Hey, it’s about that time of the day again! That is, another Dragon Quest article. Frankly I should write more about this franchise.
When you try to get into a franchise as a beginner, there’s always the same question: what’s a good game to start with? A lot of people will tell you that you go with the one that interests you the most, but sometimes it’s not that easy. If it’s a franchise like Yakuza, you can’t just start with another game that isn’t 0 or 1, because all of the games cover an overarching story and depend on previous knowledge of events and characters.
Others, like Final Fantasy, do allow for that “rule”, but even then, it’s not as simple because not all games are equally good for someone who wants to get into the franchise. This is mainly because of the differences in quality between games: whether it’s because some games are more punishing than others or simply because they are just not as good, knowing which game to start with is crucial to truly enjoy the franchise and become a fan. Luckily, Dragon Quest enters in that second group, so it’s my duty to let you all know which games are the best to start with.
Without further ado, this is my set of answers if you were to ask me “I wanna get into Dragon Quest, is [X] good?”. Mainline edition!
DRAGON QUEST
- Recommended platforms: SNES, GBC, Switch. HD remake might be good when it comes out.
- Verdict: Mixed bag.
The first title in the series is… not a bad point of start! More or less. The game has a lot of impressive qualities. For starters, it’s very short: you could beat it in an evening if you know what you are doing. It features a lot of what makes Dragon Quest great, albeit in a smaller scale. It’s very charming! It’s legendary. It’s Dragon Quest 1…
…But at the same time I genuinely think that if this were your first Dragon Quest game, unless you have a penchant for older, jankier JRPGs, or are very experienced with the genre (and even then, I have my doubts), it wculd put you away from the franchise. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good game. But I also think it’s a bit overrated? Regardless of its importance and how well it does things for how small it is, it takes some perspective to truly appreciate it for what it is, and until then, it’s not that interesting. That being said, if you truly feel like you need to start with the first one, then go ahead. There are worse choices. Such as…
DRAGON QUEST II: LUMINARIES OF THE LEGENDARY LINE
- Recommended platforms: same as Dragon Quest.
- Verdict: NO!!!
Dragon Quest II is easily the worst mainline game in the series as well as one of the worst in the franchise. What could have been a solid improvement over the first game quickly turned into a mess that’s defined by its design and its quirks. In a few areas, it’s better than the first game, by introducing the concept of a party (only three members, though) a ship to move through masses of water, more levels and more skills. Unfortunately, that’s where the fun ends. The game is grindy to hell. The first one was already grindy enough, but at least in that game it felt like a checkpoint so as not to accidentally make a 2-hour long game. In this game it feels more like a cruel joke: you’re constantly underleveled for no real reason other than “it’s an NES JRPG”. The biggest offender is the endgame: just traversing the path towards the final dungeon requires grinding itself! I had to grind a whole evening just to get past this garbage part. To top it off, you’re constantly lost, and unlike other games in the series where this happens, it’s not fun. It sucks.
Do you know what’s one of the first things you do in this game? Searching for the second party member by cycling through three towns several times, only for him to be in the first town you visit. That tells you everything about this game.
I heard in an interview with the developers that this game wasn’t play-tested. While I can’t attest for the veracity of this statement, I like to think it’s true, because it shows. Fuck this game. Also, it’s a sequel of the first game, but it’s not like it matters in this particular case.
DRAGON QUEST III: SEEDS OF SALVATION
- Recommended platforms: SNES, GBC, Switch
- Verdict: yes.
Dragon Quest III is the most important JRPG ever. Period. Even more than the first Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy VII. It has a great legacy behind it, and that legacy is bound to attract some curious gamers. Fortunately for them, Dragon Quest III is completely accessible as a first entry! I wouldn’t say it’s the best, but it’s a very good entry point. Despite the fact that it’s a pretty old JRPG, it still holds up pretty well because the core design is very good. Although you’re not given much direction once you get the ship, it’s not difficult to find out where you have to go to next because of how well designed the world is, especially in the remakes. The job system is very simple, but very satisfying and allows you to build your characters the way you like.
DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D REMAKE
- Recommended platforms: any.
