FUCK YEAH DRAGON QUEST (Part 1)

something something beauty of an imperfect machine something something

It seems like SB really likes 11 but it didn’t gel with me; anyone else?

To be fair I put in a mere 25h or so but maybe the length was part of the issue. I wouldn’t call what I played an unmemorable experience but what I really like about DQ 3, 4, 5 is how short and punchy they are. And the really subversive scenarios that 3-6 had–similar to Ultima in that both grandaddies of RPGs were throwing out all the tropes.

I guess if you’re a massive DQ fan then 11 is appealing for that amount of content. I can’t deny it’s great to see DQ with modern graphics that do Toriyama’s style justice, and in today’s game development climate it’s refreshing to see a traditional JRPG stick to its guns and deliver an uncomprimising experience with new graphics, which FF certainly can’t do, lol. But yeah part of me would rather replay 3 with different classes or 5 with a different wife (even though my heart belongs to Debora).

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the only problem i’m having with 11 is enemies walking around which i thought i’d like. but now i’m missing the unpredictability of random encounters

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Reading all these posts made me excited for the games again.

I guess what I should do is post “why do I like DQ games again?” every time I’m about to play one and let you guys get me pumped.

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same, although watching them wander around is lovely, I also just don’t do any battles in this game until I’m ready to grind which is a very different flow.

On the other hand, being able to just walk around monsters does kinda rule. Or trample them with a horse.

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Are there any mods for DQ7 PS1? Rebalancing ones, to reduce random encounters, for example.

I only played DQ5 (I strongly disliked it) and DQ11 (I really liked it), and DQ7 is the other one picking my interest.

I barely got past the first town before uninstalling the demo.

I like the idea of Dragon Quest more than actually experiencing it. I find the storytelling too sanctimonious. And the dependable narrative structure makes me feel mentally unwell, like getting the most irritating song interminably stuck in my head :man_shrugging:

DQ Builders was cool though.

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And yet I follow this thread. I like reading what you all have to say about these games!

Plus I certainly find the promise of the gameplay, colourful graphics, and some of the music appealing. I just rarely have a good time with Dragon Quest in practice.

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I can only play up to 7 (gbc, sfc or ps1 versions where applicable). the interface/animations/screen transitions in the 2d ones feel super fast and satisfying to me. 8 was a slog and I don’t think it was the game itself, it was a ton of little hiccups in the presentation that just added up. 11 looks similar, but slightly better I guess? I might try it someday but i’m not super thrilled

Another reason I enjoy 1-7 is to see how they make the world bigger and always add at least one huge narrative-structural/game-mechanical change. 4 is hell of ambitious, and 5 has the family/monster raising stuff. then you finish off nicely with 6 and 7, which mostly just add the episodic structure, extreme length and copious amounts of interesting NPC text. 8 was just like hey, it’s in 3d now. and now 11 is like, dragon quest is back, again, in 3d. Idk

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just like FF i really enjoy the spinoffs better than the main games. DQM 1 and 2 are treasures, Joker was pretty decent. Builders 2 is like, top shelf. Rocket Slime 2 is incredible.

Such a charming world and generally I think it’s better to experience it with weirder, mushier systems vs the austere and clean battles of Normal Dragon Quest.

Only DQ I’ve finished so far was 1 and 9 - and 9 is definitely a “mushier” game than 11, IMO.

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confession, i 100% consider ix a spinoff

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it feels like one!! it’s a weird fucking game with lots of like, randomized loot and shit IIRC? basically an MMO except nobody’s online, was how it felt

(I haven’t played it in 10+ years I think)

as someone who is currently soloing GameCube PSO, this speaks to me

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nine is definitely a lesser entry in many ways, but its big advantage are all of the different cute outfits you can make your special lil guys wear

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I thought the overworld in IX was nice to explore. It felt like a better dungeon than the actual dungeons in that game.

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11 is far far less of a slog than 8 imo – if I had to rank the games I’d have them at polar opposite ends of the spectrum, but I’m also really down on PS2 RPGs in general

Yeah I blame level 5

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it’s good! the thing i don’t love about it is the way all of the other characters are just sort of interchangeable drones. i know it shares this in common with 3, one of the most beloved of all dq games, but one of the things i like about jrpgs (and probably why i never got that far with 3) is the way the plots gently juggle several different characters’ plot arcs and personalities.

i think a lot of later jrpgs go overboard in this direction with overwhelming amounts of party chat and like visual novel style subplots. the sweet spot is when the characters are all distinct enough to be intelligible and have their own little agendas to carry out, but you don’t feel like you’re their therapist or life coach or whatever. that can get overwhelming

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the western version of 8 has bad loading times, whenever i see the japanese version it seems so much faster, honestly think that contributes a lot to it feeling like a slog

i’m sad they’ve never done a hd remaster of 8 (it was still a bit sketchy in pcsx 2 last time i checked?)or ported 4/5/6 to something other than mobile

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