Dragon Quest IV, V, VI: The Zenithia Trilogy

[darksnowman]

Thanks for the heads up, Ike! I checked about half an hour before you posted that and it wasn't there, so it must only have been added when you checked.

[Ike]

Thanks for the heads up, Ike! I checked about half an hour before you posted that and it wasn't there, so it must only have been added when you checked.

 

Ha. Would be funny if I was the first person to order it from GAME. I couldn't quite believe it was there actually, I had to re-read it a couple of times.

 

Edit: Just noticed GAME made a typo: They called it Hand on the Heavenly Bride instead of Hand of the Heavenly Bride.

[darksnowman]

Edit: Just noticed GAME made a typo: They called it Hand on the Heavenly Bride instead of Hand of the Heavenly Bride.

 

Lol, so they did. Must have been a hasty effort to get it added to the site!

[darksnowman]

I meant to post this up over the weekend, but I didn't have time to give it a proper read for myself first. Ironic that now its Monday morning and I'm at work, I've got time (away from Animal Crossing...!) to catch up with some gaming news.

 

IGN have a preview up for DQ V. It talks about some of what they get up to in the opening section of the game and should nicely whet your appetite for this middle chapter of the Zenithia trilogy.

 

There's of course a whole lot more to play, but already I've been loving Dragon Quest V despite the somewhat simple interface and menu management that still feels way too unintuitive and simple. Other than that though, the game is beautiful, the music by Koichi Sugiyama is just as impressive and majestic as any other DQ experience I've played, all of the original character designs are preserved, the world has been rebuilt tile for tile, and while I haven't seen as many quirky accents actually written out like in DQIV, there were a few quick instances from NPCs, so to a certain extent you will still get a slight feel of how each character is supposed to sound. The script is really, really strong as well, so while many players – myself included – never had the first game as a basis for comparison, it's obvious that a lot of work went into making this game read exceptionally well.

 

http://uk.ds.ign.com/articles/947/947891p1.html

[Ike]

GAME has fixed the type in the title :P

 

Also ordered 4 of these (so it comes to under £18) which shipped today!

[darksnowman]

GAME has fixed the type in the title :P

 

Also ordered 4 of these (so it comes to under £18) which shipped today!

 

I'm looking at them right now, damn you Ike.

[Ten10]

I managed to pick up one of these for a tenner not sure which one though.

[Grazza]

OK, I completed DQIV (Chapters of the Chosen) last night. How far are you, darksnowman?

 

In the interests of honesty, I must say I thought it was incredibly boring and a chore to play through. I thought there were too many characters to choose from and keep equipped with the latest weapons and armour. Whereas in an RPG it's normal to have Hero, Attacker, Magic Offence, Magic Defence, in this game there were generally two of each category, making it difficult to choose which ones had the spells you wanted. I also thought there were too many towns. It was very difficult to remember which was which.

 

In general, it just didn't really feel like I was "playing" it.

 

On the positive side, characters levelled-up very quickly indeed.

 

I'm still looking forward to Dragon Quest IX. Less so DQV, although hopefully it'll be better for having been designed on the SNES, not the NES.

[Ike]

That was the point of having many characters, you were supposed to choose one with the spells/specials you wanted. I never found have them equipped with new stuff to be a problem. Remember you could also switched characters during battle (although I think only when you can access the wagon?).

 

Personally I stuck with the same characters through most of the game. I didn't start swapping until chapter 6.

 

DQV is meant to be one of the best in the series and it doesn't have as many characters since you can recruit monsters to fight with you.

 

You could always wait until the price drops to £~15.

[killer kirby]

Dragon Quest IV is well....awesome, I think I would put it on par with Dragon Quest VIII. Don't know why, perhaps I just thought it had a certain charm to it. But hey thats how I feel anyway.

