Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride

"A fantastic journey across generations, appeasing our nostalgic old school tastes!!"

I finally conquered the game after all these years, and it was to much delight. Initially I was expecting the game to have a March release, but I was surprised to find it happily sitting on store shelves just last week. There is something about Dragon Quest that appeals to me, and it seems to be one of the only series to do so. They always play very easy, don't take much strategy, and the overall interactivity with the game is anything but complex.

Squeenix, announced last year that the entire Zenithia trilogy would be coming to DS, and with a full localization. Back in September 2008, Dragon Quest 4 finally hit NA shelves once again for the first time in 16 years.

The game sported a semi 3d dungeon/town layout, and had the standard 2d world map and battle scenes. Thanks to an extra screen, all of the party stats were listed on the top screen, and with character portraits, while the bottom screen had all the battle animations. Monsters were fully animated, and had different moves for each spell. Some of the content was rewritten, and a new scenario was added, but some say the localization went a bit too far. The early English releases of Dragon Warrior (Dragon Quest was copyrighted) had a very ole English feel. "Thou" "Art" "Haste" were all common words, but they weren't overused to the point of being unreadable.

To keep with the "tradition", the localization team ended up using different accents for the many area's in the game. Some characters had a Scottish accent, while others had Russian. This was very hard to read in text, and without a good reference, much of the emotion was lost. Another interesting change from the Japanese release to the English, was the omitting of the Party Chat feature. Dragon Quest is not in your face with story and text, and much of the adventure is created through imagination. In the new ports, a Party Chat feature was added to create a little more optional depth to the story. By pressing B, one or all of the characters in your party will say something relative to the story at hand. It changes with each NPC you talk to, each room you walk in, or after each major story event. This of course is quite a bit of text, and that was the main reason given for not adding it in the NA/EU version (Gasp, Square cutting corners!?!).

Even though he game came off a little dry, it still played very well, and casually. Its quirky and enjoyable, and was really a delight to play. Apart from the Party Chat issue, there was also no auto scrolling in battles. DQ has, and made famous, the text battle updates "A slime approaches... command - Bill strikes for 54 dmg - Slime attacks! ... Misses".

For some odd reason, there was no auto scrolling in battles and you seriously had to yammer on the A button a good 30 times each battle. Constant encounter rates, and a little grinding here and there became really taxing on your thumb. They added multi button support for all commands, so you could use the d-pad, but that became annoying quick. Negative points aside, the music was fantastic, the game played very fast, and it didn't take very long to finish. I loved it, and I really wanted everyone to enjoy it. Squeenix pumped DQ V out 7 months after IV in Japan, so I looked forward to March coming.

Last week I finally got Dragon Quest V, and popped it into my DS, and in less than 20 minutes, I had discovered that every "bad" thing in IV was taken out for V. Dragon Quest V has been noted as, Yuji Hori's (Series Creator), favorite entry in the series. This marks the first time it's officially released in NA/EU, even after getting a remake on the PS2. Famitsu named DQ 5 SFC as one of the greatest games for the system. My expectations were very high to say the least, and after a few hours of play, I can honestly say they were met.

To me, it takes a few elements for an RPG to be a good game. Presentation, Music, Story, and Gameplay, with the ladder being most dependent on the first 3 elements. The art is always done by famous anime/manga artist, Akira Toriyama. Some people gripe about this, while others are always overjoyed. His art is so unique to the point of being criticized for being overused, or resampled. Bulma of Dragon Ball fame, seems to be cited as the base for "carbon copies" such as Marle of Chrono Trigger, and Kluke of Blue Dragon.

That same uniqueness could also be compared with the overall "nonchalant, un-serious nature Dragon Quest has, just like other Toriyama series ie Dragon Ball, or Dr Slump. The main character is not the typical "Sword n Shield" stereotype, as he is displayed using a staff, wearing a turban, and ties his long hair into a pony tail. There is almost an East Indian Asian flair to all the character designs, again not unlike Dragon Ball. Where the games design gets creative is with the monsters. Many of the "classic" baddies make their return, such as the Golem, Drakee (Oddly renamed Drackey???), and the ever famous Slimes.

Monster designs range from a pile of goo, to a full on dragon swaying its neck like a snake. Even though most of these designs could be interchanged between Toriyama's series', they do convey a goofy charm that's missing in most RPG's. Slimes always smile, even the tough ones, and at least 25% of the monsters stick their tongues out at you. They are all animated moving and attacking very fast, which fits well with the music.

As with Toriyama and his art designs, Dragon Quest music is always headed by Koichi Sugiyama. His very orchestral melodies are a huge part of what makes Dragon Quest so unique, and the 5th installment carries some of the best songs over the entire series. The battle theme has a fast paced jingle that gets you pressing buttons quick, while the world map theme is wonderfully soothed by a soft classical violin theme. Dungeon themes very much give off the vibe that you shouldn't be where you are, and the boss music is fantastic. Take your typical action adventure movie, fast forward to the intense adrenaline pumping scenes, and listen to the music: This is pretty much what the boss music sounds like, yet with a more classical flair. Music is so important to any game, as it can make or break the experience. A game will play poorly if the sound is turned all the way down, and the opposite is quite true as well. When saving in towns, the ambient "la la country life is good" sounds are very comforting, while the fast paced galloping tunes of battle are so great at adding an extra sense of urgency.

Unfortunately, there is no official image soundtrack, but there is least a Symphonic Suite, which is quite good IMO. Most of the songs from the game can be found on youtube though, so with enough patience, the wonderful music of DQ 5 can be enjoyed at leisure.

