Harry 
title
Welcome back folks. Recently, I’ve been asked a recurring question
from new fans of the Dragon Quest series. What order should I play the Dragon Quest
games in and which versions should I play? With thirty years worth of titles and remakes,
I can see why some may not be sure where to start, so I’ll clear it up. In my opinion, playing the games in numerical
order from One to Eleven is the best way. By playing the games in order of release,
you can see how the series evolved over time and have a stronger appreciation for the games. Some Dragon Quest games are standalone entries
that do not require previous experience, however they all benefit from it. Every Dragon Quest game is a product of its
time and reflects that as they each have some unique aspect about them that differentiate
themselves from the others and I’ll get to that shortly.
For those of you who are anticipating Dragon
Quest XI on the Nintendo Switch or looking forward to the PS4 and PC version and haven’t
played them yet, I would recommend at least finishing the first three Dragon Quest games,
DQI, II, and III. The reason I say this is because Dragon Quest
XI, while it is a very standalone entry, has an incredible amount of throwbacks and references
to the first three Dragon Quest games that you could only understand if you finish the
first three games. It is a game made for longtime Dragon Quest
fans and in order to get the full experience in my opinion, it is very important to play
the original trilogy. Dragon Quest I, II and III share a connected
story and they serve as staples of the RPG genre, being referred to as the “Erdrick
Trilogy” by western fans. DQI, originally released in 1986 for the Famicom
and later on the NES as Dragon Warrior with a noticeable improvement in graphics and an
added save feature making it the better version.
Its sequel, Dragon Quest II released on the
NES the year after and boasted a huge and mysterious open world. While the first game had you play as one hero,
the Scion of Erdrick, the sequel has you play as his three descendants so it features the
first party system in the series and requires a ton of investigative work as you travel
the world. These two games would end up being remastered
on the Super Famicom as a double pack with both games on one cartridge, however we never
got this version in the West. We eventually did get the GameBoy version
which included both games on a cartridge for the Nintendo GameBoy. This version of both games is nearly identical
apart from a graphical overhaul and a more simplified interface.
The original version of all the NES Dragon
Warrior games had a menu system that required you to go into a small menu to perform specific
actions while the GameBoy version mapped everything to the A button making it much more convenient. The only downside I would say the GameBoy
version has is the script not being quite as good, with the old style English dialogue
being replaced by more simplistic writing and many names and spells are using the Japanese
words which make some inconsistencies with the rest of the franchise. The only other version of the first two games
that we’ve gotten in the West are the mobile ports of DQI and II which are once again remade,
this time with a brand new script that retains the old English writing style.
The first two games don’t take that long
to complete, I estimate DQI taking about ten hours and DQII taking twenty. Overall the mobile ports on Android and iOS
are a great and convenient way to play them, though all versions of 1 and 2 are nearly
identical. Dragon Quest III is the last game in the Erdrick
trilogy and widely regarded as the best. It is here where the bulk of old school references
in Dragon Quest XI point to and this marks an important entry in the series, with a new
party system featuring different jobs and custom characters making for a personal adventure. Dragon Quest III released on the NES and was
later remade on the Super Famicom. We eventually got a GameBoy Color version
of the game based on the Super Famicom version with the simplified menu system and it even
an added bonus dungeon and new classes not in the original game. All remakes of Dragon Quest III add more to
the game, so they are definitely a good way to play them, with the only downside being
the simplified script in the GameBoy version.
Dragon Quest III was recently brought over
to mobile devices like its predecessors and this time it utilizes the assets from the
Super Famicom version we never got. Its a very good way to play the game. Although the mobile port lacks the Monster
Medals and Ice Cave exclusive to the GameBoy Color version and has no moving enemy sprites
like in the Super Famicom version, it does have a new script that is consistent with
the current Dragon Quest games and is still a good way to experience it. Dragon Quest IV, V and VI have a loosely connected
story and make up the Zenithian Trilogy.
They have almost nothing to do with the Erdrick
trilogy and can be somewhat standalone. They each have a unique aspect to them with
Dragon Quest IV being about training a large cast of characters across several chapters,
Dragon Quest V being much more story oriented and Dragon Quest VI introducing an innovative
party system giving it a lot of replay value. These differences give them all value and
make each one worth playing through as they are all sizeable RPGs.
Dragon Quest IV originally came overseas as
Dragon Warrior IV for the NES and was later drastically remade on the PlayStation in Japan. We wouldn’t get this remake until later
on the Nintendo DS which was graphically an improvement over the original, however the
localization team did not finish the companion dialogue. The Nintendo DS remake was later ported to
mobile devices, this time with the companion dialogue completed, making the mobile version
on iOS and Android the single best version to play. Luckily Dragon Quest V and VI did not have
this issue regarding the companion dialogue and they were released in a complete state
at the time. Dragon Quest V and VI were Super Famicom games
that the West did not see for a long time due to Enix of America having issues at the
time. Dragon Quest V was later remade on the PS2
in Japan only and once again remade on the Nintendo DS with this being the West’s first
chance to play it.
Dragon Quest V is largely considered one of
the best RPGs of all time and the upcoming animated Dragon Quest Film, Dragon Quest Your
Story, is based on the events in this game. The DS remakes of V and VI are identical to
the mobile versions so you could choose either version to get the full experience. The mobile ports have a very good control
scheme for mobile devices, only requiring one hand to comfortably play and they feature
a simple menu system. They are a convenient way to play the games
if you do not have a DS. DQVII Dragon Quest VII came out in North America
late into the original PlayStation’s lifetime and was the first title the west received
in nearly a decade.
