Dragon Quest

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This article is about the series of video games. For the first game in the series, see Dragon Warrior. For similar titles, see Dragon Quest (disambiguation).
File:Dragon quest logo.jpg
Dragon Quest logo

Dragon Quest (ドラゴンクエスト, Doragon Kuesuto), published as Dragon Warrior in North America until the 2005 release of Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, is a series of role-playing games produced by Enix (now Square Enix). Installments of the series have appeared on MSX computers, Famicom/NES, Super Famicom/Super NES, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, PlayStation, and PlayStation 2 video game consoles, as well as on several models of mobile phone. Three future installments are in the works, one slated to appear on Nintendo's Wii and the other two for the Nintendo DS. As of 2006, the Dragon Quest series has sold over 40 million units worldwide, as stated by Square Enix in the E3 conference. It is Square Enix's most successful franchise after Final Fantasy, although Dragon Quest is more popular than Final Fantasy inside Japan.

Dragon Quest's North American name was changed due to a trademark conflict with the role-playing game DragonQuest, which was published by veteran wargame publisher SPI in the 1980s until the company's bankruptcy in 1982 and purchase by TSR, which then published it as an alternate line to Dungeons & Dragons until 1987.[1] In 2003, Square Enix registered the Dragon Quest trademark in the US, signalling the end of the Dragon Warrior moniker.

Overview

During the mid-1980s, Dragon Quest was created by Yuji Horii. The series monster and character designs were by famed Dragon Ball manga artist, Akira Toriyama. All of the music for the Dragon Quest series has been composed by Koichi Sugiyama.[2]

The Dragon Quest series stories are divided into trilogies. The first three games of the series tell the story of the legendary hero known as Roto (also known as Erdrick or Loto in the American version). Dragon Quest IV-VI are based around a castle in the sky called Zenithia. Dragon Quest VII and Dragon Quest VIII are independent of each other and stand alone stories.

The official mascot of the Dragon Quest series is the Slime. A Slime is a small blob with a face, shaped like an onion or Hershey's Kiss. It has appeared in every Dragon Quest game and it is usually one of the first monsters the player encounters (usually the Blue Slime). There are several varieties of Slimes in the Slime family, including the King Slime which is formed by a group of Slimes merging into one. The Slime's popularity has netted it two spinoffs, Slime MoriMori Dragon Quest and Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime. They also make a significant showing in the Japanese manga and two-episode anime Dragon Half.

The games themselves feature a number of religious overtones: saving the game and reviving characters is always performed by clergy in churches. Bishops are often seen wandering around the overworld of Dragon Warrior Monsters and have the ability to heal. In Dragon Warrior VII, the Demon Lord, otherwise known as the Devil (known as Orgodemir in the game), is the final boss, and there is also a sidequest to fight God himself.

Dragon Quest is such a cultural phenomenon in Japan that there are live-action ballets, musical concerts, and audio CDs based on the Dragon Quest universe.[3] The London Philharmonic Orchestra has performed for several Dragon Quest music albums.[4] It is the first video game series to have its music performed live by an orchestra.[citation needed] Since 1987, music from Dragon Quest has been performed annually in Japan in concert halls. [citation needed]

It is likely that the phenomenal success of the original Dragon Quest game in Japan was directly responsible for the country's subsequent love affair with the console role-playing game. One need only look at a chronology of console role-playing games to notice that, following Dragon Quest, the genre exploded into prominence.

Outside Japan

Dragon Quest is not nearly as successful outside Japan, having been eclipsed by Final Fantasy and other RPG series. Because of Enix America Corporation's closure in the mid 1990s, Dragon Quest V and Dragon Quest VI were never officially released in North America. In Europe, none of the games except Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King and Dragon Warrior Monsters have seen release. The lack of official localizations for Dragon Quest games has inspired many fan translation projects. Completed fan translation projects include: the Super Famicom remake of Dragon Quest I & II, Dragon Quest V, and Dragon Quest VI.

The first four Dragon Warrior titles suffered from substantial censorship in their North American localizations, largely in keeping with Nintendo of America's content guidelines at the time, which placed severe restrictions on religious iconography and mature content. Both graphics and text were edited, replacing coffins with ghosts, crucifixes with five-point stars, and "Priest" with "Healer," to name but a few. However, the graphics, sound and menus of the first two games were given an upgrade for their American release.

