I’ve spent years trying to get into Dragon Quest. Specifically, Dragon Quest XI.
I started the game, played for 15-20 minutes, and then moved on. It never managed to fully capture my attention and draw me in. It was too bright. The monsters? Too cartooney.
That is until I bought my Nintendo Switch 2. The console of course launched with barely any exclusive games to take advantage of the new hardware. So in my desperate attempt to find something “NEW” to play on my new console, decided to peruse the Nintendo eShop. I found Dragon Quest XI S, on sale. I immediately bought it.
Dragon Quest XI was one of those games that I knew I would like, if I could just lock in.
The same thing happened to me with The Witcher 3. I own that game on every console available, but it took years before I could lock in and fully appreciate the game. It is now one of my favorite games, and has raised the bar on RPGs for me.
Anyways, this was it. I downloaded DQXIS. I locked in. Before I knew it, 20+ hours passed. I was loving it.
But then, I got distracted. By what? Honestly, I don’t remember. I found something else, played it, and kind of forgot about DQXIS. But then Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD2D came out. I love the HD2D art style so much. I bought the bundle on my Switch 2.
Dragon Quest 1
I steam rolled my way through the 1st game. I loved it. I loved the world. I loved the simple story. I loved the basic, straight foward approach to the battles. Dragon Quest 1, reminded me of the first time I played Pokemon Red. If I ever came to an area or a boss that I couldn’t beat. I would just spend hours grinding away, until I could.
Speaking of Pokemon, how cool would it be to play the first few games in a HD2D art style?? I NEED this.
So after completing DQ1. I wanted to move on to the next game. BUT then I remembed DQXIS. I left it to rot. I needed to finish the game, before moving on to more Dragon Quest.
Dragon Quest XI S
Little did I realize, that DQXIS would take me 90+ hours to complete. I was 50-60 hours in and thought I beat the game, but then I realized I only unlocked Chapter 3 and had so much more to go.
It’s been a while since a game asked this much time from me. The only examples I can think of are Assassins Creed Valhalla, and Animal Crossing.
I enjoyed every minute of DQXIS. Well, almost every minute. The Trials were a pain in the ass. The final boss of the trials was a pain. The Final Boss was a pain, until I watched a guide that told me to use the Super Sword of Light as an item. DQXIS perfectly blended modern graphics and older gameplay mechanics into a shiny, tasty package.
After finishing the game, and seeing the end credits scene, I was so grateful that I went back and finished this game before moving on. Also, conveniently, it led into being the start of the Edrick trilogy (although, can we still call it a trilogy, if DQXIS leads up to the 1, 2, and 3?) But yeah, I decided to play DQ3 next instead.
Dragon Quest 3
I loved the game play. I loved the mechanics. However, I missed the party talk. I was able to outfit my team with the right classes (Warrior, Martial Artist, Sage), but I missed the character interaction. The only interaction I received was some disappointment after getting Puff Puffed by somebodys Dad. I didn’t feel like a team carrying out an epic quest. I did end up enjoying the game, but something was missing. After finishing the game (Not the trials/challenges after the credits). I moved on to…
Dragon Quest 2
Party interactions were back baby! Also the plat twist at the Dragon Queens Castle? Perfect. I thoroughly enjoyed how this game blended both DQ3 and DQ1 into it’s story. The only issue I encountered was all my fault. I got a little lost, after playing a good chunk of the game while drinking and on the phone with a friend. I then misremembered stuff I did in the other two games, as happening in this one.
But after reading through a few guides, and watching a couple of videos on YouTube, it all became clear.
Overall after playing and finishing Dragon Quest XIS, Dragon Quest 3, Dragon Quest 1, and Dragon Quest 2. I am obsessed with the franchise. Honestly I can’t wait until Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined comes out.
The end of an era
But now I’m in sort of a lull. I don’t know what to play next.
I can of course charge up my Nintendo DS and play the next Dragon Quest games. But I don’t have it in my to squint at a tiny screen right now. I tried emulating the games on my PC, and they don’t scale up well.
I thought about skipping ahead to Dragon Quest 9 for PS2, but then after my research, I would kick myself for missing out on the extra content and quality of life features from the 3DS version. But once again, it doesn’t scale up well.
It really seems like those games might be better suited for play during my lunch breaks at work, then afterwork/weekend game time.
I have nearly 2,000 games in my library. I should be able to find something to play. But my heart and my mind are still too invested in Dragon Quest to invest in a new game.
But as much as I talk about being “stuck”, not knowing what to play, I think the real reason I can’t move on yet is that Dragon Quest hit at just the right time for me. There was something about the pacing, the optimism, the familiar-yet-new worlds.
All of it reminded my why I play games in the first place. It’s rare that a seriies can pull me in this deep, for so long. I don’t know if it was the nostalgia of the art style or the somewhat retro gameplay mechanics that really hooked me, but these games held a special spark.
The Dragon Quest stories had a way of being both simple but surprisingly emotional. It doesn’t rush. In fact, it holds onto you, until its done telling the story it needs to tell. These games give you just enough to help you figure stuff out on your own and take things at your pace. You can’t rush these games. You simply get to exist in the world.
So yeah. Now I’m in this weird lull. I feel full after experiencing such a great series of games, but also a little empty, because what else can live up to this feeling? I’m trying to figure out what could possibly follow Dragon Quest. Maybe nothing can. Maybe that’s the point. Sometimes a game hits at the perfect moment, and it becomes the standard everything else has to live up to.