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The Dragon Quest Thread

Doktor Best

Arcane
Joined
Feb 2, 2015
Messages
2,849
Finished Dragon Warrior 4 (NES) yesterday. It was fun but the game takes a nosedive in the last chapter since they did the silly thing where you can only control your MC and all other party members are controlled by (pretty bad) AI. In Dragon Quest, the combat is already pretty simplistic in general so any resemblance of tactical gameplay is out the window if you only control one character.

I thought you could select tactics in battle and turn off party AI. Unless I'm thinking of the DS remake.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

I think i read somewhere that in the DS version you could turn that off or something. Never played it as i wanted to go for the originals since they tuned down the difficulty in the DS versions.

Did you not play 6? That was my favorite of the series, granted I haven't played 11 yet.

I bought the DS version used for very cheap. Do you recommend the SNES version or that one?
 

Modron

Arcane
Joined
May 5, 2012
Messages
9,934
I played the fan translated SNES version probably 10-12 years ago before there was a DS version. IIRC it was aweigh who was well versed in getting the best version of these things.
 
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aweigh

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for me my current preferred versions are:

Dq 1-3 = SNES fan translations. best graphics (better than the NES versions, and not the awful "HD sprites" of the mobile remakes). arguably the mobile versions have "better" translations (mobile versions use accents for different regions, fan-trans mostly don't); but honestly i just can't find the energy to care about it. DQ fans are pretty damn autistic about this and they did a fantastic job with the fan-translation.

DQ 4 = objectively the best version is the mobile version because it has the DS-remake graphics and includes the full party chat which is completely missing from the DS version... HOWEVER it has the huge downside of lacking physical controls. If you can handle the mobile controls then go for the Android version of dq4, if that's too much of a downgrade tho then go for the Nintendo DS remake.

* original NES version never had any party chat to begin with, btw.

DQ 5 = PS2 version with fan-translation all the way! Absolutely marvelous graphics and an amazing orchestral score. It is easily the definitive version of dq 5. This version of the game was obviously a labor-of-love from the devs and it shows from top-to-bottom. Pity it was never officially translated, but the DQ fan-translators again did a fantastic job here translating it. Go with PS2 remake w/ fan-patch.

DQ 6 = DS remake.

DQ 7 = It's hard. was going to write a lot about this one but in the end I think the superior experience lies with the original PS1 version. You miss out on the 3d graphics of the remake and the voice-acting, but in return you get much better gameplay mechanics and more satisfaction.

Either way, whichever version of DQ 7 you end up playing will still be the best DQ game ever made. Play DQ 7. Any version. You will not regret it.
 
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Lincolnberry

Educated
Joined
Dec 2, 2019
Messages
86
for me my current preferred versions are:

Dq 1-3 = SNES fan translations. best graphics (better than the NES versions, and not the awful "HD sprites" of the mobile remakes). arguably the mobile versions have "better" translations (mobile versions use accents for different regions, fan-trans mostly don't); but honestly i just can't find the energy to care about it. DQ fans are pretty damn autistic about this and they did a fantastic job with the fan-translation.

DQ 4 = objectively the best version is the mobile version because it has the DS-remake graphics and includes the full party chat which is completely missing from the DS version... HOWEVER it has the huge downside of lacking physical controls. If you can handle the mobile controls then go for the Android version of dq4, if that's too much of a downgrade tho then go for the Nintendo DS remake.

* original NES version never had any party chat to begin with, btw.

DQ 5 = PS2 version with fan-translation all the way! Absolutely marvelous graphics and an amazing orchestral score. It is easily the definitive version of dq 5. This version of the game was obviously a labor-of-love from the devs and it shows from top-to-bottom. Pity it was never officially translated, but the DQ fan-translators again did a fantastic job here translating it. Go with PS2 remake w/ fan-patch.

DQ 6 = DS remake.

DQ 7 = It's hard. was going to write a lot about this one but in the end I think the superior experience lies with the original PS1 version. You miss out on the 3d graphics of the remake and the voice-acting, but in return you get much better gameplay mechanics and more satisfaction.

Either way, whichever version of DQ 7 you end up playing will still be the best DQ game ever made. Play DQ 7. Any version. You will not regret it.


I played the OG version of 7 nearly 20 years ago on the PSX when it first came out and I'm not sure I've found a game that quite captures it's magic for me since. Certainly my favorite of the DQ games I've played (5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 11).

