With the release of DQXI and Builders 2 to great critical acclaim (+ Smash!), Dragon Quest is currently at its best & deserves your attention

[Dreamboum]

Both games have received great reviews, heralded as some of the best JRPGs you could play this year. The localization has increased in quality so much it has become some of the best in the industry. Builders 2 improved so much on its predecessor it's basically a great JRPG on its own even outside of the building, and DQXI is this sprawling turn-based JRPG with a great story and great characters. I can't mention enough how good your party is in DQXI, I was so sad the game even ended when I just wanted to explore more with Erik, Serena, Sylvando, Eight, etc. It's the best starting point you could think of to get into the series, and my personal top 3 DQ (and I wasn't even expecting much from this game to begin with).

It feels like DQ really found its footing to today's world. For the first time it really feels like a shared universe to me akin to comic books. You see legends being passed down, characters returning, classic monsters reappearing as important characters. Now Builders 2 is even the actual sequel of Dragon Quest 2! This harsh and unforgiving game has now a cute and uplifting sequel where the final boss has become your best friend (and probably the coolest party member I've seen in a while).

+ Let's talk about Smash, now Dragon Quest is on the map. People now really wants Hero and are excited for it. I was impressed seeing this tweet when Banjo is a massively more liked character for 90s kids (because they also weren't exposed to DQ at all back then). Really seems people are turning around for Hero after the initial indifference.



Dragon Quest has now a lot going for it and it's definitely worth checking out. Two great games, all very well liked despite most people having next to no attachment to the franchise itself and not being marketed as a JRPG powerhouse in the same vein as FF, that's evidence enough that the quality speaks for itself.

 

[Lucas M. Thomas]

Agreed! It's a great time to jump into the series.

 

[Jesse_and_the_rippers]

One of the greatest series of all time. DQV holds a special place in my heart.

And don't forget the movie is coming out!

 

[PixelsByNight]

I definitely agree! Dragon Quest XI was amazing, and the amount of detail is amazing! Selecting "No" at most conversations ends up with hilarious situations, such as the Jade kicking gif in the OP!

 

[Dreamboum]

One of the greatest series of all time. DQV holds a special place in my heart.

And don't forget the movie is coming out!

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Yes, the movie too! It looks great

 

[Deleted member 8468]

I'm absolutely loving Builders 2 on the switch and it's made me want DQXI even more when it releases later this year.

 

[NHarmonic.]

Only played 8 but it was incredible. So many systems in place, cool characters, etc.

Amazing.

 

[Deleted member 4292]

Sorry we aren't allowed to talk about DQ.

Spoiler

I terribly want to give DQ XI a try

 

[RochHoch]

Dragon Quest is pure JRPG comfort good.

It's such a charming franchise, it's massive popularity in Japan exists for a reason.

 

[Canas Renvall]

Likes will always get more than retweets.

But yeah I wanna check the series out.

 

[Council Pop]

I played the demo of DQB2 and was absolutely bowled over by how charming it is, and how brilliant the dialogue is. Those character designs too!

I've never played any other DQ game though. DQXI is visually stunning, but I'm unsure about whether I can play a big game where the main mechanic is turn based combat. I'm always fine with playing Pokemon games, but anything beyond that and I'm generally put off by how incredibly slow and grindy turn based fighting is.

Will that definitely make DQXI a slog for me?

 

[TreIII]

Agreed.

Now, I'm just patiently waiting for the next DQ Monsters game! At it's best, DQ-style monster raising was always my favorite type of "mons" game.

 

[kaishek]

I played the demo of DQB2 and was absolutely bowled over by how charming it is, and how brilliant the dialogue is. Those character designs too!

I've never played any other DQ game though. DQXI is visually stunning, but I'm unsure about whether I can play a big game where the main mechanic is turn based combat. I'm always fine with playing Pokemon games, but anything beyond that and I'm generally put off by how incredibly slow it is.

Will that definitely make DQXI a slog for me?

Click to shrink...