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King has been the second Dragon Quest game to be released in Europe (the first being Dragon Warrior Monsters published by Eidos Interactive), marketed as Dragon Quest: The Journey of the Cursed King.

Still, the series is one of Square Enix's flagship titles, and they are currently planning to release at least four upcoming titles in the series outside Japan.

How to play

Basic gameplay

The Dragon Quest system is similar to the basis of the Ultima and Wizardry video game systems. The game player's party walks into a town and buys weapons/armors/items in order to defeat monsters easily. When the player's party is out of the town, the party is vulnerable to monster attacks. When the player encounters monsters, s/he has several options from which to choose. The player can attack and defeat the monster(s) with weapons, magic, or items. The player can also attempt to run away from a fight, however the option is not open during a boss battle. After a player wins a battle by defeating all the monsters, the player's party members gain experience points (EXP) in order to gain a new level. When a certain character gains a new level, the stats of the character are upgraded.[5]

When the player's party dies in battle, they will lose half of their gold and the leader of the party warps back to the nearest church. The leader then needs to pay a priest to revive his/her party members. More recent games in the series have banks in many towns that allow the player to store his or her money; this will prevent it from being lost when the party dies.

To save a player's progress, the player must visit a Church (also known as a House of Healing in early North American versions) and talk to a priest or nun. In early versions of Dragon Quest, the player must visit a king in order to save his or her progress[5] (this does not include the first two Dragon Quest titles for the Famicom, which use a password system).

Basic items

These items appear in most of the Dragon Quest games; some English item names have changed as the series has progressed:

  • Medicinal Herb — Heals wounds and restores HP.
  • Antidotal Herb — Cures poison-related ailments.
  • Chimera Wing — Throw it into the air to return to a location you have previously visited.
  • Holy Water — Sprinkle on yourself to temporarily repel monsters that are weaker than you.
  • Moonwort Bulb — Cures paralysis.
  • Seed of Strength — Permanently increases the Strength stat of one character.
  • Seed of Defense — Permanently increases the Defense or Guard stat of one character.
  • Seed of Life — Permanently increases the Maximum HP of one character.
  • Seed of Magic — Permanently increases the Maximum MP of one character.
  • Yggdrasil Leaf — Revives one fallen ally.

Games list

Flagship titles

Dragon Quest IX Update

Main article: Dragon Quest IX: Defenders of the Sky

Square Enix held a press conference in Japan celebrating the 20th anniversary of Dragon Quest, at the conference they announced that Dragon Quest IX is in development for the Nintendo DS handheld gaming system. The full title is reported to be Dragon Quest IX: Defenders of the Sky (or Protectors of the Starry Sky, depending on translation), and is the next main installment in the series by Level 5, not a spin-off or side quest. This will be the first installment of the series that will be exclusive to a handheld system rather than a home console. Notably, this will also be the first installment to feature real-time combat as well as 4 player co-op over wi-fi.

Spin off series

Fan-translated games

  • Dragon Quest I & II (Super Famicom) - fan-translated into English and Spanish by RPGOne in 2002
  • Dragon Quest III (Super Famicom) - is currently being fan-translated into English and Spanish by RPGOne as of 2005. Status for the English translation is 47% (as of 12/17/2005).
  • Dragon Quest V (Super Famicom) - fan-translated into English by DeJap Translations in 2001
  • Dragon Quest VI (Super Famicom) — fan-translated into English (incomplete) by NoPrgress in 2001

Manga and anime

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "The GameSpy Hall of Fame: Dragon Warrior". Gamespy. Retrieved May 29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ "The Designers Of Dragon Quest". IGN. Retrieved May 29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "The Dragon Quest Symphony". IGN. Retrieved May 29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ "Dragon Quest III Symphonic Suite Review". RPGFan. Retrieved May 29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ a b Editors of Nintendo Power: Nintendo Power July - August, 1989; issue 7 (in English). Nintendo of America, Tokuma Shoten Publishing, 39-50.

External links

Official Sites

Fan Created Sites


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