Dragon Quest - The Mother of All JRPGs | Retrospective Review
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- Опубліковано 6 сер 2024
- Dragon Quest wasn’t the first Japanese RPG. And depending on how you keep score, it might not even have been the first console RPG made in Japan. But it’s often regarded as the father of the JRPG genre, and with good reason.
In this retrospective review, we’ll take a thorough look at the original Dragon Quest - the mother of all JRPGs. What was so great about the game? Why did it have such a huge impact? And how does the experience hold up today?
#DragonQuest #JRPG #retrospective
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Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:52 The first JRPG?
06:23 Enix from the ashes
11:14 From PC to console
16:04 Development
22:07 A series of fortunate events
28:18 The urban legend
33:41 Localization
38:15 Dragon Warrior
43:18 Accessibility over complexity
47:48 Freedom of movement
52:45 The critical path
57:51 The spirit of exploration
1:02:28 Flaws
1:08:00 Grinding
1:13:53 A warm, inviting world
1:18:25 You
1:24:03 The mother of all JRPGs - Ігри
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Before moving forward with my retrospective series, I decided to go back to the beginning! Here's my retrospective review of the original Dragon Quest. Hope you like it and let me know what you think!
I'm planning to cover the whole mainline DQ series eventually, but my next project will probably be to redo my FF1 vid. It was the first retrospective I ever made (just over three years ago now), and I've been feeling increasingly dissatisfied with the treatment I gave the game at the time. I want to take another shot at it and give a more honest appraisal of what the game meant back in 1987. Plus there was so much interesting stuff I left out of the original version lol.
After that, we'll see. Let me know what games you want to see next and I'll keep it in mind. :)
I'm more forgiving of Dragon Quest since learning of the cart limitations, but your description of exploration was art - I hope you already know why. (I feel self conscious breaking down the tricks of the trade). Anyways, it's obvious why your shining a light on the role and responsibilities of an entertainer vs. critic was unusually fair.
I wish I knew your perspective on Hylide III or Phantasy Star III; games far too ambitious for their limited canvas and knowledge of game design.
Or games like Devil May Cry 2, where a critic and fan failed as entertainer, and Balon Wonderworld, where a self conscious push back against critical expectations ended in disaster.
Or really, I'd like to hear you review a game the algorithm would hate and I've never heard of. Because your reasons alone might be worth a guided tour into the vast unknown.
I'm writing this before I've even looked at your channel page, because it seemed important to capture how exciting this video was, on its own. And I say this as someone already spoiled by competing retrospectives...
@@juststatedtheobvious9633 Wow, that's a very kind comment! Thank you so much :)
Great stuff. 1.5 hours to do this on dragon quest review. I like this in depth analysis style.
Please leave your original review of FF1 up still! I enjoy rewatching longer retrospectives like that from time to time
RIP Akira Toriyama, the legend who create the art of Dragon Quest and so much more.
He will be sorely missed.
When I saw dragon quest for the first time, I thought it was dragon ball 😂😂
RIP Akira Toriyama. His works on the Dragon Quest games and Chrono Trigger cannot be understated. Truly a Legend
He will be sorely missed.
Truly a huge loss, such a powerful artist. I can’t imagine my childhood without his work.
I'm glad to hear you talking about Dragon Quest. I've seen a lot of retrospectives on FF but not so much on DQ and I would really like to see more people talk about this series since it was FF and DQ that really made me love JRPGs!
Definitely planning to cover more of the DQ games going forward! :)
@@AltercateTV Yeah I would really love to hear you talk about the Zenithian Trilogy they're easily some of my favorite games in the series!
@@gavinlucas9761 I'll get there eventually! :)
What no phantasy star?
@@1funkylionsfan913 I'll do Phantasy Star eventually too :)
I never played Dragon Quest, but I did play Dragon Warrior. It was my first jrpg. It set an addiction that I still have today.
I'm pretty sure Dragon Warrior and Dragon Quest are the same exact games, unless I'm forgetting something.
@subtledemisefox basically yes with little tweaks. I was mostly trying to be a smart ass.
@@rogueprince1341 lol I wondered if that was the case. Sorry I ruined your joke
@subtledemisefox nah your good
@@subtledemisefox yeah, they are the same. The first 2 games were name dragon warrior by the Western audience, but this was changed shortly when 3 were ported with the game's actual name thu to poor translation errors in the West
Thank you for this! As much as I enjoy FF retrospectives, DQ needs more of these in depth reviews. Can't wait to see more in the series.