Yes, regretfully. Go look up some gameplay on the youtube if you think you might be able to tolerate it though.

 

[Hieroph]

It's always a great time to get into Dragon Quest, it's a great series. But it does look like Dragon Quest 11 has revitalized the hype in a major way.

 

[salromano]

DQXI is one of the best games I've ever played. I hope Switch players enjoy it.

 

[Piscus]

The first Dragon Quest title I put any amount of time into was DQVII on the 3DS, which I stuck with until I had beaten it. I have always been a huge fan of Final Fantasy, but I wanted to get into Square's other OG RPG series.

What a long freaking slog it was. The monsters are bizarre and cartoonish, and the music feels more silly and circus-y, less epic or sweeping or heroic.

Still... once it was all done, as I looked back on my time with it, I couldn't help but remember it with fondness for some reason. The journey was too often not enjoyable while I was on it. But in retrospect, I am super happy I went on the trip and the fun moments stick out while the rough stretches, while still in my memory, no longer carry a sting.

While I probably won't get into the Builders series, I am excited for its existence and am definitely going to get Dragon Quest XI S and give the series another go. I'm also looking forward to playing Smash as the Hero from DQVIII

Spoiler

(the entry I bought for 3DS but didn't have in me to start so close after DQVII, which has resulted in a backlog burial so deep that I may never successfully unearth it again)

 

[B00T]

DQXI is one of the best games I've ever played. I hope Switch players enjoy it.

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I'm gonna play through it again, gods help me.

 

[PucePikmin]

I wish I had the time! I'll get to DQXI eventually.

 

[Dr. Mario]

Games are too long for me, but I'll get DQXIS for Switch, hope I can hack away at it on a commute.

 

[ned_ballad]

Dragon Quest is second only to Pokemon in charming monster designs in an RPG.

They're full of so much personality

 

[Faiyaz]

The greatest jRPG series of all time. People who are jRPG fans, but have not jumped into this series yet, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

 

[Bishop89]

Great franchise.

Play 8 ppl!

 

[Renna Hazel]

I played the demo of DQB2 and was absolutely bowled over by how charming it is, and how brilliant the dialogue is. Those character designs too!

I've never played any other DQ game though. DQXI is visually stunning, but I'm unsure about whether I can play a big game where the main mechanic is turn based combat. I'm always fine with playing Pokemon games, but anything beyond that and I'm generally put off by how incredibly slow and grindy turn based fighting is.

Will that definitely make DQXI a slog for me?

Click to shrink...

If you have a Switch, that version of the game allows you to speed up battles. I'll totally be using that feature.

 

[Ezra]

I'm surprised by how much fun I'm having with DQB2. It reminds me of Animal Crossing at times just for how charming it is.

 

[Council Pop]

If you have a Switch, that version of the game allows you to speed up battles. I'll totally be using that feature.

Click to shrink...

Ohhh interesting. Yes I'd 100% be playing on Switch.

 

[Cactuar]

I played the demo of DQB2 and was absolutely bowled over by how charming it is, and how brilliant the dialogue is. Those character designs too!

I've never played any other DQ game though. DQXI is visually stunning, but I'm unsure about whether I can play a big game where the main mechanic is turn based combat. I'm always fine with playing Pokemon games, but anything beyond that and I'm generally put off by how incredibly slow and grindy turn based fighting is.

Will that definitely make DQXI a slog for me?

Click to shrink...

I'd say Persona could be the turn based game that you should give a look if you're not a fan of turn based, it's very stylish feeling contemporary feeling despite being turn based. If you're not a fan of turn based, Dragon Quest XI is about as traditional and basic as it gets. I personally had fun with the game, though it has many shortcomings. I'm a fan of turn based and from the old school though, in your situation I think Builders is more the Dragon Quest for you.

 

[Deleted member 4037]

hell no, this is not a series for everyone, even for people who like jrpgs. I dont think it deserves an ounce of praise. Truly one of the worst the genre has to offer

 

[Lotus]

DQXI is one of the best games I've ever played. I hope Switch players enjoy it.