The original version Dragon Warrior VII boasts
a massive script that was the biggest of its time and is a highly influential RPG. This version is only available on the PlayStation,
however, we did get an enhanced remake on the 3DS years later, giving the game a new
script, new 3D character models, putting enemies on the field that you can see and trimming
down the very long introduction. Other than that, the game is very close to
the original. I think the 3DS version is a great way to
play the game, however the two hour intro section from the original included some very
fun puzzles that I do miss.
Overall, DQVII is a very long game that can
take over a hundred hours to beat, so it is best played over the course of a long period
of time. Dragon Quest VIII came out in 2005 in the
West for the PlayStation 2 and the version we got had added features that weren’t present
in the Japanese version. The English version of DQVIII has full voice
acting as well as the orchestra version of the entire soundtrack making it a very great
way to experience DQVIII.
We would later get both a mobile port and
a 3DS port of Dragon Quest VIII. The mobile port on iOS and Android leaves
a bit to be desired. This version of the game retains the same
graphics, however shadows are no longer as prominent, voice acting has been completely
removed and the game is now using a MIDI soundtrack rather than the symphonic score we had before. The only positive I can find in the mobile
port is the ability to make battles more automated in the menu, however this version is not as
nice as the original. If you don’t have a PS2 or a 3DS however,
it still plays fine and is a decent, although not definitive, way to play the game. The 3DS port that came out much later has
a lot of great things going for it.
To start off, you may notice that the graphics
are not nearly as nice as the PS2 version, with textures appearing a bit more saturated
and a lack of shadows, however taking into consideration the 3DS’s power I think this
is quite an impressive game compared to other titles on the system. The 3DS version has enough benefits and changes
to the game that make it nearly the definitive version of the game. Listing them off. The 3DS version of DQVIII has monsters out
on the field that you can see, entirely new party members to join you, a much, much faster
battle system compared to the very slow and drawn out battles of the PS2 version, new
voices for certain NPCs, more stat tweaking, new weapons and finally several entirely new
story sequences and two bonus dungeons. The 3DS version unfortunately does not have
the symphonic soundtrack from the PS2 version, however even with these few drawbacks this
version still has so much bonus content that I cannot help but recommend it to anyone who
owns a 3DS.
Plus I hear there’s a special mod that restores
the original soundtrack which makes the game much more enjoyable. If you don’t have a 3DS, the PS2 version
happens to look very great running through a PC emulator on high settings. Dragon Quest IX. This is a very popular entry in the series
that featured a handmade adventure similar to Dragon Quest III. In Dragon Quest IX you can customize your
character and party members entirely making for a fun adventure and there was even different
classes.
It was only ever released on the Nintendo
DS, it has never gotten a remake or rerelease at the time of this video, so there isn’t
much to talk about in terms of choosing a version. The game was well known for its multiplayer
and social elements. Unfortunately with Nintendo’s servers down
for the DS so this aspect of the game isn’t playable, however it is still a very good
game and well worth picking up on the DS. We never got Dragon Quest X. DQX is an MMO
that launched on the Wii in 2012. Soon afterwards, later versions were brought
over to the Wii U, PC, mobile devices, 3DS, PS4 and Nintendo Switch. It is currently very popular in Japan with
many active players. At the moment, there is no English version
of the game whatsoever. Recently the IP ban for the game was lifted,
so if you would like to play the game in Japanese you can import it, but there is still a monthly
subscription fee you have to pay.
The All in One Package of the game featuring
all four version updates is available for Wii U, PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch. Dragon Quest XI is the latest entry in the
long running series, nearly thirty years after the release of Dragon Quest 1 on the NES. Like I mentioned earlier, it is a good entry
point for newcomers, however there are certain story elements you would appreciate much more
after finishing the first three games which don’t take too long to beat and I would
recommend playing those on mobile first so you don’t miss anything. Dragon Quest XI came out in Japan on the PS4
and 3DS simultaneously. The two versions follow the exact same story,
however the 3DS version obviously has simplified graphics. What made the 3DS version unique is the fact
that you could optionally choose a 16 bit version of the game that looks like DQIII
on the Super Famicom allowing for a completely unique way to play. About a year later, we got Dragon Quest XI
in the west for PS4 and a brand new PC version on Steam.
We did not get the 3DS version unfortunately. The Steam version of DQXI allows for higher
resolutions and framerates than its PS4 counterpart and there is a growing mod community, making
it an excellent way to play the game. This Fall, Nintendo is bringing over Dragon
Quest XI to the Nintendo Switch with a simultaneous release of Dragon Quest XIS Definitive Edition. This version of the game adds a new soundtrack
straight from the game’s symphonic suite, replacing the old MIDI soundtrack from the
regular version of the game. Even more exciting are new features including
new mounts, the 16 bit version from the 3DS release, voice drama DLC, new story arcs for
the various party members and alternate marriage options.
This version of the game is looking to be
as its name suggests the definitive release of Dragon Quest XI and I am very excited for
it. Hope you found the video helpful. Just wanted to quickly thank the community
for helping the channel get to 3,000 subscribers. Exactly a year ago, I was at 90 subscribers
and now we’ve gotten much farther than that. I did not expect to get here as fast as I
did and I just want to thank my viewers for helping me out. Look forward to more content soon.
