that, although simplified, the party chat from DQVII is back, you just press start and your companions will have some dialogue about what is happening at that instant in the story. It really feels like you are traveling with people who feel close to you and by the end of the adventure you will have a great attachment to them. At the end I was so moved that I will not deny it, I even let out a few tears, maybe of happiness, or maybe of sadness to know that this wonderful adventure had already come to an end.
Conslusion
Dragon Quest VIII easily became one of my favorites. Although at the beginning it seemed to me that it was a little far from what a Dragon Quest is for me, looking back, it is a game that not only modernizes and evolves the formula in some aspects, but at the same time remains totally faithful to the original essence.
It has truly been an unforgettable adventure.
To me, Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King is the version of the fairytale storybook JRPG approach that I love the most.
This game simply captivated me with its unending charm, compelling story and plot, interesting setting, strong intro, amazing music, lovable characters (esp. party members), awesome character and creature designs, powerful conclusion, great pacing and the absolutely sublime translation and voice acting, whose british touch perfectly merges with the games humor, themes and lightheartedness.
And it kept me captivated and did not let me go until the very end.
I love this game.
This game simply captivated me with its unending charm, compelling story and plot, interesting setting, strong intro, amazing music, lovable characters (esp. party members), awesome character and creature designs, powerful conclusion, great pacing and the absolutely sublime translation and voice acting, whose british touch perfectly merges with the games humor, themes and lightheartedness.
And it kept me captivated and did not let me go until the very end.
I love this game.
someday I'll write a full review of this game, but for now just know that this is one of my favorite JRPG games I've ever played and it's one of the best JRPG games in general.
you're doing yourself a huge disservice if you've haven't already played it. please do so, I assure you won't regret it.
you're doing yourself a huge disservice if you've haven't already played it. please do so, I assure you won't regret it.
I love Munchie
At one point this ain't even about the king anymore
"To live life is not to walk through a meadow."
DQ8 is one of my favorites in the series. The game is charming in every regard whether it be story, party members, or NPCs. Being a less linear experience than a lot of the other JRPGs of this era makes the world feel sprawling. Exploration is and always will be a big part of the series and the rewards for going off the beaten path are usually worth it here.
The main issue most people will have with this game is how fucking slow it is. This makes getting the bell to speed up to traversal feel impactful. Unfortunately, the combat animations are still way too long so use speed-up in an emulator.
Revisiting this cast was fucking sweet. I love this group of misfits and their party talk is often hilarious. Their stories are pretty short, but they resonated with me. This is also the only game ever that has Yangus as a character. COR BLIMEY!!!!!!!
Overall, it's one of the best in the series I've played and a gold standard for JRPGs back in the early 2000s.
DQ8 is one of my favorites in the series. The game is charming in every regard whether it be story, party members, or NPCs. Being a less linear experience than a lot of the other JRPGs of this era makes the world feel sprawling. Exploration is and always will be a big part of the series and the rewards for going off the beaten path are usually worth it here.
The main issue most people will have with this game is how fucking slow it is. This makes getting the bell to speed up to traversal feel impactful. Unfortunately, the combat animations are still way too long so use speed-up in an emulator.
Revisiting this cast was fucking sweet. I love this group of misfits and their party talk is often hilarious. Their stories are pretty short, but they resonated with me. This is also the only game ever that has Yangus as a character. COR BLIMEY!!!!!!!
Overall, it's one of the best in the series I've played and a gold standard for JRPGs back in the early 2000s.
The pinnacle of turn based RPGs. I refuse to elaborate.
I just wish this version removed the random battle just as the 3DS version did years later.
This is the first Dragon Quest game that I enjoyed, and as such, I have a soft spot for it. I have never beaten it, and I doubt I ever will at this point. While it suffers from the same endless trope of dark evil magicians and evil dragon lords in the Dragon Quest series, it was easy to ignore.
The story, characters, and environments are a treat to explore. The progression system is quite unique for a console game of its era, allowing you to assign points to a weapon skillset, unlocking new abilities as you go. I can't really think of a JRPG that exists to this day that has a similar system. It's bordering on experimental, which is impressive on its own.
This one is easy to recommend.
The story, characters, and environments are a treat to explore. The progression system is quite unique for a console game of its era, allowing you to assign points to a weapon skillset, unlocking new abilities as you go. I can't really think of a JRPG that exists to this day that has a similar system. It's bordering on experimental, which is impressive on its own.
This one is easy to recommend.
One of the best rpgs ever created. Absolutely amazing world with beautiful graphics that hold up to this day. Endearing story, fun characters, and incredible turn based combat. Great game, a must play.
I LOVE DRAGON QUEST!!!!!
I LOVE EXPLORING OPEN WORLDS, LOOKING FOR SECRETS, AND BEING REWARDED FOR GOING OFF THE BEATEN PATH!!!!!!