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I hope I do!

 

[Akai]

I'd buy and play Dragon Quest Builders 1 & 2 immediately, but Square Enix can't be bothered to release them on PC or Xbox for whatever ridiculous reason.

 

[MouldyK]

Hero is only winning in that Twitter Post because Liking something is better than Retweeting for people as they don't want others to see sometimes.

Should have been a poll.

 

[Exist 2 Inspire]

Never played a DQ game before and got utterly bored with Dragon Quest XI when i played it last year. One of the few games i completely dropped and if not for Ni No Kuni II it would've probably been my biggest disappointment of the year. I'd still like to give DQ VIII a shot sometime in the future though.

 

[Dreamboum]

Dragon Quest is second only to Pokemon in charming monster designs in an RPG.

They're full of so much personality

Click to shrink...

It's true! And they're making DQ Monsters 3 with Erik and his sister so I'm really excited for it

 

[Deleted member 32822]

Dragon Quest XI S will be the greatest DQ game of all time. PREORDER IT PEOPLE!!!

 

[Zalman]

It seems to me that the stars have finally aligned for Dragon Quest (in the West). I expect a lot of people to jump into this series for the first time this year.

 

[OnanieBomb]

Yeah I think XI S is gonna be my first official Dragon Quest game since Dragon Warrior on NES.


Builders was dope.

 

[Catvoca]

Builders 2 is great. I've never played a proper Dragon Quest game but I might try XI on Switch

 

[Tiggleton]

Never played a DQ game before and got utterly bored with Dragon Quest XI when i played it last year. One of the few games i completely dropped and if not for Ni No Kuni II it would've probably been my biggest disappointment of the year. I'd still like to give DQ VIII a shot sometime in the future though.

Click to shrink...

If you can't get into DQXI you definitely won't be able to get into VIII. All DQ games are basically the same gameplay-wise which is what makes them so appealing to many.

hell no, this is not a series for everyone, even for people who like jrpgs. I dont think it deserves an ounce of praise. Truly one of the worst the genre has to offer

Click to shrink...

No series is for everyone really. Dragon Quest is the purest form of turn-based JRPG out there.
If you don't like turn based JRPGs you won't like Dragon Quest but if you do you'll like it.
When I say "like" I mean REALLY like. Not tolerate because other mechanics are interesting.

 

[Strings]

The thing is, Dragon Quest has always been this good across spinoffs and main games, and the West still doesn't seem to really care :( The quality control across the franchise is frankly amazing.

 

[Oscarzx n]

I love how no one mentions Dai in Jump Force, not hard to see why though.

 

[Isayas]

Meh, I don't care if people are noticing now. I am still upset that DQIII is not in most top JRPG list in any westerner's damn list. It is always Squaresoft biased.

 

[StrangeRoboMemory]

I'll probably get IX on Switch at some point, looks fantastic.

 

[Kouriozan]

I just wish we'd get the Monsters games again, those are really interesting.

 

[Deleted member 4037]

No series is for everyone really. Dragon Quest is the purest form of turn-based JRPG out there.
If you don't like turn based JRPGs you won't like Dragon Quest but if you do you'll like it.
When I say "like" I mean REALLY like. Not tolerate because other mechanics are interesting.

Click to shrink...

This is just a lie. Modern (or even old unique) turn based games are not the same as DQ's pure classic turnbased. I love turn based games. DQ is one of the worst versions of turn based

 

[Gartooth]

I really urge anyone who has an interest in the series to check out XI S when it comes to Switch. Was one of my favorite games last year when I did a playthrough on PS4.

 

[TrafficCoen]

The first Dragon Quest title I put any amount of time into was DQVII on the 3DS, which I stuck with until I had beaten it. I have always been a huge fan of Final Fantasy, but I wanted to get into Square's other OG RPG series.

What a long freaking slog it was. The monsters are bizarre and cartoonish, and the music feels more silly and circus-y, less epic or sweeping or heroic.