- Verdict: yes, but…
I wanted to put the HD remake in here to separate it from the other remakes due to several reasons. The HD remake very much feels like Dragon Quest III. It has a lot of QoL features that are great for beginners but unfortunately break the core designs of the base game. The good news is that those features can be deactivated if you want a more authentic experience. You can also choose not to press the map button as well (it’s hard to resist the temptation, though) and you can always not make a character with the new class, Monster Master.
In conclusion: if this is your very first Dragon Quest, go for it. If you have played other games before, please try out the SNES or Switch remakes first.
DRAGON QUEST IV: CHAPTERS OF THE CHOSEN
- Recommended platforms: Nintendo DS. PlayStation if you know Japanese.
- Verdict: mixed bag.
Dragon Quest IV is far from a bad entry to the series, don’t get me wrong, but I think that there are better ways of experiencing the franchise. A friend of mine went through this title the past year and found it a very underwhelming experience, mostly because the early chapters before the main one have some unsavory flags that can halt your progress if you don’t activate them properly. While that’s definitely an issue (mostly because of its NES design), the real problem is that it’s just not very interesting. The chapter structure was unique when it came out, but nowadays it’s not much. The party members aren’t very interesting gameplay wise and there’s even powercreep between them. Borya, Meena and to an extent Ragnar feel like inferior versions of Maya, Kyril and Alena, and Torneko doesn’t go anywhere. The story is middling, but I feel like it has an interesting, albeit simple, antagonist. If it interests you, however, you can go for this one.
DRAGON QUEST V: THE HAND OF THE HEAVENLY BRIDE
- Recommended platforms: PS2, Nintendo DS.
- Verdict: YESSSSSS!!! (with one small “but”)
Dragon Quest V is one of the best JRPGs ever, while also serving as a great entry point to the franchise. A combination of great writing, great story, good characters and a gameplay that brings back the monster catching genre after being created by Megami Tensei (granted, it’s not very well developed and falls off late game) and one of the best soundtracks in the series, Dragon Quest V is something that everybody should experience in every lifetime.
In fact, it’s so good that starting with it could be a problem. You start with the peak and it’s all downhill now matter what path you take. A pity!
DRAGON QUEST VI: REALMS OF REVERIE/REVELATION
- Recommended platforms: Nintendo DS. SNES if you’re a nerd.
- Verdict: Mixed bag, leaning to “no”.
While I’m an avid defender of this game (personally it’s one of my favorite Dragon Quests), it has its flaws. For starters, it feels too similar to Dragon Quest III in its structure and its presence of a job system. That in itself isn’t bad, because Dragon Quest III is good. However, where Seeds of Salvation excels, Realms of Revelation fails. The world isn’t as tightly designed, especially with the presence of the upper world. As a result, once you get the ship, it’s much easier to get lost in comparison to the third game, so it’s less beginner friendly. The story is fine but it’s lacking in certain parts, feeling somewhat segmented; a major stepdown from V. However, the main problem is the characters: most of them are very underdeveloped, and thew that are developed are lackluster. Gameplay-wise it’s fine, the job system does its thing as it’s supposed to do it. It has some very good songs here and there, at least.
DRAGON QUEST VII: FRAGMENTS OF A FORGOTTEN PAST
- Recommended platforms: both PlayStation and 3DS are fine, but 3DS goes straight to the point faster.
- Verdict: no.
Unfortunately for Fragments of a Forgotten Past, its unique anime-like structure is its demise. Rather than focusing on a big, overarching story like previous titles, Dragon Quest VII prefers to tell you small stories in each of the islands you visit. Some of these stories are pretty good, actually. The problem is that the game is absurdly long for no real reason: over 70 hours on 3DS and close to 100 in PSX! This wouldn’t be a problem if the gameplay was fun, but you don’t even get access to the job system until 20 hours in! And until then, you’re stuck with characters who do one thing (and they don’t even do it properly!), so it gets boring fast. However, if you manage to appreciate its unique quirks, there’s something interesting below the surface. I recommend leaving this one for much later, once you’ve dived enough into the franchise and are craving some JRPG goodness.
DRAGON QUEST VIII: JOURNEY OF THE CURSED KING
- Recommended platforms: PS2 for aesthetics. 3DS for QoL and content. Avoid mobile phone version!