Glad you liked it! More to come in the future :)
I dunno where all these DQ retrospectives are popping out of, but I have no complaints. Dragon quest is where I begun my rpg journey and it made the gamer I am today and for that I’m very grateful. To be, dragon quest is forever peak rpg so my heart will forever belong to it. Hail to the king.
Thanks for sharing your experience! :)
Got this free with my Nintendo Power subscription when I bought my NES....
People can't even agree on the title of this game because when I got it it was called Dragon Warrior which could have something to do with Wyatt's now known as a jrpg because it had to be localized
It was called dragon warrior because wizards of the coast owned the rights to the name dragon quest.
Now Yuji Horii (the creator of the series) is the only one of the original 3 behind Dragon Quest left. I am worried about him since Sugiyama and Toriyama died only a few years apart and he is 70 years old, so I would hate to see him go only a few years later as well. I have been also getting bad vibes that Dragon Quest XII The Flames Of Fate will be the grand finale to the mainline Dragon Quest series, especially since it has been going developmental difficulties.
OMG FINALLY!
Finally¹: I missed your videos and
Finally²: someone (good) talking (hours) about Dragon Quest.
I CANNOT WAIT until you cover Dragon Quest IV, V and VI. Mostly becauso of your take on the story and the little details, not so much for the development parts (which are interesting, but just not what I long for on your videos).
Again, congratulations! Keep up the good work. It's a shame you're not satisfied and you're gonna re-do your FFI video, because I bet your fans still like it (but also because you'll take longer to make more Dragon Quest videos lol).
Have a great day!
Hey, nice to see you! I really appreciate your kind words and feedback. It blows my mind that there are people out there actually looking forward to my next video, and it really helps to keep me motivated!
Also, I'll definitely take what you said about the FF1 video into consideration. I'll see how I feel going forward, but maybe I'll hold off on redoing it after all :)
Dq is my favorite series and you just done such an amazing video of the most basic game, really, great job.
In my experience I like dq so much because of the more relaxed tone, all of it is funny and kind of silly and that's awesome and fun, not all games must be so serious and with a dark tone, this is a great series specially when you're stressed or something like that, it's just an escape of everything.
Thank you for your kind words! I can definitely see the appeal of this series, and I'm really looking forward to digging into the later games :) I've played through DQ2 and am starting up DQ3 in the near future. Expect more videos to come!
Became a fan of this franchise early this year, now I finished the first 4 games, having a blast everytime I start the next one. I just can't believe I've been missing out for so long, I wanna play all 11 of them!
Dragon Quest is pure nostalgia for me. I received my copy via Nintendo Power and immediately obsessed over all of the included printed maps, profile of enemies and strategy book.
I remember being determined to figure out a way to hold onto the first key in the throne room, convinced that there must be a way and then trying to map out where, when and how i could finally get my hands on keys!!
The level up jingle, the sound of getting an excellent strike and the countless times i've said out loud, "fortune smile upon thee, thou hast found...a torch!" will always bring a smile to my face.
Thank you, once again for making another brilliant retrospective video. ❤
Awesome memories! Thanks for sharing, and glad you liked the video :)
You did great work on this one. I appreciate that you lack an abrasiveness and toxicity that afflicts many who produce content, so bless you, and thanks for your effort and pain.
Thanks, that's really nice to hear! :)
Another great video as always! Dragon Quest 1 really is an important title and your retrospective was informative and engaging.
I played through the snes remake a couple years ago for the first time and it was surprisingly nice and comfy, the level curve was fair, it wasn't very cryptic and I only used a guide for one item (Erdrick's Token in the swamp).
I'm excited to see you tackle the rest of the DQ series, along with the FF retrospective and other videos! Have a wonderful day!
Thank you for writing such a thoughtful comment! It really made my day :)
Probably the best Dragon Quest Retrospective i’ve ever watched man, this was such a well presented video you’ve done more than earn my subscription my man, super underrated channel keep up the amazing work and much love! 🙏🏾💙
Thanks friend, you’ve made my day :)
Great video! Its great to hear you are interested in covering more Dragon Quest games, I would love to see a whole series in this style.
