(snes version)
A lot of what Dragon Quest is known for both mechanically and tonally was set up here--it's lighter than the original, with a greater emphasis on ~adventure~ and imaginative locations and fun little episodes, as well as more complex battles--and there were lots of moments where I could see the vision and was tricked (for a few minutes at least) into thinking it might be a masterpiece. Discovering the land from the first game, the bunny girl colosseum, the prince getting sick...was soul-breakingly mean but also charming, the haunting metaphysics of the final dungeon...so many places and moments that will stick with me.
Unfortunately this thing just ain't tuned quite right! It's a real blockbuster style sequel to the deeply contained, considered original, casting its net wide and catching less. It's too big for its own good, too bloated, and the near spiritually perfect number crunching of the first is now kind of a mess. Worst of all, in-between those great moments is...not much, emotionally. It's like 80% tonally empty, melancholic weight replaced with the dull reality of adventuring the world.
More water, more mountains, more slimes, and less to show for it all.
A lot of what Dragon Quest is known for both mechanically and tonally was set up here--it's lighter than the original, with a greater emphasis on ~adventure~ and imaginative locations and fun little episodes, as well as more complex battles--and there were lots of moments where I could see the vision and was tricked (for a few minutes at least) into thinking it might be a masterpiece. Discovering the land from the first game, the bunny girl colosseum, the prince getting sick...was soul-breakingly mean but also charming, the haunting metaphysics of the final dungeon...so many places and moments that will stick with me.
Unfortunately this thing just ain't tuned quite right! It's a real blockbuster style sequel to the deeply contained, considered original, casting its net wide and catching less. It's too big for its own good, too bloated, and the near spiritually perfect number crunching of the first is now kind of a mess. Worst of all, in-between those great moments is...not much, emotionally. It's like 80% tonally empty, melancholic weight replaced with the dull reality of adventuring the world.
More water, more mountains, more slimes, and less to show for it all.