because i probably only have the patience to play through one of them
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5
It’s definitely 5
Try the smartphone version
1 is pretty quick.
just play 8 imo - it’s the best one for a newcomer to the series. if you play 5 i would rec the fan-translated ps2 version
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Earthbound
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alright we got the definitive answer
mods pls lock and ban
you may be surprised! i expected to only play one dragon quest when i first picked up 8, but i ended up adoring 3-7 as well
1 and 2 are just too archaic, 9 is ass imo, 10 and 11 make me lust
the central conceit of 7 is absolutely amazing but idk if that’s enough for me to want to play it
7 is a true journey. i recall advocating it about 10 years ago on this site and receiving a chorus of “that one sucks” - i guess because it’s almost comically long and “tedious”? (everyone here seems to appreciate it now!)
all i can say is, the experience you get from playing 7 with investment is unlike any game i’ve ever played
important note about dragon quest games: imo, you don’t really play them like other games. you are just going to make steady progression and meet interesting characters and fight tense battles and learn neat spells. it is the ultimate chill rpg experience. it’s comfort food! but it’s the best damn comfort food and it’s been a salve in very dark times for me
yeah I’m stockpiling a few months of vidcon comfort food in anticipation of multiple extended outpatient recoveries over the next year and a half
itoi was apparently inspired to work on mother after playing dq in a hospital bed? so i feel like i gotta keep the tradition alive
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Yeah dq1. Play the gbc version of 1, it ditches the thou’s and hast’s. I think the android and iOS versions bring them back?
In some ways 1 has the most personality. Not via characters and scenario but just the scale and scope of the game feels very intimate. Probably because there’s only one character, you, and all the npcs are talking directly to you and being so helpful and chill
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1/5/7/8
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Seconding that while 1 sure ain’t the best it’s by far the shortest and still a real chill time with some frameskip and turbo-buttons when you need grind a little extra for a boss. Neat to see where so many JRPG conventions originated from too.
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i’d say play the super famicon version of the first one, emulated on your mobile device, while waiting for something/someone or riding on a bus or train maybe. as long as can you keep track on about a handful of itens (and their supposed usage) and cardinal directions, you can easily spend a whole week without playing, going back, and knowing in which general direction to go to. that is, after you’re done getting lost for fun (fact: getting lost in dragon quest games is one of my favorite vidgam-things to do)
maybe the gbc version would also do, but i can’t attest whether it is balanced nearly as well.
three and five have the most emotional impact derived from "traditional" plot happenings. four is fun is terms of narrative snappy-ness.I remember going with GBC version over the SFC one back when I decided to play it mostly because I liked the music tracks I sampled more at the time.
1 is worth playing, but it’s really almost solely grinding and fighting. there’s not too much else. it’s a very important game! but idk if it’s the answer to the OP
the latter games have so much more personality, while losing exactly none of the charm of 1
they all have a ton of personality just avoid 9
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definitely 5.
7 is a fine game if you never intend on clearing it. it is a game that is designed to be played forever and ever.
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Builders is pretty remarkable