Thank you! I'm planning on covering all of the mainline games eventually :)
That mountain maze in DQ and the area east of provoka in FF1... I wonder if something was meant to be there but was cut. Because they both just look like there was a town/dungeon/treasure meant to be in that area.
Yeah, I think you're probably right about that. Yuji Horii has said they had to cut TONS of planned content for DQ1 due to memory limitations, so it's very likely this was one of those things.
I never completed DQ1 until I imported the trilogy on Switch, completed part three and then my mind was blown! Still working part two though. Anyhow remember the weekends way back then when I’d sit there and watch my older brother play these games with a few of the neighborhood kids. Those were the days…
Happy times! Thanks for sharing :)
I beat the game with no guild. Just straight up explorations n NPC clues. That’s why I fell in love with RPG’s
Thanks for sharing! :)
So nice & deep analysis, thanks for caring so much about each small detail inside your reviews. Your angle on the game story, design decisions and all the background related to its development is so interesting.
Thanks! That's really nice to hear :)
yeah buddy! A new Altercate video draws near! Feeling the same kind of excitement I felt when I thought I'd be getting this game for Christmas back in the 80's as I begin to watch this!
Hey buddy! That's awesome to hear. Hope you enjoy the video :)
@@AltercateTVthou hast done well in retrospecting one of my all time favorite games! 😂
@@CatVisionTM Thank you 😍
@@AltercateTVthank you too bro, this was awesome!
I have seen tons of documentary and retrospective about DQ, this one? the absolute best.
Thank you. That is awesome to hear :) Love your avatar/username btw! My favorite game of all time.
@@AltercateTV Yeah man! I loved how into detail you went with this video, and you described well how really important it was to the gaming world.
And it's also awesome to see another fellow Xenogears fan!! It's one of my all time favs too!
Dragon Warrior (I know, that’s just what it is to me) has always been my favorite game series. The first rpg I ever played was dragon Warrior on nes and to this day it holds in my top 5 games of all time.
I love this game, even though it's simplistic as simple can be.
Being a solo hero has a completely different feel from having a big party.
It forces me to focus more on taking in the world around my character more than i normally would.
I get so immersed in the game world that way.
Especially with the first person battles.
Thanks for sharing your (no pun intended) perspective!
Subbing from a great video and that you plan on covering the whole DQ series. I love RPGs and I actually never played DQ until 11. I'm gonna watch your videos and maybe play a few as well.
cheers from the US
Glad you liked the video and thanks for the support! :)
35:55 - That's a reference to the "Yes! We Have No Bananas" song
I would love for you to do more videos on DQ. The Gameboy 1&2 double pack of the game introduced me to this franchise and the basic workings of RPGs. I personally think that if you’re planning on dipping your toes into RPGs this is a good game to start, though finishing is up to you, either on snes, gameboy, or mobile because of how simple it is.
My favorite in the series however, is Dragon Quest 3. I feel that the amount of freedom you’re giving regarding not just your adventure, but your party is wonderful. It’s like you can play on the fly but later you might come up with a plan to reclass your party members. I love it when a long term plan comes together.
Thanks for sharing! I'll definitely do more videos on the series. I'm working on my Dragon Quest II script right now :)
@@AltercateTV Good to hear. I’ll admit though, DQ2 was not a lot of fun for me. Despite beating the final boss I had more of a ‘Good lord, finally!’ feeling than a ‘Woohoo, I did it!’ feeling. That was the GB color version, I can’t imagine how hard the NES version was.
Great video, I just found it and starting to watch your backlog now keep up the good work!
Thank you! Glad you liked it :)
I've had a real blindspot to Dragon Quest. It was great to hear a snapshot of its origins. It's influence to DnD was particularly interesting.
Glad you liked it, and nice to see you back! :)
This was very well paced and your voice was easy to listen to and understand. Great stuff!
Thank you! Glad you liked it :)
Absolutely! Starting my FF retrospective journey while waiting for the next Dragon Quest Retrospectives 😂
@@FaII3nxAngeI Awesome 😂
I would spend a LOOOONG time around Kol farming enemies for Gold until I hit level 20. I will admit though, my first experience with the series as a kid was Dragon Warrior 4. I had bought Dragon Warrior from a pawn shop a little bit after and was baffled as to why the game was so simple in comparison, but I still enjoy the first one :D
Haha, I can imagine! A LOT happened to this series between the first and the fourth game...