I LOVE SELF CONTAINED SMALL PARTIES WITH ESTABLISHED ROLES FOR EACH CHARACTERS, LEADING TO A STRONG GROUP DYNAMIC THAT IS MORE FLESHED OUT THAN ONE WITH LOTS OF CHARACTERS!!!!!!!
I LOVE YANGUS AND HIS ACCENT AND HIS STORY!!!!!!!!!!!!
I LOVE DRAGON QUEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I LOVE EXPLORING OPEN WORLDS, LOOKING FOR SECRETS, AND BEING REWARDED FOR GOING OFF THE BEATEN PATH!!!!!!
I LOVE SELF CONTAINED SMALL PARTIES WITH ESTABLISHED ROLES FOR EACH CHARACTERS, LEADING TO A STRONG GROUP DYNAMIC THAT IS MORE FLESHED OUT THAN ONE WITH LOTS OF CHARACTERS!!!!!!!
I LOVE YANGUS AND HIS ACCENT AND HIS STORY!!!!!!!!!!!!
I LOVE DRAGON QUEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This review contains spoilers
When I defeated Dhoulmagus I thought the game was over and omg.
[RESEÑA SERIA]
Recuerdo muy bien la primera vez que jugué Dragon Quest VIII en la PS2.
Tras insertar el disco en la consola, me dan la bienvenida los logos de Square Enix (este es el primer Dragon Quest tras la unión de Squaresoft y Enix) y Level 5. Acto seguido, una pequeña intro, donde podemos ver una serie de planos que involucran un paisaje y unos personajes, mientras suena el clásico tema de apertura de Dragon Quest, en gloriosa orquesta sinfónica. Inmediatamente, el logo de Dragon Quest VIII y el menú de inicio de partida, con su clásica tonada (aunque para los europeos, esta sería la primera vez que la escuchamos). Pulso en Crear registro de aventuras, le pongo un nombre al héroe y comienza la aventura.
Unas escenas introductorias nos dan un poco de información de un reino que se haya maldecido por asuntos que veremos en el futuro.
Tras dichas escenas, podemos ver un ratoncillo corriendo por un bosque. Se encuentra con una especie de trol retaco, que lo mira mal, y el ratoncillo se asusta. Eventualmente llega al bolsillo del protagonista, el héroe de esta historia. Seguidamente, un tipo, algo rechonchillo y bajito, pero muy simpático, le habla con el acento más británico que puedes imaginar, y le sugiere que emprendan viaje hacia el pueblo más cercano porque el sol se va a poner pronto.
En este momento pude controlar al protagonista, así como ver los controles del juego. Emprendo marcha y... me atacan unos limos, los enemigos más básicos del juego. Les doy palisote. Salgo del bosque. Y se reproduce una escena, en un atardecer. El grupo entra en el pueblo. Los pueblerinos, extrañados e incluso asustados, ante la presencia del trol retaco.
En este momento, comienza la aventura. Una aventura que me ha marcado desde la primera vez que lo jugué. Una aventura con miles de momentos memorables para mí. Una de las pocas aventuras que soy capaz de contarte de pe a pa. Una aventura que, da igual cuantas veces viva, siempre me va a proporcionar ese calorcillo agradable en el interior como si fuese la primera vez. Una aventura tan redonda que no eres capaz de buscarle fallos, tanto si te gusta el juego, como si no.
Podría contarte miles de momentos históricos del juego, como el incidente de Ascantha, la llegada a Trodain, el descubrimiento del pasado del protagonista. Pero quiero que lo juegues tú y vivas esos momentos en persona.
Dragon Quest VIII es mi obra de ficción favorita. Dragon Quest VIII es un videojuego, el cual me alegro mucho que exista. Muchas gracias, Dragon Quest VIII. Muchas gracias, Yuji Horii. Muchas gracias, Sony. Muchas gracias, Square Enix. Gracias a todos, de verdad.
Recuerdo muy bien la primera vez que jugué Dragon Quest VIII en la PS2.
Tras insertar el disco en la consola, me dan la bienvenida los logos de Square Enix (este es el primer Dragon Quest tras la unión de Squaresoft y Enix) y Level 5. Acto seguido, una pequeña intro, donde podemos ver una serie de planos que involucran un paisaje y unos personajes, mientras suena el clásico tema de apertura de Dragon Quest, en gloriosa orquesta sinfónica. Inmediatamente, el logo de Dragon Quest VIII y el menú de inicio de partida, con su clásica tonada (aunque para los europeos, esta sería la primera vez que la escuchamos). Pulso en Crear registro de aventuras, le pongo un nombre al héroe y comienza la aventura.
Unas escenas introductorias nos dan un poco de información de un reino que se haya maldecido por asuntos que veremos en el futuro.
