Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen

"Fun, but flawed."

I should begin this review by saying I'm a Die Hard Dragon Warrior / Dragon Quest fan. When I heard this game was coming to the Nintendo DS, I felt I had to pick it up. After a few hours of tinkering with it, I noticed a few flaws. While these don't take away from the enjoyment of the game, at times they are a nuisance. So, without further ado, let's get to this review.

Story: 7/10
The story is interesting. Without spoiling anything for you, I can tell you that the game is separated into different chapters. Each of these chapters follows the members of your party, and how they all tie together. I can't remember a tactic like this being used in any game, so, originality is a plus.

Gameplay: 10/10
This is where Dragon Quest IV really shines. The detailing in the buildings are absolutely awesome. A huge step up from it's NES predecessor. In the NES version, of course, the monsters didn't move, it was just a single sprite, but, in this game, the animations are very nice. Also, not being limited to tiled movement is a plus, too. Moving in 360 is wonderful.

Sound: 10/10
The game shines here, as well. The music is exactly the same as it was in the NES version, just much, much clearer, and pleasing to the ear. I think you'll find the music enjoyable. Aside from that, the battle sounds are intact as well. The classic sound indicating attack is here in all of it's glory.

Use of Dual Screen: 8/10
This part is almost perfect, but, still there are some inadequacies. When I purchase my DS, I couldn't wait to tinker with the touch screen, the concept of that was one of the things that drew me to purchase it. The touch screen has no use in this game. While that doesn't make the game horrible, I find it rather disappointing.

Translation: 5/10
Yeah, this is pretty bad. Some of the sentences that are spoken are just ridiculous. Case in point, I distinctly remember talking to a cook who told me "I must prepare the edibles. I am hard working as to buzzing bee." Don't ask me what that means, because, I don't know. Furthermore, the king told me "I'm happy to see that you are returned." I don't know, that seems a bit silly to me, however, it does deter from this game in a major way.

Replayability: 6/10
Eh, I don't think you'll play this through again right away. Well, you'll have to play something right at the end, but, I'm not one to spoil anything. After that, I don't see much replaying happening here.

Overall: 8/10
This is fine RPG for the DS. The gameplay is great, and that's all I need to really enjoy a game like this. It isn't a perfect gaming experience, but, it's far from bad.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/17/08

Game Release: Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen (US, 09/16/08)