This was a really good video! I feel like when people review dragon quest games, they only give them 20 or 30 minutes. So it's nice seeing one that's an hour long. I also didn't know that Yuji Horii wrote articles for shonen jump. Learned something new! I look forward to more reviews!
Thanks! That's really nice to hear :)
My parents bought this when it first came out in the States. I played D&D growing up, so this was perfect. Even in 1989, though, the level grinding is a bit much. The most amazing thing about the game is the battery. The last time I put my original copy in my NES was 2016. I loaned this cart to a friend back on 1992, and his save game was still on it. 27 years on and the battery still worked.
Much prefer the GBC version due to the faster level progression and permanent stat boost items. I also prefer FF1, my favorite NES game... and DW4 is the best NES entry IMO, but this game will always be my first RPG love. Great video! Subscribed.
I always love hearing about people's experiences with these games. Thanks for sharing, and thanks for the support! :)
I played and beat this game only a couple years ago. It was such a long grind, but the monster designs are so unique and cool that it helped me keep going. I was always excited to see what the next areas monsters would look like.
I remember my mother making a deal with me. She would buy me the 2 year subscription to Nintendo Power that came with the free Dragon Warrior game, if I promised to read every page of Nintendo Power that came in the mail (her way of trying to get me to read more and boost my literacy). I agreed, it worked, and dragon warrior saw years of playtime. Best deal of my life.
Awesome story, thanks for sharing :)
I hope you plan on making more hour+ DQ documentaries because I will watch all of them
That makes me happy to hear! I’m planning on covering all of the main series games. 😀
I can't wait for more Dragon Quest Retrospective in the future! DQ5 is the best one so I can't wait for it
Definitely looking forward to covering DQ5! I'm playing through the series right now and I'm at the start of DQ3 at this point :)
Looking forward to hearing your take on those crazy difficulty spikes in DQ2
A new Altercate vid! Thrilled to see a new doc from you!
I was a FF kid growing up in the SNES era, so DQ never got any of my attention. I'm looking forward to seeing your take on it.
Hey buddy, good to see you :) I hope you enjoy the vid! I had the same experience as you, so getting into DQ is a journey of discovery for me compared to FF...
@AltercateTV kinda like how FF2 is not the game you thunk it's gonna be, DQ is not the game I thought it was! Haha.
I didn't know how primitive it was, but it still did nearly everything a CRPG could do at the time.
It must have been mindblowing, and I can see why it captured so so so many people's imaginations.
I knew you wouldn't let me down Altercate!
Also, just imagine if anyone other than Toriyama had been the illustrator for everything. Would people have even cared about DQ if it hadn't looked so darn good on the box?
@@chadwickjdillon Glad you liked it! Yeah, they got REALLY lucky with Toriyama...
Nintendo Power and this game is why I'm into JRPGs to this day.
Pretty cool video man. Good job, I'll be checking more in the future!
Thank you! :) Dragon Quest II retrospective will be up this Friday
Wow, I didn't realize that this video was only 3 months old. You did an incredible job discussing all aspects of it. One thing I really loved about Dragon Quest (in a full sense as a tradition of the series) is the Victory March. Once you beat the game you can visit everyone and some of the NPCs will have unique lines (or as we get closer to the present, everyone will have unique line), its what makes every playthrough worth it to see the legitimate happiness brought to people.
I do agree with all of your complaints as well. Dragon Quest was a touch too simple for its own good. When you were describing the Desert Maze I had that same exact experience when I first played the game and was legitimately angry when there was nothing at all there.
Honestly, the grinding could be draining, but what Dragon Quest lacked was just one more optional dungeon in the Southwest (or maybe even in the Desert Maze) to offset a bit of the grinding with purposeful progression. (And one level of Equipment between Broadsword/Flame Sword - Half Plate - Magic Armor - Iron Shield - Silver Shield) - That way the money grind is still worth it, but that the jump in power from getting these isn't so highly pronounced.
Minor quibbles in the long run. I just beat the Switch Remake yesterday. I'd beaten it on the NES, SFC (patch), GBA, and Mobile, and Switch (though I guess those last two are quite similar). It's a game I can endlessly revisit and I'm not sure why. Sure I saw it played as a kid, but I never played it, I had little nostalgia for it, but one of my favorite games of all time is Dragon Warrior VII for the PS1. A gargantuan game that took me a whole Summer to beat. Probably the first game I ever stayed up until dawn playing. And one of my brother's absolute favorite games was the GBC version of Dragon Warrior III, what a masterful piece of work that game is as well.