Tras dichas escenas, podemos ver un ratoncillo corriendo por un bosque. Se encuentra con una especie de trol retaco, que lo mira mal, y el ratoncillo se asusta. Eventualmente llega al bolsillo del protagonista, el héroe de esta historia. Seguidamente, un tipo, algo rechonchillo y bajito, pero muy simpático, le habla con el acento más británico que puedes imaginar, y le sugiere que emprendan viaje hacia el pueblo más cercano porque el sol se va a poner pronto.
En este momento pude controlar al protagonista, así como ver los controles del juego. Emprendo marcha y... me atacan unos limos, los enemigos más básicos del juego. Les doy palisote. Salgo del bosque. Y se reproduce una escena, en un atardecer. El grupo entra en el pueblo. Los pueblerinos, extrañados e incluso asustados, ante la presencia del trol retaco.
En este momento, comienza la aventura. Una aventura que me ha marcado desde la primera vez que lo jugué. Una aventura con miles de momentos memorables para mí. Una de las pocas aventuras que soy capaz de contarte de pe a pa. Una aventura que, da igual cuantas veces viva, siempre me va a proporcionar ese calorcillo agradable en el interior como si fuese la primera vez. Una aventura tan redonda que no eres capaz de buscarle fallos, tanto si te gusta el juego, como si no.
Podría contarte miles de momentos históricos del juego, como el incidente de Ascantha, la llegada a Trodain, el descubrimiento del pasado del protagonista. Pero quiero que lo juegues tú y vivas esos momentos en persona.
Dragon Quest VIII es mi obra de ficción favorita. Dragon Quest VIII es un videojuego, el cual me alegro mucho que exista. Muchas gracias, Dragon Quest VIII. Muchas gracias, Yuji Horii. Muchas gracias, Sony. Muchas gracias, Square Enix. Gracias a todos, de verdad.
the pacing of the story might seem slow but considering the length of the game it's amazing, awesome characters, incredible monster design and iconic soundtrack, the way the open world works is very well designed, play the post-game that's where everything juicy from the story is
"how far would you go for her" and then the second slide is Eltrio
"how far would you go for her" and then the second slide is Eltrio
Dragon Quest 8 is an absolute gem among the ginormous Playstation 2 library. While Dragon Quest is widely renowned in Japan, it's a bit more niche in the west. However, of all the games to break that trend, it was Dragon Quest 8.
The graphics are timeless even today, it has a beautiful style that captures innocent and disturbing designs and settings while still being colorful and full of life.
The music is fully orchestrated and it's powerful. From the peaceful town music, to the whimsical overworld theme that captures that classic adventure feel. Fighting monsters with a booming score also never felt so grand.
The story is fun and might even surprise you a few times. I won't spoil anything, but you'll be entertained by the character interactions as they play off each other very naturally and it's also quite humorous.
If you're looking for an RPG to whisk you away to a rich, classic fantasy setting, this is it. The controls are good, the combat is fun, there's plenty to experiment with as well. The game is also very good at presenting you with something of interest that you'll think about what the possibilities could be for it.
The only pressing issue for you might be accessibility. It's available for Playstation 2, Android, and IOS systems. You can also get it on 3DS that comes with some new features and a lot of quality of life updates. Please give it a try, especially for JRPG fans specifically.
The graphics are timeless even today, it has a beautiful style that captures innocent and disturbing designs and settings while still being colorful and full of life.
The music is fully orchestrated and it's powerful. From the peaceful town music, to the whimsical overworld theme that captures that classic adventure feel. Fighting monsters with a booming score also never felt so grand.
The story is fun and might even surprise you a few times. I won't spoil anything, but you'll be entertained by the character interactions as they play off each other very naturally and it's also quite humorous.
If you're looking for an RPG to whisk you away to a rich, classic fantasy setting, this is it. The controls are good, the combat is fun, there's plenty to experiment with as well. The game is also very good at presenting you with something of interest that you'll think about what the possibilities could be for it.
The only pressing issue for you might be accessibility. It's available for Playstation 2, Android, and IOS systems. You can also get it on 3DS that comes with some new features and a lot of quality of life updates. Please give it a try, especially for JRPG fans specifically.
This game fucks and it fucks hard.