The last major element to Dragon Quest 5 worth taking note of is the story. Each DQ has a different story hook which ties in with the gameplay. The first game had you clamoring on your own, while the second added 2 friends. The 4th game had you play different chapters to introduce each major character to the story, taking up a good 15 hours before even embarking on the main plot. Dragon Quest V is a story that takes place over 3 generations of a family. You begin the game as a tot, tagging along with your father Pankraz (Originally Papas, so don't ask me :) ).

The plot doesn't win any awards for being original. Its your basic, "Bad evil plotting to destroy the world, so grab a party of friends and save the day", type of story. It doesn't take itself very seriously, and there are some split plot lines offered.

The story is far more detailed than it was in the fourth game, thanks to the party chat feature. To much delight, every character has a very unique personality, and each event always features interesting commentary. Another person who was playing the game at the same time I did, ended up going on many "world tours" just to see how each character would comment on every little detail. It puts the power back into the player in many ways, as you can end up changing how much story you want to deal with. This can make the game take 20 hours, or easily 30, and it also adds varying amounts of replay value to a new game.

The look, plot, and music all come together wonderfully in a very relaxed way, making for a casual experience. It feels very nostalgic and in many ways it avoids the typical Japanese RPG stereotype. Its not over the top, nor does it have over emotional Japanese screenplay nuances. As interesting and unique as the theme is, its the gameplay that ultimately brands the game as a classical endeavor. Basically, you spend the game going from Town, World Map, Dungeon, Town, World Map, Oh new vehicle, World Map ect ect ect. Weapons are usually found in dungeons, but are highly accessible in towns. Its not that easy though, as the cost for most of these weapons is very high in contrast to how much gold is earned from local monsters. Experience is not plenty ether, so you find yourself grinding away many hours. The battles do take place fast, but making enough money to fully power your party can easily take 2 to 3 hours of grinding. There are 2 ways to play DQ really; The "easy" way, and the "hard" way. The easy way is simple; buy all new items/weapons, grind your life away, and overpower everything. The hard way is only to use what you find in dungeons, and totally rely on luck, and proper magic preparation. The game can be passed with a level 30 average, or maxed out at 50, so you don't need to spend tons of time grinding. Again, its really up to you how you play the game, which is one of the major reasons its so popular in Japan. Its so easy to just pick up and play, and it offers a wide array of styles to be successful.

Apart from the generational hook, there is one more major element that makes DQ V so unique: Monster Ranching. Compared to other DQ games, the characters that are in your party are always plentiful, yet in DQ V you find yourself ether alone, or with one other companion. Upon defeating a monster, there is a chance (Different % rate for each monster) that they will ask to join you. Upon finding the Wagon, you can recruit any monster that offers his help, and they become a full fledged member of your party. They can be equipped with most standard equipment, and most learn magic. The healslime is a great monster for learning heal magic, while the Golem is fantastic as a tank. Finding and carving out a balanced party is achieved differently due to the mass customization offered by monster ranching. Instead of the concrete character selection, you can form a party of all healers, all attack magic users, or all brute force specialists. Monster ranching is not very in depth, and like everything else in DQ V, its very minimal in its delivery. There is no "rock, paper, scissors" Pokemon depth, and there is no micromanaging expected. Each monster gains is own magic upon gaining levels, just like main characters, and they all have something interesting to say, provided they have mouths to talk. A Rotten Apple, will say stuff like "Don't eat me, I don't taste good", and Slimes all say "goo" when they can.

There aren't many different weapons, but most of them do something special if used as an item in battle. Some cast rain fire down on all the bad guys, while others pump up your stats. The magic is quite simple, with there being attack, heal, and status sets. If your killed in battle, instead of loosing your data, your only returned to the last church you saved, only to find half your gold gone. Its forgiving, but at a cost, because as previously mentioned, gold is hard to make. Most status ailments disappear after battle, except for when wearing cursed armor or dieing (Until you learn Zing which resurrects the dead). Saving, checking how much EXP till next level, removing a curse, or poisoning, and raising the dead, are all done at a church. Saving is free, but everything else costs money. While this sounds horrible, you only end up spending cash on reviving dead members. I ended up removing one curse through the whole game. This does mean however, that you cannot save anywhere, which is odd for a handheld game. Most scenario events only take an hour, including the dungeon, so your not really pressed for time between saves. It does take a little time management, but not enough to merit a negative hamper on the game.

In short, I love this game to pieces. It doesn't take itself seriously, yet it comes off just as endearing as the next RPG. It works fantastically on the DS, and it doesn't try and impress with special effects. Its really just a bare bones simple RPG, you know the kind we all grew up on. Even if your not a fan of Toriyama's designs, or the lack of seriousness turns you off, its still worth picking the game up for its ease of use. Its fantastic as a handheld game, and even better as something to bugger with on the bus. Objectively speaking, this game isn't for those looking for a jaw dropping over complex RPG like say, Xenogears, or Chrono Cross. You wont be upset over characters dieing in such the way we were over Aeris' death in FF7. Gear, and strategy heads will find the lack of depth boring, especially in the magic department. Like I mentioned many times before, this game is very simple minded. Its like working at Persona all week, and then taking the weekend to curl up with Dragon Quest.

Personally, I say its in the top 5 DS titles worth owning, and its by far my favorite RPG this year. It very old school in its delivery, and it leaves a very charming taste after its done. Its cheap enough, and long enough to merit it as a wise purchase. If you looking for a fast paced, un-intimidating, simple RPG experience, this one is for you.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/03/09

Game Release: Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride (US, 02/16/09)