Looking forward to revisiting Dragon Quest II,and I hope you've got something planned for that too down the line!
Thank you for your kind words (as always)! Yep, it's only minor quibbles, and as you said, a couple of small changes could have made a huge difference in the gameplay experience.
Definitely got more planned! Working on my DQ2 script right now while playing DQ3 :)
Amazing deep dive always happy to see some old school DQ get some attention.
Thank you so much :)
A great, pioneering game that was given the respectful research, presentation and obvious passion that its due. Great job. I hope you and your channel swell to the success it deserves.
Thank you! That's very nice to hear :)
This is an excellent retrospective!
I remember playing the first game at my aunt's house as a kid, but I couldn't understand how it worked. I guess I was too young to figure out RPGs at the time. How do I move? How do I hit monster? It made no sense to me, so I just played Mario. It took Pokemon in 1998 to make me like RPGs.
Thank you, and thanks for sharing your experiences! :)
Thinking about Dragon Quest, I might have to sit down and try watching Dragonball some time. Never seen it before.
I had never known the person who drew Dragon Quest stuff was the person who did Dragonball Z until the 2000's or so,. I never watched Dragonball, as back then I heard fights can take like eight episodes (and this was before the internet, so a fight would take like two months if you got to watch once a week).
I picked up DQ 5 as my first dragon quest. It’s just so good so far. Definitely looking forward to playing more in the series. We’ll see if I go back this far or not.
Great retroapective, I just started playing DQ 11 and watching adventures of dai anime, I found a new thing to love.
This is definitely my favorite retrospective on the original game. The history section is very well-detailed, and I enjoyed your insight on the game design. Lots of people talk about how dated and simplistic the gameplay is, but not really what makes the game special and worth going back to. I think the closest thing we have in the modern day to a game like it is probably Dark Souls or Elden Ring, at least in my opinion. Can't wait to see your thoughts on Dragon Quest II!
Thank you, that’s very nice to hear! I’m working on the script for the Dragon Quest II video right now, so it should be up in the near future :)
What a great video, love Dragon Quest I hope you’ll make more videos about this series!
Thank you! Dragon Quest II retrospective will be up this Friday :)
As a long time Dragon Warrior/Quest fan, I would go as far to say I would gladly play Dragon Quest over Final Fantasy.
This video is so underrated. Definitely deserves more views.
Thank you! That’s very nice to hear :)
Lightning in a bottle. DW IV was my introduction, but wow...
This is very interesting and well made. I thought I knew a lot about Dragon Quest already, but I learned a lot of new stuff from this video. :)
Cool! That's really nice to hear :)
Wow what a great video. Big thumbs up
Thank you! Glad you liked it :)
Making me reflect on how I could be building my own maps will impact how I play DQ in the future. It's just tough to stick with em, but these games were magic for the time
For sure!
No mention of Metal Slime?! One of my favorite parts of all the DQ games.
What do you like about the Metal Slime?
Great video man! 33 years later i just found out my mom got the game for free!
LOL. Do you feel betrayed?
Nice video, man. Dragon Warrior was one of my favorite games as a child
Thanks! :)
I have to take some notes. Thanks for this Banger!
Excellent video, I enjoyed it. When I was a kid, there was a lot of wonder that came from this game. I also got really sick of other kids telling me Final Fantasy was better. 😂
That must have gotten annoying lol!
42:08 - All that did was rub Nintendo the wrong way. As a result, Enix lost the support of NoA. They were on their own and had to handle the other DQ entries themselves. This sadly also sealed Dragon Quest's fate in the West and the growing impetus for as to why DQ doesn't have a foothold in the West compared to Final Fantasy.
I hope you do retrospectives on the other Dragon Quest games. They need more exposure.
Thanks! I'm planning on covering them all, eventually. Working on my Dragon Quest 2 retrospective right now!
To be clear, there's another RPG named Dungeon made in 1975 in the west and Dungeon! In 82, that's also sorta dungeon crawler. Games like that are why Dungeon Master isn't the first FPP RPG/dungeon crawler too lol. (I know some way it was the first to do so successfully or whatever but I don't think that's accurate keeping platform adoption in mind among other things) Anyway, great vid!