I love 2 shotting bosses
anyone who's known me for any amount of time could probably tell you that dragon quest is far and away my favorite series of all time, i love it dearly and to death. despite this, like most franchises i love, i struggle to reconcile with the wider opinions the fans of dragon quest hold, most of all the near universal acclaim of dragon quest 8. even the other dragon quests i don't "get" in the same way, namely 5 and 9, at least have something about them that i can understand being a hook to some even if i don't necessarily agree, but i just can not wrap my head around the fanbase's—and jrpg fans as a whole's—opinion on dragon quest 8. i understand that it had a lot uniquely going for it at the time, especially a demo for final fantasy 12, but despite most of what it had going for it at the time being less and less unique as time goes on the opinion of dragon quest 8 being one of the better dragon quest prevails, and i just don't get it.
don't get me wrong, i still enjoy this game! honestly having played every game in the mainline series other than finishing 11 at the time of writing this the only ones i even dislike are 2 and 9. in terms of positives i think dq8 has a great cast between the party and dhoulmagus, and despite the acoustics of the orchestral versions being questionable 8's soundtrack is really great. the final boss theme in 8 is unironically tied with 9 for my favorite final boss theme in the series, there was obviously as much love put into this game as every other dragon quest and that in of itself is charming to me.
however, that's sadly about where i run into the things i don't really care for. more than any other game in the series i find dragon quest 8 to be the embodiment of what most people who dislike or don't respect this series come to think of it; dragon quest 8 is a formulaic comfort food type of game without much notable to say outside of vibes and character writing. outside of dhoulmagus, yangus, and angelo there's not really that much to say about the story (and even what there is to say isn't crazy unique), the reliance on psyche-up and lack of distinct party variety outside of the 3ds version makes combat land on the less engaging side of what the series has to offer which is really not great when this game seemed to over-correct on people complaining about 7's combat-less intro (and to be honest nothing is more irritating to me than a sequel over-correcting on what made a much better game unique and appealing!), and the game is somehow on the longer end of dragon quest play times despite utilizing it the most haphazardly.
despite all that though, it's still dragon quest and i still get the base appeal! it's still a very strong 7/10 game for me and i'm glad i played it despite all of that because at the end of the day it's all dragon quest and i love dragon quest. it's just confusing and maybe a bit frustrating to see how common of a sentiment it is in the western fanbase to deride titles like 6 and 7 while parading a game like 8, maybe the most "generic" dragon quest in a series that outsiders deride for being generic, as a masterful golden goose of the entire franchise. i get that this game was the first 3d dragon quest, i get that it had voice acting and overseas it had an orchestral soundtrack, i get that there was a final fantasy 12 demo packaged with the game, and i get that plenty of people are nostalgic for this game but almost 20 years later with more and more people playing this game completely divorced from that context, what merits of its own does it really have? why out of every dragon quest game is it 8 that's so popular? i just really really don't get it.
don't get me wrong, i still enjoy this game! honestly having played every game in the mainline series other than finishing 11 at the time of writing this the only ones i even dislike are 2 and 9. in terms of positives i think dq8 has a great cast between the party and dhoulmagus, and despite the acoustics of the orchestral versions being questionable 8's soundtrack is really great. the final boss theme in 8 is unironically tied with 9 for my favorite final boss theme in the series, there was obviously as much love put into this game as every other dragon quest and that in of itself is charming to me.
however, that's sadly about where i run into the things i don't really care for. more than any other game in the series i find dragon quest 8 to be the embodiment of what most people who dislike or don't respect this series come to think of it; dragon quest 8 is a formulaic comfort food type of game without much notable to say outside of vibes and character writing. outside of dhoulmagus, yangus, and angelo there's not really that much to say about the story (and even what there is to say isn't crazy unique), the reliance on psyche-up and lack of distinct party variety outside of the 3ds version makes combat land on the less engaging side of what the series has to offer which is really not great when this game seemed to over-correct on people complaining about 7's combat-less intro (and to be honest nothing is more irritating to me than a sequel over-correcting on what made a much better game unique and appealing!), and the game is somehow on the longer end of dragon quest play times despite utilizing it the most haphazardly.
despite all that though, it's still dragon quest and i still get the base appeal! it's still a very strong 7/10 game for me and i'm glad i played it despite all of that because at the end of the day it's all dragon quest and i love dragon quest. it's just confusing and maybe a bit frustrating to see how common of a sentiment it is in the western fanbase to deride titles like 6 and 7 while parading a game like 8, maybe the most "generic" dragon quest in a series that outsiders deride for being generic, as a masterful golden goose of the entire franchise. i get that this game was the first 3d dragon quest, i get that it had voice acting and overseas it had an orchestral soundtrack, i get that there was a final fantasy 12 demo packaged with the game, and i get that plenty of people are nostalgic for this game but almost 20 years later with more and more people playing this game completely divorced from that context, what merits of its own does it really have? why out of every dragon quest game is it 8 that's so popular? i just really really don't get it.
This game took forever to beat. More exactly 90 hours and 13 minutes. But I loved it from the very start! I began playing it in the summer of 2020 with the goal of beating it before summer's end, as my PS2 is in my vacation spot, and not where I live. Needless to say, I did not manage to beat the game, but had to complete it during my winter break instead. I spent many hours playing it during the break, and I actually managed to beat it just hours before I was leaving. That felt incredible. But enough backstory, let's talk about my opinions, of which I have plenty!
