A Grand Adventure From A Series That Rarely Strays From Its Roots

Dragon Quest is a legendary RPG series from Japan that nearly every gamer has heard of.  We may not understand why it's so popular there, but even in the U.S., there is a small audience that is charmed by this series.  Let me get this out of the way: I'm not a part of that audience.  Before playing the fourth installment of this series, I was a Dragon Quest hater.  I had spent 32 hours with Dragon Quest VII, and twenty plus hours with Dragon Quest VIII, but neither of those games hooked me.  I tried to convince myself that those were great RPGs, and that there was a reason they received such high review scores, but I just could not be swayed, no matter how much I played.  To me, Dragon Quest felt like a boring NES RPG with a barebones story, a bland battle system, and very little character development.  Even the supposedly grand musical scores, felt uninspired.  Well, a few months ago, I ended up having a heated debate with some Dragon Quest fans over at 1UP.  I felt that they were giving the series too much credit, but someone convinced me to give Dragon Quest IV and V a shot.  He seemed to agree that Dragon Quest VII felt uninspired, but mentioned that Dragon Quest IV and V were innovative RPGs that were comparable to classics like Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger.  A few months later, I decided to pick up a copy of Dragon Quest IV along with a DSi.  After spending a few hours with the game, my opinion on the series would change forever....

So how did DQIV single-handedly demolish my hatred for all things Dragon Quest?  I mean on the surface, you wouldn't think DQIV would dent my mental barrier with its simplistic sprites, 8-bit sounds, and oodles of random battles--but it did.  You'd be surprised at what caused my change of heart--the way in which the story was told.

Now, Dragon Quest is not a series normally known for its story.  Usually these games are rather simplistic journeys seeking out a Dragon Lord or baddie of some sort.  Dragon Quest VII for example, has you journeying to indistinguishable towns where you often save the populace who has been turned to stone (or some other malady).  Your mission is to recover pieces of the world for the purpose of reassembling it.  It's a fairly basic affair with few plot twists and hours of boredom.  Dragon Quest IV on the other hand, is far from a barebones experience; it takes a unique approach to storytelling that would influence many future RPGs.

If you enjoyed the scenario system in Final Fantasy VI and the chapter system in Mother 3, you have Dragon Quest IV to thank.  Like those games (well, part of the game in the case of FFVI), Dragon Quest IV is divided into chapters featuring different characters.  At the beginning of the game, you create a hero with a name of your choosing who lives in a peaceful hamlet, but you're soon whisked away to other, less tranquil lands.  It's a bit jarring being torn away from your hero so soon, but the other unique characters you get to play as more than make up for it.

During the first chapter, you'll start off as a Royal Knight named, Ragnar McRyan, who is sent on missions by his lord.  This lord who speaks in a Scottish accent, sends him on a quest to investigate recent disturbances that have befallen the kingdom.  This Royal Knight with a moustache that would put Stalin's hair patch to shame, sets out on a journey to investigate the disappearances of children from villages.

The second chapter is even more exciting.  You control the daughter of a Tsar, named Tsarevna Alena, who doesn't enjoy being cooped up inside of the castle.  She yearns for adventure, and escapes the castle against her father's will.  She brings along a few sidekicks who help her combat royal imposters, uncover mirage villages, and fight in an arena that would put Rome's Coliseum to shame.  I believe that DQIV's Coliseum was the first combat arena ever to grace an RPG, and it set a precedent that would be followed by titles such as Final Fantasy VI, Star Ocean, Tales, and Jade Empire.

Chapter 3 is one of the most unique scenarios to ever grace an RPG.  You play as a portly merchant named, Torneko who aspires to become a wealthy merchant for the sake of his family.  He begins in a quaint village with a wife and child--working a 9-5 shift at a weapon & armor shop.  His life is initially quite monotonous with him waking up every day to his packed lunch made by his wife--selling as much equipment as he can.  It's a refreshingly unique scenario--helping your RPG character gain upward mobility through other means than slaying monsters.  Eventually, if you play your cards right, Torneko will move to other cities and become a big-time player in the financial world.

The final scenario with a unique set of characters has you playing as two attractive dancers: Meena and Maya.  Even though they're the best dancers in the land, they're not satisfied with their daily routine.  Their father, a famous alchemist was murdered by one of his disciples, and they set off pursuing this elusive assassin.