Appreciate the clarification! One thing I've learned after doing all that research about the history of computer RPGs is that it's very hard to definitively answer the question of what game was or wasn't first in any given category lol. Glad you liked the video!
Our first JRPG was Phantasy Star...but this game clearly had a huge influence.
I never play any Dragon Quest game i play all the main line Final Fantasy and many other Jrpg. I miss this serie as a kid and now i want to buy and play it which i will do very soon on a NES. Thanks for the retrospective on the 1st game.
Thank you! Yeah, that was my experience growing up too. Totally missed the DQ series and trying to make up for it now!
I bought the game a while ago, but I didn't start playing it yet. After learning about the passing of Akira Toriyama, I tried it out for the first time. I'm having fun just walking around the world and grinding so far. I'm going to try and not use a guide too and I'm doing alright so far. The game is really fun and hard to put down.
So SO happy that someone has finally done a video like this for Dragon Quest. It's baffling to me just how little conversation there is for this franchise. They're still making games, and those games are still fantastic!
Excellent video, man. Liked and subscribed, can't wait for the next one.
Thank you so much for the kind words! Working on my DQ2 video right now :)
this was great. thanks for the hard work putting this together :)
Glad you liked it! :)
I was thinking about this a while back and would say these are the first ones, and ones which were also influential on the subgenre. I define them as mostly linear RPGs focusing on character development/characterization (personality or identity, not stats), with predefined characters and story, anime/manga aesthetics, and tactical if not TB combat.
Phantasy Star II (march, 1989)
Mother/Earthbound Beginnings (july 1989, mostly non-linear?)
Dragon Quest IV (1990)
Final Fantasy IV (1991)
Interesting thought! You could probably make an argument for Final Fantasy II (1988) being part of that list, though it depends on how far you stretch the definition of "characterization". It's there, but it's certainly not a lot...
Yeah I guess it's roughly on par with PSII and Mother now that I think about it
'Although its systems weren't influential and it's a bit of a black sheep now it did move the series towards what it became in the 90s@@AltercateTV
Great video again. It is great to see someone cover Dragon Quest as well. (Still waiting for the trails in the sky video btw).
Thank you! I actually JUST finished Trails in the Sky the 3rd last night, and I have an absolute truckload of thoughts about the three games written down. I'm not sure when I'll be able to get the video out but I'll give you a sneak peak of my feelings since they're fresh right now...
I loved FC, and Second Chapter is basically in my top ten favorite games of all time at this point. It's just amazing. My feelings about 3rd are much more mixed. To me, the game loses a lot of its potential power because of how abstract and stripped down the main story is. I love the additional character development, and there's a TON of absolutely stellar content in there, but almost all of it is hidden away in Moon Doors and Star Doors, which makes it feel completely disconnected from the actual story.
The side content in FC and SC greatly enrich the story, but it never felt mandatory. In 3rd, I cannot imagine playing the game without doing most of the Moon and Star Doors.
That said, I still enjoyed the game, and I'm absolutely in love with the characters and this world. I can't wait to see more. I think the scene that really got me (by surprise) was the one where Olivier performs Happy Trigger on Chancellor Osborne from the deck of the Arseille. The moment he shot the rose bouquet I got chills throughout my body and started tearing up... and it made me realize just how hype I am for that coming conflict. What an amazing setup.
So, anyway, I'm thinking about a trilogy retrospective video for the three games lol.
@@AltercateTVsky the 3rd is probably not for everyone but i cant imagine playing the rest of the series without it - it is a massive setup game for the series and the lore drops from some doors are really important in the future. I personally really enjoyed but i can see why some people dont like it as much as the others. It is also probably the shortest game in the series - which does not say much since this series average length for a game is around 100 hours. I am just going to say that after sky the 3rd the games are mostly similar to sky FC and SC. Trails from zero is another sky FC so expect it to be a but slower in terms of storytelling. Cant wait for the video if you ever manage to find the time to do it.
@@luki1234567890123 I can definitely see that. 3rd feels like one big hype campaign or advertisement for the wider series. Really looking forward to Trails from Zero now. :)
@@AltercateTVSky the 3rd ending with everyone from the trilogy saying goodbye is still one of the best game endings i have seen though. Some things will not pay off until Cold Steel 4.