I came into this expecting a pretty standard JRPG, and that is also basically what I got. The unexpected thing was how basically perfect it handles this "standard" JRPG idea. It has a story that is reasonably intriguing, but pretty simple compared to some other games, but where the game succeeds is how amazing the sense of adventure in this game is. It's not just that there is an overarching quest, but every town you visit (and trust me, there are many) has its own sub-quest so to speak, so it feels like the game is telling an overarching story and lots of small stories too. This adds to the feeling of adventure, and another thing that really accomplishes this is the amazing soundtrack. Really one of the best I've heard probably. It sounds absolutely wonderful due to it being played with live instruments, and I love the neoclassicistic style that most of these tunes have, especially when it strays more towards the "neo" part (looking at the final dungeon theme as one of my favourites). I also grew to absolutely adore the battle system. I like games where you don't really have to grind, and this game balances that out with the tension system. By charging up your tension, your damage will increase in exchange for your turn, and once you get to high tension, you will deal ridiculous amounts of damage (but tension returns to normal after doing something with it, so it's not completely busted). You can actually potentially one-shot certain bosses with this, and it's definitely an incredibly satisfying mechanic to play around with. I managed to beat the game while being under the recommended level according to a strategy guide, and that speaks volumes as to how useful the tension system is. This game also features a great roster of characters, which all have great voice actors. The voice acting and the dialogue is definitely the funniest part of the game, and just made me appreciate it a lot more. The game also has a massive world which feels great to explore, and it feels like every new place has a different and unique culture, and I can definitely remember basically every town I went to. So everything feels unique in that way. Overall, probably one of my favourite RPGs ever played. Highly recommended if you have like 90 hours to spare!
I came into this expecting a pretty standard JRPG, and that is also basically what I got. The unexpected thing was how basically perfect it handles this "standard" JRPG idea. It has a story that is reasonably intriguing, but pretty simple compared to some other games, but where the game succeeds is how amazing the sense of adventure in this game is. It's not just that there is an overarching quest, but every town you visit (and trust me, there are many) has its own sub-quest so to speak, so it feels like the game is telling an overarching story and lots of small stories too. This adds to the feeling of adventure, and another thing that really accomplishes this is the amazing soundtrack. Really one of the best I've heard probably. It sounds absolutely wonderful due to it being played with live instruments, and I love the neoclassicistic style that most of these tunes have, especially when it strays more towards the "neo" part (looking at the final dungeon theme as one of my favourites). I also grew to absolutely adore the battle system. I like games where you don't really have to grind, and this game balances that out with the tension system. By charging up your tension, your damage will increase in exchange for your turn, and once you get to high tension, you will deal ridiculous amounts of damage (but tension returns to normal after doing something with it, so it's not completely busted). You can actually potentially one-shot certain bosses with this, and it's definitely an incredibly satisfying mechanic to play around with. I managed to beat the game while being under the recommended level according to a strategy guide, and that speaks volumes as to how useful the tension system is. This game also features a great roster of characters, which all have great voice actors. The voice acting and the dialogue is definitely the funniest part of the game, and just made me appreciate it a lot more. The game also has a massive world which feels great to explore, and it feels like every new place has a different and unique culture, and I can definitely remember basically every town I went to. So everything feels unique in that way. Overall, probably one of my favourite RPGs ever played. Highly recommended if you have like 90 hours to spare!
Going off from Dragon Quest XI, this feels a lot like the prototype version for what would later be changed or perfected in that game. For the most part, Dragon Quest VIII certainly sticks the landing in being the first main line entry to the franchise for transitioning it into the fully graphically realized realm of 3D. The character models and environments are very well designed for the PS2 era, perfectly capturing Toriyama’s visual style into CG models. It has a semi-open-world map that feels inviting and grand in how effectively it captures the natural sense of adventure. However, given this was trying to lay the groundwork for Dragon Quest in three dimensions, along with games since then having a tighter grasp on designing open environments, it has its pitfalls in feeling too empty because of how spacious it is. I much prefer how DQXI tried to fix this problem by sorta taking away random encounters and making them visually appear in the overworld who can interact with you to fight. The game can also be a bit too unclear on what/where you are supposed to go/do in order to progress the main story at certain points. Often the actual hints provided just seemed too vague to really piece together and pushed exploration to find out which never felt too inviting. It’s weird because the game is fairly linear only to stop at certain moments to become non-linear and open-ended in a way which doesn’t feel quite as smooth in how it's played out.
But the journey being taken by the Hero and his odd band of party members definitely makes up for these grievances I had for how charming and full of heart it was. It was a bit tough to adjust to having strictly four party members to manage and carry you throughout the entire game but this not just made me prioritize their unique capabilities in combat but also them as endearingly simple characters (Yangus is a lovable chad and literally carried the team in so many battles). If there was one gripe I had it’s just that I wish there were more scenes or points in the main story where they become more personally involved than the few occasional times they take the spotlight. The writing takes some wholesome yet surprisingly serious turns in many points that really makes this journey feel like an epic with gravitas and weight.