 

And yeah just like what Ike said, you only start changing the characters end of the game since so many of the characters after that start learning some kick ass spells that come in handy

[darksnowman]

Grazza, congrats on completing it- especially since you didn't love it! Could be spoilers ahead for anyone who hasn't been playing through the game.

 

I'm edging gradually towards the end of DQ 4, I'm in chapter five and have just been playing it little by little around Animal Crossing (seriously, like 15 mins at a time) and to be completely honest with you, I've come to really like it! Remember I had my doubts when I first played it, coming off the back of the FF IV remake? Well, I chilled out from RPGing and when I got back to DQ, I've been sucked into it.

 

Chapter three was where it began to come into its own for me. Messing about with Torneko and running that shop was such a welcome change of pace. Through that I learned to chill out and actually let myself become emerged into the world, rather than just press through it with a view to completing the game asap. Then Meena & Maya's chapter got things back to fighting. The battle music for them was really good- one of the highlights of the game!

 

For me, chapter fives opening was when I really felt my most motivation. It was a basic beginning to it, but for some reason it seemed to strike a chord with me. The hero's village being burned down is an overused plot device in RPGs nowadays, but for some reason, this time round I was raging and ready to take vengeance. I was kind of expecting that girl Elize to come along with me when I triumphantly set out on my adventure, the way she was talking about what might lie beyond our hidden village. But the forces of evil had other ideas and attacked the village. I really found it an incredible moment when she shapeshifted into me and then gave her life in my place.

 

I'm nearing the end, I've been playing it slow so I don't burn myself out before Chrono Trigger, so hopefully I might complete chapter five over the weekend, if not next week. Then I can see what chapter six is about at my leisure. How did you find the stuff I mentioned Grazza? Did none of it really engage you...?

[Grazza]

Grazza, congrats on completing it- especially since you didn't love it!

 

Thank you, although I didn't need my old skool mettle for this one, just perseverance.

 

Remember I had my doubts when I first played it, coming off the back of the FF IV remake? Well, I chilled out from RPGing and when I got back to DQ, I've been sucked into it.

 

That's the thing. If I'm honest, I've been playing RPGs almost non-stop for the past year - DQVIII, FFIII - so I've probably overdone it. Only trouble is, my next game to start is Final Fantasy IV!

 

Then I can see what chapter six is about at my leisure. How did you find the stuff I mentioned Grazza? Did none of it really engage you...?

 

In all honesty, no. There were many moments when I almost felt the charm, but it never quite got there. I did enjoy chapters 1-4 a lot more than 5 (haven't done 6). It's just that it didn't really feel like a game to me. I felt I was just moving sprites around in order to activate bits of text. Yes, there were tactics, but it never felt like they made a great deal of difference, as odd as it might sound.

[darksnowman]

FF IV is really good, I can't recommend it enough.

 

I'm still really surprised that while you love DQ 8 and FF III you never got into DQ 4. Its not as old skool as FF III is because there is a lot more happening with NPCs and that and the way its translated is really well done- maybe overdone. I forgot to say in my last post, but I do agree with you that there might just be too many towns to visit. It can be difficult to keep track of them all but on the flip side, I think its really good the way the different continents have the feeling of being part of a world, seeing as its divided up with the dialects. I think thats really cool.

 

Sure you haven't been totally soured from these older DQs? DQ 5 is apparently the game that inspired Pokémon so it should be worth checking out for that alone.

[killer kirby]

FF IV is really good, I can't recommend it enough.

 

I'm still really surprised that while you love DQ 8 and FF III you never got into DQ 4. Its not as old skool as FF III is because there is a lot more happening with NPCs and that and the way its translated is really well done- maybe overdone. I forgot to say in my last post, but I do agree with you that there might just be too many towns to visit. It can be difficult to keep track of them all but on the flip side, I think its really good the way the different continents have the feeling of being part of a world, seeing as its divided up with the dialects. I think thats really cool.

 

Sure you haven't been totally soured from these older DQs? DQ 5 is apparently the game that inspired Pokémon so it should be worth checking out for that alone.