Regarding the American cover art, I actually really like it. I think I prefer it to the original anime style. It kind of makes me think of the box art for the Frank Mentzer Basic D&D set, and to me, it's badass. A knight drawing his sword and facing down a huge dragon with an emaculate castle off in the distance? Hell yeah.
Anime, and Dragon Ball in particular never really resonated with me. But I'll play the fuck out of some Dragon Quest, because they're just good games. The series is a true gold standard for JRPGs.
Definitely understand what you mean, I love that old school '80s fantasy art. The Dragon Warrior III cover honestly looks amazing to me. I would have begged my mom to buy me the game if I'd seen it here lol.
When I was 4 (1989), my cousin had this masterpiece. Yes, we took the Dragonlords offer :D
But yes, my entry into JRPGs was this gem. And yes, even today series like Final Fantasy, and the Legend of Heroes, started BECAUSE of Dragon Quest.
Thanks for sharing! :)
I did to. But went back on my last saved n killed him.🤷♂️😂😂
Love Dragon Quest, from the simple but enjoyable stories and combat, to the puff puffs and bunny girls
Thanks for sharing! The series has been a blind spot for me in the past, so I'm very happy to be going through it now!
I picked up Dragon Quest for my Tandy Vision One Radio Shack Intellivision Clone. It's the one game where it's not a pain in the butt to control.
That’s awesome 😆
鳥山明氏への皆様の敬意に感謝します。
Awesome retrospective. Subscribed!
Thanks! :)
Great work 💯
A good voice for a good video. Keep it up!
Thank you! 😍
What a beautiful video!!
Thank you so much for all your effort!
By the way, I just saw your Final Fantasy (I) review... do you think in comparison Dragon Quest was better by design?
I love both franchises, but I can't help having a very profound affection to the Dragon Quest series.
Thank you! And great question. I wouldn't say better, but Dragon Quest definitely provided solutions to a lot of problems that later JRPGs could copy. That said, I think FF was a fantastic game for its time, and its party creation, combat system, and exploration mechanics were ahead of their time for a console title.
Honestly, I've been meaning to make a new version of my FF1 video. I made it three years ago and I wasn't really fair to the game. If I remake it now, I would focus more on what the game meant at the time.
Very thorough honest retrospective!
The JRPG origins began with D & D…yet, the Pathfinder Core Book is shown. LOL! Still LOVED this video. I got my first game like many others with a Nintendo Power subscription. Still play the series today!!!
Haha, nice catch! I thought about showing the 1st Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons PHB but it doesn’t look as good on video when you open it up. And my 5e PHB is falling apart… 😜
Thanks! Glad you liked the video :)
Saw the same thing and came here to comment, given I'm a huge Pathfinder fan :D Not surprising that the 5e PHB is falling apart. Rather symbolic of WotC/Hasbro, in fact.
I had 2 copies back when it was new
dragon quest overture is the national anthem of jrpg
Love to see DQ covered you earned a sub
Thanks! More to come :)
Awesome video, thank you very much!
Glad you liked it! :)
THIS WAS AMAZING!!!! Instant subscribe
Thank you :)
Excellent video man
Thank you!
I played through Dragon Quest 1 a few years ago (the iPhone version, which smooths out a lot of the rough edges) and was struck by how odd of a jrpg it is. I mean, that makes perfect sense considering it’s in many ways the proto-jrpg, but it’s neat looking back in time and seeing how the genre has changed so much. I sorta wish people would look back and take more lessons from this one.
Like you said the NPCs aren’t just flavor like they are now, they were an important source of clues. How much more engaging is that? The world is open (aside from meat gates, very Dark Souls) and the direction you need to go is non-obvious so you really need to fire up that ol’ Sherlock Holmes hat and go to work. It’s almost an adventure game in some ways!
I’d love for someone to host a game jam, have a bunch of indie devs replay dragon quest 1 and then reimagine the ways the jrpg could’ve evolved from there. I’m playing through the entire series and the spirit of exploration and investigation takes a hard back seat around 4 or so in favor of a very charming little storybook style that unfortunately holds your hand way too tightly. It’s still good (imho) but loses something along the way along with basically the entire genre.
Also as a side note: the one real dungeon that you basically have to kit yourself out for with torches and other provisions, basically making you do multiple deep dives til you clear it entirely? Chefs kiss. Another great touch we just don’t really see any more, what with most dungeons designed today to be finished in one go and near unlimited inventory limits ruining a survival horror-esque necessary inventory management.