The gameplay is pretty good. It has a less refined version of DQXI’s overall combat but it still gets the job done well enough to be fun. It’s still balanced just enough to never feel too excruciatingly difficult aside from reasonable points in the game but never too easy either. It still treats currency as a valuable resource worth grinding for beyond just buying goods and weapons, since you lose half of it whenever you die and need it to resurrect fallen party members. Which encourages you to know when to pick your battles and clean up your wounds. I’m not super sold on the way crafting is handled here so I never really bothered much with the Alchemy Pot for how much busywork it became.
Besides that, Dragon Quest VIII is an excellent JRPG that could potentially benefit from many of the QoL changes that made Dragon Quest XI top dog kino as it already is. Maybe they could just combine the PS2 and 3DS Remaster of the game into one definitive experience to be ported onto the Switch coughs give me a way to play the actual game Square Enix coughs.
But the journey being taken by the Hero and his odd band of party members definitely makes up for these grievances I had for how charming and full of heart it was. It was a bit tough to adjust to having strictly four party members to manage and carry you throughout the entire game but this not just made me prioritize their unique capabilities in combat but also them as endearingly simple characters (Yangus is a lovable chad and literally carried the team in so many battles). If there was one gripe I had it’s just that I wish there were more scenes or points in the main story where they become more personally involved than the few occasional times they take the spotlight. The writing takes some wholesome yet surprisingly serious turns in many points that really makes this journey feel like an epic with gravitas and weight.
The gameplay is pretty good. It has a less refined version of DQXI’s overall combat but it still gets the job done well enough to be fun. It’s still balanced just enough to never feel too excruciatingly difficult aside from reasonable points in the game but never too easy either. It still treats currency as a valuable resource worth grinding for beyond just buying goods and weapons, since you lose half of it whenever you die and need it to resurrect fallen party members. Which encourages you to know when to pick your battles and clean up your wounds. I’m not super sold on the way crafting is handled here so I never really bothered much with the Alchemy Pot for how much busywork it became.
Besides that, Dragon Quest VIII is an excellent JRPG that could potentially benefit from many of the QoL changes that made Dragon Quest XI top dog kino as it already is. Maybe they could just combine the PS2 and 3DS Remaster of the game into one definitive experience to be ported onto the Switch coughs give me a way to play the actual game Square Enix coughs.
This is not going to be a popular opinion. I became a fan of Dragon Quest fairly recently after having a fantastic time with DQ3. Since then I've played 1, 2, 4, 5, and 8.
This game is often held up as the best of the series, and I couldn't agree less. Before I'm burned alive, let me start from the beginning and try to explain myself.
From the start of the game, I loved the opening premise. Escorting this particular caravan and trying to hunt down the magician responsible for their fates was a great initial hook for me. What I didn't realize at the time was that for the vast majority of the game I would be following this magician around the world from place to place a la Sephiroth in FF7. That's perfectly fine, just as it is in FF7, but that means the burden of sustaining the player's interest falls on different elements. FF7 has a few important ways of keeping things interesting. First, that section of the game is minimized somewhat by the fact that Midgar exists before it. Second, the places the party visits are fantastical, interesting locations all on their own, like the Gold Saucer, Junon, or Cosmo Canyon. Thirdly, FF7 has a large ensemble cast with both backstories and ongoing "front" stories. This means that most locations can be of personal significance to at least someone in the party. Corel prison isn't just a desert prison, it's the site of a whole story arc for Barrett, a character who the player is hopefully invested in.
Dragon Quest 8 does not have these things. DQ8 for the most part features plain fairy tale kingdoms with their own isolated stories that are largely detached from the main overarching plot or the personal affairs of the party. In my personal opinion, those town stories are not interesting enough, and are hugely outclassed by similar stories in other Dragon Quest games.
Each party member has their own One Piece style recruitment arc, except Yangus... kind of. A big part of the problem is that "Each party member except Yangus" includes exactly two other people. All three of these party members are fine. They have likable enough personalities. Unfortunately their development as characters stops dead the second you leave "their town." I know there's a lot of love for these characters but if I measure them against the cast of any similar RPG I can't help but feel that they come up short.
I enjoyed the gameplay until about 2/3rds of the way through, when I discovered that if I want to actually beat this game, I'm going to have use the tension system. More advanced Dragon Quest gameplay tends to involve setting up buffs and having the boss cleanse them off of you. Usually this is fine. However inflicting decent damage in DQ8 requires you to "tense" up for several turns in a row while praying to your god that the boss doesn't do his completely random buff cleanse that he does every few turns. Dragon Quest 8 does this for almost every boss in the latter portions of the game, and I found it absolutely maddening. Not maddening in a challenging and difficult sort of way, just in an incredibly, unnecessarily frustrating and unfun way.