- Verdict: YEAH BABY THAT’S WHAT I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR.
I’m going to keep this one simple because if I start gushing about this game I’m not stopping, I love it THAT much. So, yes: the eighth entry is a great entry point. It does everything well while doing nothing particularly poorly. It’s very well rounded to the point that it’s very vanilla. If you asked a computer to create a JRPG, this would be the default product. I don’t mean this in a bad way, but it’s still true.
Probably the second-best entry in the series to be honest.
DRAGON QUEST IX: SENTINELS OF THE STARRY SKIES
- Recommended platforms: Nintendo DS.
- Verdict: yes.
This was the first Dragon Quest I’ve completed, so I can attest to it being a good entry point. While the story is nothing to write home about (most of what’s good can be traced back to the antagonist, which feels like a step up from Psaro the Manslayer), the key of Sentinels of the Starry Skies is the gameplay.
First of all, the game features a very rich job system. Unlike previous games, you’re not constantly switching between jobs until you unlock the more advanced ones. Instead, you settle with one until you reach level 99 (except for maybe the protagonist if you don’t to keep them as a Minstrel) because each job has its own level. While I don’t know if something in particular happens upon reaching said level, I do know that stat bonuses from the skill trees of each job is shared between all jobs, which means that, to get as strong as possible, you want to get each job to level 99. In reality, you don’t need to do this because that’s more of a late game thing, but it’s still fun. Speaking of late game, it’s immense. Perhaps overwhelming. Over a million dungeons with unique bosses and even some legacy ones! You can tell that the game was originally going to be an MMO, it’s felt in a lot of the design choices.
But, by far, the best thing about Dragon Quest IX is its co-op mode. You can beat the whole game (except the beginning until you reach the second town and one specific moment near the end of the game) with up to three friends! It’s a lot of fun, but unfortunately is local co-op only.
DRAGON QUEST X: RISE OF THE FIVE TRIBES
- Recommended platforms: PC
- Verdict: unsure.
Is hard to classify Dragon Quest X as a starting point. It’s an MMO that hasn’t come out of Japan despite the fact that it has existed since the Wii days. Personally, I’m not very fond of MMOs due to many reasons (although I did have some fun when I played a bit of the free trial version), so I’m not the best at recommending them. However, rest assured that this is pure Dragon Quest goodness: the combat system is perfectly translated by making it part turn-based, part action. If you like MMOs then feel free but be warned that you have to jump through several hoops to be able to play it and translate it. Also, get a good VPN service, otherwise it’s going to be a hassle.
DRAGON QUEST XI: ECHOES OF A FORGOTTEN PAST
- Recommended platforms: any, as long as it’s the Definitive Edition. The 3DS version in particular is the most unique if you know Japanese.
- Verdict: yes, probably the best choice.
While I’m no longer as fond of this game, it remains THE best entry for beginners so far. Featuring lower difficulty in comparison to other entries in the series, a compelling story to keep you hooked, easy to grasp but satisfying to execute mechanics, good visual presentation, good character writing and streamlined features. While I don’t necessarily agree with everything the game does, it’s still great. It also has the best combat in the series! Feels good. Beware, however, that it's a lengthy game, so if you're a bit burnout from JRPGs, leave it for later.
For veterans in the series, the Draconian Quest allows you to add several features that turn the easiest game in the series into one of the hardest. Be careful with the activation of every single one!
CONCLUSION
Whew! So many delicious choices! Can’t decide on one? Then this is my recommended ranking:
- XI
- VIII
- III
- IX/V
- V/IX
- VI
- IV/I
- I/IV
- VII
- II
As for X, it doesn’t really matter, you can go in whenever, it’s not like it’s a game you have to beat.
I just love this franchise so much, man. When I see someone praise a particular game in the series, I can’t help but be happy. Even if it’s a bad one like II.
Oh, but don’t think it’s just mainline games. There’s also plenty of spin-offs out there! One day I might give my opinion on them as well.
What about you? Do you like Dragon Quest? Do you agree with my opinions? Would you change something? Please, let me know in the comments if you have something of interest to say!