 

Don't forgot the fact that Dragon Quest IV was originaly out for the NES, so I always had that in my mind while playing this game, so through the whole time all I could say was wow in terms of stories and such. The peak of the game for me was when the hero got all the other characters and then you go to the overworld map to hear the epic music being played.

Heck I feel like just putting the song on now XD

 

Oh and I completed the game in 36h 31m

[Grazza]

I'm still really surprised that while you love DQ 8 and FF III you never got into DQ 4.

 

My pet peeve with RPGs is having more characters to choose from than you can fit in your team, eg. DQIV and FFXII. In FFIII and DQVIII, you had one magic attacker (Refia and Jessica respectively) and she could do all the spells. If you were fighting a boss and a fire attack didn't work, then you'd try an ice attack, yet in DQIV, you didn't know which you'd need.

 

Nor did you know whether you'd need the character who could cast Insulate or the one who could cast Kabuff. In DQVIII you could change tactics during the fight, because your magic attacker and healer could cast everything between them, but in DQIV you needed to guess which characters to take in with you. On top of that, you'd need to remember which ones you'd given the best equipment to.

 

Sure you haven't been totally soured from these older DQs? DQ 5 is apparently the game that inspired Pokémon so it should be worth checking out for that alone.

 

I'm afraid I probably have been soured. Not in a resentful way, just in terms of expectations. Still, despite the graphics being the same, there can be a lot of difference between a game designed on the NES and one designed on the SNES. If I'm honest though, I now give preference to Phoenix Wright 3, Etrian Odyssey, The World Ends With You and Final Fantasy IV (which is the only other unplayed DS game I own at the moment).

 

It's interesting you mention Pokemon, as I never liked that either. I bought Pokemon Blue back in the old days when it first appeared, but for me it was a case of "too many tactics, too many character/elemental types". I did love the Monster Arena in Dragon Quest VIII though.

 

Another RPG I never liked was Secret of Mana, which is why I'm pretty sceptical about Chrono Trigger.

 

LOL, sorry to be negative! I'm genuinely looking forward to Dragon Quest IX and maybe I'll get DQV if I see it for £10-15!

[Ten10]

In regards to DQ4, is the amount of Engrish in it an intentional feature of the game? I.e Staying true to its roots?

[Ike]

In regards to DQ4, is the amount of Engrish in it an intentional feature of the game? I.e Staying true to its roots?

 

Characters have different regional dialects i.e. Scottish, French and Russian. No idea if it was present in the original though.

[Ten10]

I was getting that feeling, as I could tell in one chapter it was distinctly Scottish, but I was in some town and some woman said, something like I wish I never came to this town, because then my daughter wouldn't be extinct.

 

Just little things like that which are starting to bug me, but I still find charming, as it bring back memories of early games with poor translations.

[darksnowman]

Grazza, don't worry about being so negative- makes the discussion fun. Its just surprising that seeing as you like DQ 8 and RPGs in general that you didn't quite get on with DQ 4. Its interesting that you don't seem to like customising your party in games too- I find that it adds more variety and allows you to play around a bit and see what suits you. I think you like having your hand held. How do you find Etrian Odyssey? Seeing as you create your own party from scratch and control how they develop as they level up...

 

In DQ 4, I'm on the hunt for the Zenithian armour, and I've been sticking so far (so good) with a party of Steven (the hero ), Alena, Maya and Ragnar. I've come across better armour and weaponry for them all, but I can't afford much of it, so I've been toughing things out. It can be difficult enough in battle seeing as healing is left up to the hero. I've been thinking about switching Maya out for someone, but I like her attacking magic. It can be risky and it has lead to me getting wiped out a few times, but when it works, I've been slaughtering my way across the land at ease!

 

Its fun to stick Torneko in from time to time, just to see what happens.

 

@Ten10, as far as I know they retranslated the game so all that strange lingo is defo intentional!