Still... once it was all done, as I looked back on my time with it, I couldn't help but remember it with fondness for some reason. The journey was too often not enjoyable while I was on it. But in retrospect, I am super happy I went on the trip and the fun moments stick out while the rough stretches, while still in my memory, no longer carry a sting.

While I probably won't get into the Builders series, I am excited for its existence and am definitely going to get Dragon Quest XI S and give the series another go. I'm also looking forward to playing Smash as the Hero from DQVIII

Spoiler

(the entry I bought for 3DS but didn't have in me to start so close after DQVII, which has resulted in a backlog burial so deep that I may never successfully unearth it again)

Click to shrink...

VII is kinda the ugly stepchild of the franchise from all accounts

 

[Camjo-Z]

I just wish we'd get the Monsters games again, those are really interesting.

Click to shrink...

They might have passed on the 3DS games but I will be absolutely shocked if we don't get the upcoming Switch DQM.

The first Dragon Quest title I put any amount of time into was DQVII on the 3DS, which I stuck with until I had beaten it. I have always been a huge fan of Final Fantasy, but I wanted to get into Square's other OG RPG series.

What a long freaking slog it was. The monsters are bizarre and cartoonish, and the music feels more silly and circus-y, less epic or sweeping or heroic.

Still... once it was all done, as I looked back on my time with it, I couldn't help but remember it with fondness for some reason. The journey was too often not enjoyable while I was on it. But in retrospect, I am super happy I went on the trip and the fun moments stick out while the rough stretches, while still in my memory, no longer carry a sting.

Click to shrink...

VII is the worst DQ for a newcomer IMO. I'm glad they localized the remake but in all honesty it's probably my least favorite entry, such a slooooow game. If that's your only experience with the series then XI will be mindblowingly good in comparison.

 

[Tibarn]

If you don't like turn based JRPGs you won't like Dragon Quest but if you do you'll like it.

Click to shrink...

Wrong. I love turn based JRPG (I love SMT, Persona, Kiseki, older FF games, Chrono Trigger is one of my favorites games ever), but DQ VIII was meh to me and DQ XI one of the most boring games I ever "finished" (never played Act III though). It's a beautiful, polished game that has lots of systems and content, sure, but the basic story, really bad OST and old anime jokes are not for me. The combat feels slow and lacks any of the great additions the genre has introduced since the SNES times (like, for example, a turn order list), the world feels too vanilla and even if some story arcs are good (mostly the arcs that are inspired in some popular child tale), the 2nd act kills the pacing a lot as it repeats an insane amount of content.

IMO DQ XI relies a lot in nostalgia, it's a solid polished game for sure, but as someone who plays all big JRPGs, both turn-based and not turn-based, DQ XI was quite the boring/safe experience. In fact the only JRPG I enjoyed less the last few years is NnK II, which I consider an unfinished product that is far below DQ XI.

Happy to see it doing better in the west, I hope the series introduce more people to the JRPG world, but it's sad that Nintendo needs to do the marketing effort that SE is not doing at all (all the Builders commercials are from the Ps4 version though).

 

[Exist 2 Inspire]

If you can't get into DQXI you definitely won't be able to get into VIII. All DQ games are basically the same gameplay-wise which is what makes them so appealing to many.

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It's not really the gameplay, i usually don't have a problem with turn based or semi turn based combat at all. I love (most) Final Fantasy or Persona games for example. With DQ XI i feel like it was more the story, characters and world building. Everything felt too vanilla, too bland. I had the same problem with the aforementioned Ni No Kuni II as well. The whole thing wasn't engaging for me, i would even say combat/gameplay was the best part of the game haha. I heard a lot of good things about VIII so i still have it on my list for now.

 

[Kismet]

I only played DQVIII on the Ps2. I looooooved it.
But I skipped the DS versions.

Can't wait to play XI on the Switch.

 

[Hippopuncher12]

DQ XI is amazing, I still haven't played either of the Builder games, I do own the original so I need to get on that.