At the end of the day I don't think either the gameplay or the narrative of DQ8 are anything to praise, and that saddens me as a huge fan of DQ3, 4, and 5.
This game is often held up as the best of the series, and I couldn't agree less. Before I'm burned alive, let me start from the beginning and try to explain myself.
From the start of the game, I loved the opening premise. Escorting this particular caravan and trying to hunt down the magician responsible for their fates was a great initial hook for me. What I didn't realize at the time was that for the vast majority of the game I would be following this magician around the world from place to place a la Sephiroth in FF7. That's perfectly fine, just as it is in FF7, but that means the burden of sustaining the player's interest falls on different elements. FF7 has a few important ways of keeping things interesting. First, that section of the game is minimized somewhat by the fact that Midgar exists before it. Second, the places the party visits are fantastical, interesting locations all on their own, like the Gold Saucer, Junon, or Cosmo Canyon. Thirdly, FF7 has a large ensemble cast with both backstories and ongoing "front" stories. This means that most locations can be of personal significance to at least someone in the party. Corel prison isn't just a desert prison, it's the site of a whole story arc for Barrett, a character who the player is hopefully invested in.
Dragon Quest 8 does not have these things. DQ8 for the most part features plain fairy tale kingdoms with their own isolated stories that are largely detached from the main overarching plot or the personal affairs of the party. In my personal opinion, those town stories are not interesting enough, and are hugely outclassed by similar stories in other Dragon Quest games.
Each party member has their own One Piece style recruitment arc, except Yangus... kind of. A big part of the problem is that "Each party member except Yangus" includes exactly two other people. All three of these party members are fine. They have likable enough personalities. Unfortunately their development as characters stops dead the second you leave "their town." I know there's a lot of love for these characters but if I measure them against the cast of any similar RPG I can't help but feel that they come up short.
I enjoyed the gameplay until about 2/3rds of the way through, when I discovered that if I want to actually beat this game, I'm going to have use the tension system. More advanced Dragon Quest gameplay tends to involve setting up buffs and having the boss cleanse them off of you. Usually this is fine. However inflicting decent damage in DQ8 requires you to "tense" up for several turns in a row while praying to your god that the boss doesn't do his completely random buff cleanse that he does every few turns. Dragon Quest 8 does this for almost every boss in the latter portions of the game, and I found it absolutely maddening. Not maddening in a challenging and difficult sort of way, just in an incredibly, unnecessarily frustrating and unfun way.
At the end of the day I don't think either the gameplay or the narrative of DQ8 are anything to praise, and that saddens me as a huge fan of DQ3, 4, and 5.
need more games that give u a little dude
Minha experiência com Dragon Quest VIII foi muito positiva graças aos mimos proporcionados pela emulação, em especial a habilidade de acelerar a velocidade geral do jogo.
Em sua forma original, DQ8 é criminalmente lento. O argumento de que sua lentidão se dá para contemplação de suas animações e detalhes até que se sustenta, mas esbarra com força no combate e na exploração. O TBC é tão lento devido às animações que qualquer mísero conflito mundano consome uma quantidade ridícula de tempo, e o mundo aberto se torna repetitivo até o desbloqueio do Sabrecat. Acelerar esses momentos conserta o pacing de uma forma tão natural que imagino que foi desta catarse que alguém se responsabilizou pelo FAST do porte de 3DS.
Tirando a lentidão do combate e um tamanho desnecessário do mapa-mundo... Meio que é a bomba!
Dragon Quest VIII é um jogo maravilhoso. Fica difícil de lembrar jogos com personagens tão carismáticos como os encontrados aqui. Do sotaque pesado e da personalidade cascuda, porém leal e pura de Yangus, os grunhidos e emoções afloradas do Rei Trode, da personalidade mulherengo como fachada para ressentimento de Angelo, das dúvidas e esperanças de Medea, a determinação de Jessica, as birras e infantilidades de Charmles, o ego de Marcello...São tantos personagens, tantas micro-histórias se convergindo em uma única linha direta que cada pequeno episódio de DQ8 possui charme, personalidade e amor suficiente para um jogo inteiro. Tudo se converte em um set tão mágico, tão meticulosamente composto que a impressão só se expande nas 70 horas de gameplay. Parte disso se deve à dublagem: uma das melhores que já vi em qualquer mídia.
O combate é simples, mas possui um leque divertido e cativante que não o tornam massante (desconsiderando o TEMPO, ironicamente) ou ofensivamente simplório. A mecânica de psyche-up é extremamente útil, as habilidades especiais com diferentes tipos de armas são um bom incentivo para criação de builds e a quase não necessidade de bufs e debufs casa bem como esse combate "causa e efeito" sem necessariamente ser "elemental", algo como "tamanho é documento".