[Ike]

Its fun to stick Torneko in from time to time, just to see what happens.

 

Torneko is amazing, he stole me 6 Metal Slime Helms from Metal King Slimes for me .

 

Characters I used for most of the game:

 

Hero

Good stats, good mix of offensive and support spells.

 

Kiryl

For healing support and Kabuff, after Kabuff enemies can barley scratch you.

 

Meena

Insulate to protect against fire and ice spells, can also heal and revive people.

 

Borya

For Oomph, Accelerate and Kasap.

[Grazza]

Its interesting that you don't seem to like customising your party in games too- I find that it adds more variety and allows you to play around a bit and see what suits you. I think you like having your hand held.

 

Gargh! I've still not forgotten your "Onion Knight" jibe, which was most definitely not in my list of job classes!

 

Seriously, I do like having to choose my own tactics, but I like my party to be able to do every spell and ability between them. Then I can strategize during battles without worrying about which ones I've taken in.

 

I've been thinking about this, and I would definitely buy Dragon Quest IV again if it was remade to the same technical and graphical standard as DQVIII (on PS2 or better, naturally), so maybe I'm a "technical whore"! I need a certain level of immersion to be able to remember things and care about characters, towns etc.

 

How do you find Etrian Odyssey? Seeing as you create your own party from scratch and control how they develop as they level up...

 

I haven't played it yet. Too busy with PS2 and other DS games. No wonder I haven't joined the current gen yet!

[darksnowman]

I checked on GFaqs, just so we can both be properly sure that the Onion Knight class exists.

 

You must send mail to all 6 people in the moggle list and one person using the moghouse (wifi)

 

You then must send Topapa 3 more mails until he talks about kids of Ur getting lost in the cave, the first cave you start in.

 

Walking in leads to a fight with some Bomb monsters and the kids reward you with something they found "Onion Knight"

 

 

 

I didn't get it unlocked due to it being over Wifi. Most people on here had imported FF III while I waited for the UK release, lol. Eddage and myself did a bit of Mognetting back at the time (or tried to), must check that out sometime.

 

---------------------------------

 

And DQ 4, well I played a wee bit more last night after watching Lost. I think I might have done a few things out of order with getting the Zenithian armour, but hey. You know the way you had to bring Tom Foolery to King Larfur? Well I couldn't remember where I'd came across Tom at, so I left it until I bumped into him again. I came across him last night at Meena & Maya's dancehall- a stroke of luck. I got the Mod Rod too and went back to Castle Diabolic where I ended up hearing a few words from Psaro. I also went to Rosehill and seen Rose in the tower- the Rosenguard (sp?) that I had to defeat was a walkover, which has made me think I've been doing stuff outta order, and getting levelled up in the process!

 

Next stop for me is the Mamon Mines which is where Psaro said we should head. Theres still a grey area or two on the map so I might check those out first, just to be nosey.

 

I was tentative with using the Zoom spell, but I see that it transports your boat with you, so I used it quite a bit last night to zoom all around the world map!

 

---------------------------------

 

Ooh, meant to post this the other day- a trailer for DQ 5:

 

http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/23521

[Ten10]

Is there an easy way to beat the Abominable showman, dude is getting on my nerves. I think I might just try repeatedly smacking the same one.

[darksnowman]

I'm not sure if there is actually a technique to it, as I just got lucky and picked the right one to attack now and again. Make sure you have some medical herbs on you so you can stay alive long enough. If you are really having problems, pray for a critical hit!

[darksnowman]

Jeremy Parish on 1up has written a small preview for DQ V. It doesn't reveal anything new that we don't already know, but its a nice read all the same. He links to his other previews in it so its a good way to catch up and/ or refresh your memory.

 

Dragon Quest V won't be the game that makes the series a monstrous success in the U.S...but those of you who pick it up are going to love it. Because it has heart.

 

http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=8980319&publicUserId=5379721