First DQ game - so far about 40 hours in. Very charming and cozy, but I dunno how I feel about three dozen hours of what amounts to agonizingly slow narrative setup. Also Japan's politicians need to band together and make a law that requires JRPG music loops to be longer than one minute.
Update: I don't typically get around to JRPGs, so I had a good cackle when 53 hours in (during a moment meant to inspire awe an wonder) a character says, "Many trials await."
On the whole, I enjoyed the game's warm, tender tone, its charming characters, its poignant mini-stories that cultivate themes of perseverance and understanding, and, of course, Toriyama's ever-iconic artstyle. Even if the "subversive" elements of the story felt a bit too light for me, it's unpretentious, cozy-blanket medieval fantasy storytelling - takes me back to when I was a kid and would excitedly get up early on Saturdays to catch the morning cartoon programs. While I do enjoy it, I admit for the length of the tale I'd hope for something more enriching (and for certain elements to not fade into the background for large chunks of game). I do wish there were more scenes of the party members interacting with one another - even just bits of dialogue in the overworld would have been nice.
Gameplay-wise, the battle mechanics are delightfully old-school-yet-refined, and I was pleased at how little grinding I had to do (up until the end, that is). Also, running overworld enemies over with the horse never got old.
Update: I don't typically get around to JRPGs, so I had a good cackle when 53 hours in (during a moment meant to inspire awe an wonder) a character says, "Many trials await."
On the whole, I enjoyed the game's warm, tender tone, its charming characters, its poignant mini-stories that cultivate themes of perseverance and understanding, and, of course, Toriyama's ever-iconic artstyle. Even if the "subversive" elements of the story felt a bit too light for me, it's unpretentious, cozy-blanket medieval fantasy storytelling - takes me back to when I was a kid and would excitedly get up early on Saturdays to catch the morning cartoon programs. While I do enjoy it, I admit for the length of the tale I'd hope for something more enriching (and for certain elements to not fade into the background for large chunks of game). I do wish there were more scenes of the party members interacting with one another - even just bits of dialogue in the overworld would have been nice.
Gameplay-wise, the battle mechanics are delightfully old-school-yet-refined, and I was pleased at how little grinding I had to do (up until the end, that is). Also, running overworld enemies over with the horse never got old.