I think what really stood out to me then was the class system post alltrades/dharma and in particular how you had to master certain classes to unlock the higher level ones for each character, but still were able to maintain some abilities from mastered classes. I think you see this in tactics games somewhat commonly, but in a non TRPG I'm not sure I've seen anything quite so robust - if you know of any, I'd definitely appreciate a rec.

Separately, I recently bought the 3DS remake version and know it made some big changes. On a second trip would you recommend emulating the original or do you think the remake is worthy for a second time around?
 
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aweigh

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For a second time around? It's really hard to say. Like I said, the changes done to DQ7's mechanics are pretty fundamental, and they lowered the stats of all of the enemies.

Personally I went for the 3DS remake for my 2nd playthrough of DQ7 and I didn't bother finishing it. It is incredibly charming though. Just way too easy and unsatisfying to play. If you have no memories of the original then it is fine, it is still a hallmark game, but when spend your entire time thinking "wow they made this dungeon really easy", or "wow I remember this was so much harder in the original", It really took me out of the experience; and this isn't even mentioning about how they completely butchered the entire class system.

If someone could somehow make a "difficulty balance" mod for DQ7 on 3DS then that would change my opinion. I would feel much better about recommending it then, as the piss-easy difficulty is even more egregious to me than anything else, at least in terms of affecting actual enjoyment.

Simply doubling enemy HP would be a good start. The graphics really are charming though, and so much love and care went into the whole aesthetic experience of the remake that I do think it is worth playing at least once. Like I said, the issue of DQ7 is a tough one.
 

Cromwell

Arcane
Joined
Feb 16, 2013
Messages
5,443
aweigh how would you measure the difficulty for someone who doesnt live and breath crawlers? (for the dq7 remake)
 
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aweigh

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The NDS remakes of 4-6 and the 3DS remake of 7 are incredibly easy. You will never have to think about optimizing your gear or your classes, ever. Not even once. I would be surprised if you did; and it would probably be because you forgot something, not because the game(s) challenged you.

The butchered difficulty is the main knock on the NDS/3DS remakes. Fortunately the SNES remakes of 1-3 kept an overall similar balance of difficulty and power-curve to the NES originals, and the PS2 remake of DQ5 was obscure enough that they didn't pussy-fy it for mass consumption.

EDIT: I've never bothered with the mobile/Android remakes of DQ 1-3; I know that they have better scripts (they should, they're the first official localizations of those games since the NES originals), and sure this is a positive, but I also know that they have the AWFUL "HD Sprites", and this is enough to make me never want to play them... but I don't know if they butchered the difficulty like they did with the NDS/3DS remakes. Probably.

*Oh, also the mobile remake of 1-3 lack monster animations during battle as well. Another knock against them. The recent DQ 1-3 collection for Nintendo Switch is based off the mobile remakes, so beware.
 
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Doktor Best

Arcane
Joined
Feb 2, 2015
Messages
2,849
For a second time around? It's really hard to say. Like I said, the changes done to DQ7's mechanics are pretty fundamental, and they lowered the stats of all of the enemies.

Personally I went for the 3DS remake for my 2nd playthrough of DQ7 and I didn't bother finishing it. It is incredibly charming though. Just way too easy and unsatisfying to play. If you have no memories of the original then it is fine, it is still a hallmark game, but when spend your entire time thinking "wow they made this dungeon really easy", or "wow I remember this was so much harder in the original", It really took me out of the experience; and this isn't even mentioning about how they completely butchered the entire class system.

If someone could somehow make a "difficulty balance" mod for DQ7 on 3DS then that would change my opinion. I would feel much better about recommending it then, as the piss-easy difficulty is even more egregious to me than anything else, at least in terms of affecting actual enjoyment.

Simply doubling enemy HP would be a good start. The graphics really are charming though, and so much love and care went into the whole aesthetic experience of the remake that I do think it is worth playing at least once. Like I said, the issue of DQ7 is a tough one.

Thats one thing i cant understand with the remakes. They are all so beautifully crafted but Square Enix absolutely butchered the difficulty in all of them. Why not leave the game as it is and implement an easy mode? Everyone would have been happy.
 

Hyperion

Arcane
Joined
Jul 2, 2016
Messages
2,120
Dragon Warrior 7 should be played on the PSX or not at all. The 3DS version is absolute garbage from toned down difficulty, to the introduction of grottoes from 9, to the changes made to classes and monster hearts - skills learned in classes are not kept when you switch to another class unless you learned it from a corresponding monster heart, making an extremely long game even longer by adding hours and hours of pointless grind.