Chapter 5 brings the scenario system to a close, when you once again step in the shoes of the main male (or female) hero.  A disaster befalls the hero's village after an evil force threatening the land discovers the location of the hero, so he sets out on a journey to defeat the lord of the underworld.  Eventually, the hero meets up with the rag-tag band of heroes you controlled in previous chapters, and you set out on a journey solving each character's problems, before the ultimate confrontation.  In Dragon Quest IV, you won't get an airship, but you'll travel to several unique villages and dungeons, just as you would in most RPGs.  Dragon Quest IV also takes you to other lands in the sky and below ground, so it's fairly lengthy considering that it was originally an NES adventure.  Despite not having an airship to roam the skies, you will have access to a sea vessel and a hot air balloon.

By the end of Chapter 5, you'll have reached the game's original conclusion, but Chapter 6 is new to the DS version.  Chapter 6 is relatively weak compared to previous chapters; it's more of a  grindfest that gives you access to new bosses, characters, and equipment.  It's only really worth playing if you're a completist, but most adventurers will probably want to stick with the main quest and avoid the hundreds of extra battles you'll have to fight.

Clearly, the way in which the story was told was quite unique for its time, but how does the 8-bit gameplay hold up?  It's actually quite enjoyable.  I hate random battles as much as the next guy, but Dragon Quest doesn't really force you to fight much more than most Final Fantasy games.  I rarely had to run around in circles fighting enemies--that was only necessary before the final showdown.  Unlike later installments of Dragon Quest, the battle system is  fast-paced, yet strategic, so you won't have to worry about battles lasting over a minute unlike, this recent game.

Each of your characters' abilities are unique, so it's up to you who you want to mix and match, once you obtain your entire party.  You'll have access to characters who have healing spells, defensive spells, offensive and stat boosting spells, and an assortment of fighters.  The strategic gameplay found in DQIV is quite refreshing, and partially illustrates why Dragon Quest IV was ahead of its time.

I didn't really like the visuals of the NES Dragon Quest games, or Dragon Quest VII for that matter, so I was quite surprised when I booted up DQIV.  The visuals really weren't all that different from its Playstation brethren, but it looks quite nice on the DS screen; the combination of hand drawn 2D sprites and 3D rotatable backgrounds are a perfect fit for the DS.  The visuals display on both screens, so it makes excellent use of the dual-screened handheld.  I really liked the character designs, and they helped add to the characters' charming personalities.

I loved the characters' personalities and DQIV's accents, but some gamers will utterly despise the accented dialogue.  In each kingdom you visit, the townspeople have a different accent: Scottish, Russian, French, etc., but it may be difficult for some people to understand, depending on how familiar you are with various accents.  Some of the words are spelled incorrectly, and there are grammatical inaccuracies, so this will likely infuriate many intellectuals.  I really didn't mind on the other hand, and thought it added to the experience (although the accents were a bit stereotypical).

Finally, I'd like to briefly mention DQIV's music.  The music found in this 8-bit remake isn't as moving as what you'll find in a game like FFIV, but it sounds lovely due to part of it being orchestrated.  It's not as engaging or emotionally charged as the music in some RPGs, but it really fits the "grand adventure" vibe of Dragon Quest.

Having now completed Dragon Quest IV (even the optional sidequests), I'd like to retract what I've previously said about the series.  Some of the later DQ games failed to innovate and felt quite lackluster in comparison to other RPGs, but DQIV put to rest my negative thoughts of the series as a whole.  DQIV's innovative approach to storytelling (and charming story underneath), provide for a grand experience that will stick with you for years.  Regardless of one's perspective on the dialogue system, Dragon Quest IV's unique set of characters will also have a lasting impact on most players.  Thankfully, this thirty hour quest isn't ruined by endless random encounters--they're there, but not to the extent that they'll detract from your enjoyment of the experience; just make sure to take a little time at the end of the game to gain some levels, so you can bludgeon the final boss with your Level 99 whoopin' stick.  If you're a Dragon Quest hater, but an RPG fan, I encourage you to try this landmark game in a genre that some claim is growing stagnant.  I doubt that you'll be disappointed.

Pros:

• An innovative approach to storytelling
• Charming characters
• A fast-paced, tactical battle system
• Orchestrated music
• A grand sense of adventure
• A thirty-hour quest

Cons:

• Too much grinding at the end of the game
• The extra chapter feels tacked on
• Dying and losing half of your money can be a pain
• A map with named locations would have been nice