![]() ![]() Giant tongues seem to be a weapon of choice for the enemies, who have an array of quirky appearances and behaviors. Both monsters and heroes have an array of visually interesting attacks and spells to take out opposing forces. Players navigate an intuitive menu to instruct their characters in who and how to fight, but attacks are far from the bland or ordinary. The combat is a traditional RPG line-up, with enemies on one side and heroes on the other. The pace of encounters is well spaced out, to ensure that you won't have to fight through several encounters just to proceed a short way down a trail. ![]() This sense of exploration is only broken by the occasional encounter with wandering monsters. Without any easy-access artificial assistance, the temptation to explore is overwhelming, and can lead to some interesting hard-to-find creatures and treasures. The mini-map, a constant companion in most games, is blissfully absent. Beautiful glens, soaring caverns, and imposing ruins all lie hidden within the gameworld. The overworld map, a tired warhorse in the gaming world, is a beautifully rendered naturescape. You'd think this would tire a veteran RPG player, but the quality of the game's presentation and the obvious effort the designers put into the game's systems is inspiring. The game features menu-driven turn-based combat, endless hours of gameplay, a random encounter strewn overworld map, and plenty of slimes. Gameplay-wise, the latest installment of the Dragon Quest series is an unapologetic blast from the past. Really, it's surprisingly hard not to like everything about this game. While this doesn't sound like much to go on, the NPC characterizations are so well-written and over-the-top that it's hard not to like them. ![]() Along the way you encounter some typical RPG stereotypes (like the scantily clad mage Jessica), but for the most part that's the hook that drives the story. They hook up with you and your buddy Yangus (a burly fighter-type), in hopes of finding the spellcaster and reversing the magical effect that imprisons them. The spellcaster has stolen a potent magical artifact, and pair of royals present when the artifact was stolen are turned into a frog-demon thing and a horse. You, an unnamed heroic adventurer, are on the hunt for a power-hungry sorcerer. ![]() The game's subtitle, "Journey of the Cursed King", is almost everything you need to know to understand what's going on. Dragon Quest VIII allows us to once again experience what can only be described as a Japanese cultural phenomenon.ĭragon Quest's focus is on entertaining and enjoyable gameplay, and so for the most part the game's plot can be forgiven for being fairly weak. Since those heady early days Dragon Quest has been largely absent from our shores. first saw the series on the Nintendo Entertainment System as Dragon Warrior, and some of the most hardcore elements were dumbed down for our squishy American palates. Admittedly, your mind is only likely numb if you live in Japan. ![]()
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