The PS1 version also had a very reasonable encounter rate (for the most part it varied from area to area with the world map having low rates with certain dungeons having high rates) and the introduction of visible enemies on the map increased your encounter rate unless you exploited the fact enemies never spawned off screen and you turned your camera so you always moved 'south.'

Finally, as is the case with all remakes and new games, losing a character is never permanent anymore. Of course the game lets you get Kiefer back even though he's effectively dead and gone for centuries. This is also my biggest gripe with DQ11, Veronica, and Part 3 of the game.
 

Lincolnberry

Educated
Joined
Dec 2, 2019
Messages
86
Dragon Warrior 7 should be played on the PSX or not at all. The 3DS version is absolute garbage from toned down difficulty, to the introduction of grottoes from 9, to the changes made to classes and monster hearts - skills learned in classes are not kept when you switch to another class unless you learned it from a corresponding monster heart, making an extremely long game even longer by adding hours and hours of pointless grind.

The PS1 version also had a very reasonable encounter rate (for the most part it varied from area to area with the world map having low rates with certain dungeons having high rates) and the introduction of visible enemies on the map increased your encounter rate unless you exploited the fact enemies never spawned off screen and you turned your camera so you always moved 'south.'

Finally, as is the case with all remakes and new games, losing a character is never permanent anymore. Of course the game lets you get Kiefer back even though he's effectively dead and gone for centuries. This is also my biggest gripe with DQ11, Veronica, and Part 3 of the game.

Appreciate the thoughts. Class changes are a bummer - the difficulty was one of my favorite parts of the game as it made it feel like grinding out those masteries was actually worth something. Also disliked everything about grottoes from 9 so that's a shame too. Are the monster classes viable/easier to acquire in the remake? That might save it for me - I had almost zero luck acquiring monster hearts in the original even after grinding for them (past maybe 1-2 you may get from a chest?) and definitely never had the right combinations to sniff any of the advanced classes going thru the basic and intermediate sides.

Would be a completely different game but playing as close to a monsters only run as possible might be kind of interesting if it's viable.
 

Grauken

Gourd vibes only
Patron
Joined
Mar 22, 2013
Messages
12,787
No, but I heard the ending is stupid

Obvious spoiler warning
It's revealed that the main character is a player in a DQ5 virtual reality game and the final boss of the movie is a computer virus
 

grimace

Arcane
Joined
Jan 17, 2015
Messages
1,959
logo.png



https://dragonquest.square-enix-games.com/tact/en-us/


With over 10 million downloads in Japan, DRAGON QUEST TACT finally comes to the West!
DRAGON QUEST TACT is a free to play mobile tactical RPG coming soon to Android & iOS!

Befriend, collect, and train iconic DRAGON QUEST monsters to charge forth to epic battles!


Maybe we'll see a port of Tact to Nintendo Switch.

https://twitter.com/DQTact_EN

DRAGON QUEST TACT is currently available for download but is undergoing server maintenance until Jan. 27th at 2:00 p.m. PST to ensure a smooth launch for all of our players.
 

Lincolnberry

Educated
Joined
Dec 2, 2019
Messages
86
Anyone know if there is/was supposed to be a new DQ Monsters game? I thought I'd read something to that effect and this seemed like a logical event to play it up, but no dice. Hopefully the new Treasures game isn't that...
 

Abu Antar

Turn-based Poster
Patron
Joined
Jan 19, 2014
Messages
13,514
Enjoy the Revolution! Another revolution around the sun that is. Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
It reminds you of Octopath because it is headed by my friend Asano!

So, DQ3, DQ10, DQ 12 and Adventures of Dai. They did go all out.

There's also that Erik spinoff. Damn, son.
 

Siveon

Bot
Joined
Jul 13, 2013
Messages
4,509
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Why the obsession with DQ 3
It's a cultural phenomenon/historical treasure in Japan. It was super hyped, everyone played it and loved it etc. It's a pretty decent and addicting title. The last bastion of old DQ design before they started advancing into different stuff.

DQ3 inspired an insane amount of fan works, games, artists etcetera, it pretty much has a self contained fanbase.
 

Paper

Educated
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Oct 18, 2011
Messages
91
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Helsingia
it worries me that they seem to care about westerners playing DQ now. I hope they don't compromise it into shit
 
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Thac0

Time Mage
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Apr 30, 2020
Messages
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Arborea
I'm very into cock and ball torture
There are rumors floating around that Square plans on scrapping traditional turn based combat for DQ XII for their more western darker approach.
If that is true I trust my Japanese bros to spam Square with death threats again, the same they did to prevent DQ IX from becoming an action rpg.
 

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