Hot off the hype of Dragon Quest XI, I figured I'd dive into the earlier games in the series and see where it all began.
Naturally, it's not quite on the same level as XI, but this game holds up surprisingly well if I'm being honest. It's very much a classic JRPG, the map is fairly small and there are maybe 10 enemy types with varying colours but little more. The whole game can be completed using only the D-Pad and A button, but that's to be expected of an NES game.
The combat, like everything else, is incredibly simple. For a time you're best off putting enemies to sleep or stopping them from casting spells, but other than that a standard attack and heal when needed are all you really need.
I'd definitely recommend finding a map online that labels the locations to get an idea of where to go and in what order, I even referred to a level-by-level "guide" as a way of checking if I was ready for a certain enemy or location just yet because - and this is likely the most off-putting aspect of this title - the game forces you to grind.
I joked to my girlfriend early on about this being a 1 hour game with 7 hours of forced grinding, and honestly that's not entirely inaccurate. You can travel to almost anywhere on the map from the very start, but you won't stand a chance in most places unless you've done a bunch of encounters in a lower-level one to buff your stats and save money for better equipment. That very much is the game.
For that reason, this was best experienced (by me) as something to do on the side while working or cooking, just run a few circles and bop a few enemies while attending to something else, worked a charm and made for a nice easy completion for the month :)
The story is just enough to allow the game to exist, the world isn't very "alive" like I praised XI for, nor the characters, but for the first instalment of the franchise there's still enough charm here to keep it enjoyable rather than just tedious.
In conclusion, Dragon Quest is not a phenomenal game, but it doesn't have to be either, well worth trying for the low price. It served me well as a distraction from work and to tide me over while I desperately wait for news on XII...
Speaking of, onto Dragon Quest II :)
Naturally, it's not quite on the same level as XI, but this game holds up surprisingly well if I'm being honest. It's very much a classic JRPG, the map is fairly small and there are maybe 10 enemy types with varying colours but little more. The whole game can be completed using only the D-Pad and A button, but that's to be expected of an NES game.
The combat, like everything else, is incredibly simple. For a time you're best off putting enemies to sleep or stopping them from casting spells, but other than that a standard attack and heal when needed are all you really need.
I'd definitely recommend finding a map online that labels the locations to get an idea of where to go and in what order, I even referred to a level-by-level "guide" as a way of checking if I was ready for a certain enemy or location just yet because - and this is likely the most off-putting aspect of this title - the game forces you to grind.
I joked to my girlfriend early on about this being a 1 hour game with 7 hours of forced grinding, and honestly that's not entirely inaccurate. You can travel to almost anywhere on the map from the very start, but you won't stand a chance in most places unless you've done a bunch of encounters in a lower-level one to buff your stats and save money for better equipment. That very much is the game.
For that reason, this was best experienced (by me) as something to do on the side while working or cooking, just run a few circles and bop a few enemies while attending to something else, worked a charm and made for a nice easy completion for the month :)
The story is just enough to allow the game to exist, the world isn't very "alive" like I praised XI for, nor the characters, but for the first instalment of the franchise there's still enough charm here to keep it enjoyable rather than just tedious.
In conclusion, Dragon Quest is not a phenomenal game, but it doesn't have to be either, well worth trying for the low price. It served me well as a distraction from work and to tide me over while I desperately wait for news on XII...
Speaking of, onto Dragon Quest II :)
3 Comments
I don't even wanna know what that means lol
;)
naraku4656
1 year ago