Talking about the history of JRPGs is always interesting because the games that were originally popular took inspiration from RPGs from the west. So...doesn't that actually make them Western RPGs? I know I've argued that maybe we should just drop the J and just call them all turn-based RPGs.
I'm definitely starting to think that "JRPG" makes very little sense. Genres are supposed to help people identify similar types of games, right? But if Dark Souls, Dragon Quest XI, and Final Fantasy XVI are all JRPGs, what do they actually have in common besides being designed by Japanese people? 😂
At this point, I keep using it mostly because out of habit. But I'm seriously considering dropping it going forward...
I played through this game when I was, like, four or five years old. Can confirm that most of my friends were too dumb to figure it out. But boy, howdy, did it help me learn how to read at a young age!
I can imagine! Thanks for sharing :)
dude my childhood .feelsgoodman
RIP BROTHER
Awesome video
Thank you! :)
Absolute gem of a channel
Thank you! :)
1.) Rest in peace, Akira Toriyama, I don't think the Dragon Quest series would have taken off as well as it did were it not for Toriyama's iconic character and monster designs. I'm really going to miss him and his distinct artstyle. :(
2.) About the term "JRPG" or "Japanese Role-Playing Game", I've been trying to use that term as little as possible after I heard that Japanese developers at Square Enix expressed discomfort with the term, saying they just try to make RPGs. In fact, they're so uncomfortable with what western gaming culture tends to associate with so-called "JRPGs" that some of them deliberately try to make their games less like that to avoid the label, hence why Final Fantasy is barely an RPG these days. I know genre names can be a thorny issue, because genres themselves exist for categorization and helping people recognize what kind of media you're consuming, and to a lot of people, mostly western gamers, "JRPG" is a neutral term and not intended to be derogatory (at least not on a conscious level). Because of that, I won't blame you or anyone else who continues to use JRPG, I just thought I'd bring this to your attention. I will agree that it should be retired, though.
3.) I feel like because of Enix failing to capitalize on Dragon Quest in the West, coupled with the release of the first four Dragon Quest coming out in the West years after their initial release and after other console RPGs emerged, Dragon Quest as a whole doesn't quite get the recognition it deserves. The influence of Dragon Quest can't be understated, as many popular and fan-favorite RPGs like Final Fantasy, Pokemon, EarthBound, Chrono Trigger, and the like, either took something or owe its very existence from this series. While Dragon Quest III, I'd argue, is more influential than the first game, it build it expanded what the first game set up. Not to mention the first game was designed specifically for console gamers new to RPGs, and thus was incredibly simple compared to the likes of Wizardry and Ultima, which were direct influences on Dragon Quest. Thus, my hope is that videos like this will raise awareness of just how and why this game is so impactful.
Great comment! I also read that thing about Japanese game developers’ feelings about the JRPG label, and it’s reason enough to start to seriously reconsider the use of the term.
But the other issue I have with the term is that its meaning has become more and more hollowed out over time. If Dragon Quest XI, Final Fantasy XVI, and Dark Souls are all JRPGs (as some people-but not all-argue), then what is even the value of having the category? These three games provide wildly different gameplay experiences.
That said, I’ve found it hard to stop using the term. “RPG” just seems too broad a category at times, and “JRPG” still holds meaning to a lot of people, even if it’s become harder and harder for fans to agree on the exact definition. It’s something I think about a lot and my end goal is to eventually phase the term out. But I haven’t yet found an answer I like.
Heeey, fellow swede! Great review, earned a sub! :D
Tack! Glad you liked it :)
Have you heard of Castle of the Winds? Its by SaadaSoft and published by Epic Mega Games in 1993. Its both like and not like this. its currently considered abandonware.
Never heard of the game before! Looks really interesting, I might take a look at it sometime. Thanks for the tip! :)
@@AltercateTV you are welcome! I hope you enjoy the game.
lol id love to see u make a vid on Dragon Quest 3!
Definitely planning on it! :)
to this day, I still have a grided notebook to map out all the dungeons i actually di it going square by square and mistakes were made too hahahaha correcting it, is all there. It's useless to use that notebook but it preserved the way it was played, proof of what was done at that time. I remember it being a tedius task but oh so rewarding.