A trilha sonora é boa, mas se torna MUITO repetitiva. Isso é mediado pelas localidades variadas e, principalmente, pelas cidades exploráveis. Cada pequeno canto, com seus NPCs, lojas, construções e atmosfera são o verdadeiro brilho do jogo, transmitem muito mais do que uma simulação estética ou "aventura". São os verdadeiramente acertos mágicos que apenas a série Dragon Quest possui a maestria de proporcionar.
Jogo lindo. COR BLIMEY
Em sua forma original, DQ8 é criminalmente lento. O argumento de que sua lentidão se dá para contemplação de suas animações e detalhes até que se sustenta, mas esbarra com força no combate e na exploração. O TBC é tão lento devido às animações que qualquer mísero conflito mundano consome uma quantidade ridícula de tempo, e o mundo aberto se torna repetitivo até o desbloqueio do Sabrecat. Acelerar esses momentos conserta o pacing de uma forma tão natural que imagino que foi desta catarse que alguém se responsabilizou pelo FAST do porte de 3DS.
Tirando a lentidão do combate e um tamanho desnecessário do mapa-mundo... Meio que é a bomba!
Dragon Quest VIII é um jogo maravilhoso. Fica difícil de lembrar jogos com personagens tão carismáticos como os encontrados aqui. Do sotaque pesado e da personalidade cascuda, porém leal e pura de Yangus, os grunhidos e emoções afloradas do Rei Trode, da personalidade mulherengo como fachada para ressentimento de Angelo, das dúvidas e esperanças de Medea, a determinação de Jessica, as birras e infantilidades de Charmles, o ego de Marcello...São tantos personagens, tantas micro-histórias se convergindo em uma única linha direta que cada pequeno episódio de DQ8 possui charme, personalidade e amor suficiente para um jogo inteiro. Tudo se converte em um set tão mágico, tão meticulosamente composto que a impressão só se expande nas 70 horas de gameplay. Parte disso se deve à dublagem: uma das melhores que já vi em qualquer mídia.
O combate é simples, mas possui um leque divertido e cativante que não o tornam massante (desconsiderando o TEMPO, ironicamente) ou ofensivamente simplório. A mecânica de psyche-up é extremamente útil, as habilidades especiais com diferentes tipos de armas são um bom incentivo para criação de builds e a quase não necessidade de bufs e debufs casa bem como esse combate "causa e efeito" sem necessariamente ser "elemental", algo como "tamanho é documento".
A trilha sonora é boa, mas se torna MUITO repetitiva. Isso é mediado pelas localidades variadas e, principalmente, pelas cidades exploráveis. Cada pequeno canto, com seus NPCs, lojas, construções e atmosfera são o verdadeiro brilho do jogo, transmitem muito mais do que uma simulação estética ou "aventura". São os verdadeiramente acertos mágicos que apenas a série Dragon Quest possui a maestria de proporcionar.
Jogo lindo. COR BLIMEY
EDIT: This is about the Japanese version, not the NA/EU version of DQ8.
I threw it away in the middle, just like *7*.
There might have been a discrepancy between DVD, which is a large capacity disc media, and DraQue, which is sold for its lightness of operation, and the DraQue I wanted. As well as 7, Maybe I'll change my opinion if I play the 3DS version.
But, I'll never touch 9 and 10.
I threw it away in the middle, just like *7*.
There might have been a discrepancy between DVD, which is a large capacity disc media, and DraQue, which is sold for its lightness of operation, and the DraQue I wanted. As well as 7, Maybe I'll change my opinion if I play the 3DS version.
But, I'll never touch 9 and 10.
Just finished a second playthrough of this game .
And apparently in dragon quest , similarly to love , you never really get over your first.
And apparently in dragon quest , similarly to love , you never really get over your first.
Esse jogo é perfeito! Um dos melhores RPG's que já joguei.
Amo explorar cada canto, falar com cada personagem, fazer cada quest. A história pode não ser nada excepcional, mas é suficiente para manter suas demais qualidades.
É um universo extremamente aprazível e carismático que me proporcionou, e proporciona, ótimos momentos.
Amo explorar cada canto, falar com cada personagem, fazer cada quest. A história pode não ser nada excepcional, mas é suficiente para manter suas demais qualidades.
É um universo extremamente aprazível e carismático que me proporcionou, e proporciona, ótimos momentos.
Big man yangus go brrrrr
el juego que me metió en esta hermosa saga, no te metas con los fans de DQ en latam somos 3, 2 son gordos que miran videos de niveles de poder de dragon ball y el otro soy yo (tengo olor a chisito)
Slow paced but very rewarding battle system & character progression. Also, monster hunting!