I'd like to talk about Dragon Quest. For about three months straight. I'll explain after the jump.
Dragon Quest is one of my favorite video game series. It's probably tied with Persona to be my favorite series of RPGs from the past 15 years, thanks to the excellent run of DS and 3DS games put out by Square-Enix and Nintendo. Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age looks awesome, and I have a PS4 copy on preorder.
However, I didn't always admire Dragon Quest quite as much as I do now. In the 90s, I rented a few of the Dragon Warrior games for the NES, but the only one that captivated me was Dragon Warrior IV. I was barely into my RPG-playing career and only made it to around the halfway mark of DW4 (I was probably 8 or 9 years old), but was pretty fascinated by its unique structure. Still, I was much more interested in Final Fantasy RPGs and didn't seek out much Dragon Warrior or Dragon Quest when I started going through the RPG catalogs of the SNES and PS1.
Some years later, when I started using emulators for the first time (and learned the proper series name was "Dragon Quest" and not "Dragon Warrior"), I finally finished the NES Dragon Warrior IV and also played through fan translations of Dragon Quest V and VI. I thoroughly enjoyed all three, and, coincidentally, Dragon Quest VIII released in English less than a year after this Dragon Quest emulation excursion. That PS2 title kickstarted my fandom proper. After completing DQ8, I sought out and beat the Game Boy Color ports of Dragon Warrior I, II, and III, and then bought all six (!) DS and 3DS releases of Dragon Quest IV through IX as they came out in English. I haven't played every single port and spinoff, but as of 2017 I've beaten each of the first nine Dragon Quest main-series titles.
...which makes it all the more surprising that I've never blogged about Dragon Quest at length. I started writing game reviews on this blog in 2011 (after the DS releases ended), and then stopped keeping up with reviews on my blog in 2016 (before the 3DS run began). Bad timing, I guess, but here's where I make up for it. This summer I will write at least five Dragon Quest blog posts, each of them a special Top Nine.
But why nine and not ten, when I've written so many top tens in the past? Well, I've beaten nine Dragon Quest games in the main series (haven't touched the Asia-only MMO Dragon Quest X, unfortunately), and I wanted to stay consistent. Also, each top nine will have an honorable mention entry, so really they're all secret top tens anyway. I'm going to start off with a discussion on main characters, Dragon Quest's collection of silent protagonists.
I'm rating these on how much I like the designs, how much heroism they accomplish, and how interesting I find their personal journeys. Really though it's a subjective list of how much I like them. A popularity contest with one voter. All nine of the Dragon Quest Heroes are cool (but taciturn) main characters, yet I definitely like some more than others. But six paragraphs is more than enough background discussion. Let's get on with the list, shall we? NOTE: This list contains spoilers for the first nine main-series Dragon Quest games.
Sollosi's Top Nine Favorite Dragon Quest Heroes
Honorable Mention
Dragon Quest: Dai no Daibouken ("Dai's Great Adventure") is a fun, earnest manga and anime adaptation of Dragon Quest that was serialized between 1989 and 1996. It went for a whopping 37 volumes and sold over 50 million copies (making it one of the top 40 or 50 most successful manga series of all time). While Dai no Daibouken hits nearly every shounen manga trope imaginable, it's a consistent, entertaining read with lots of Dragon Quest themes and imagery. I read it in the late 2000s and quite enjoyed it. Rivalry, friendship, romance, epic battles, losing his mentor, meeting his father - Dai goes through a broad set of situations in his manga, but I can't count him as a main-series hero because, well, he stars in a goofy manga inspired by Dragon Quest III. Regardless, Dai is a good hero of a good Dragon Quest manga, and absolutely deserves an honorable mention.
Number Nine
Number Eight
I don't hate the 6th hero's look, but I also feels he has the most generic Toriyama-ass design in the whole series. Blue pointy Saiyan hair, no headgear, and a backstory that is a little confusing (he becomes trapped in a dream world, where he becomes the older brother of a lonely young woman, but he's secretly the missing prince of a nearby kingdom?). Hero #6 also doesn't have any unique spells or skills that separate him from the other heroes of the Zenithian trilogy. I find the unique color combination of his orange tunic, pink shorts (?), and aqua coat interesting, though. Dragon Quest VI has cool story ideas, but a below-average cast and a below-average Dragon Quest hero.
Number Seven
I want to give the OG Dragon Quest hero extra credit for being first, but that's almost all he has going for him. His full body armor seems almost alien compared to other heroes in the series, but I like the Viking look of his helmet and I'm definitely in favor of the cape. And I can't deny that rescuing the princess, collecting the sacred relics, building the rainbow bridge, and defeating the Dragon Lord is a classic quest that informed all of the writing in Dragon Quest's catalog. He's devoid of personality, but the legendary descendant of Loto (or Erdrick) sets an important precedent and I couldn't put him in last place.
Number Six
Dragon Quest IV has one of the most fun, colorful casts in Dragon Quest history, but that fun doesn't quite extend to the player character. Hero #4 gives players a choice in sex (always good), and some great green 80s hair (also a plus), but barely any interesting backstory; you're the chosen one, your village gets wiped out but you escape... and that's it. Dragon Quest IV's core concept of giving you introductory stories for The Hero's seven companions then having The Hero recruit them in reverse order is great, but also presents a game where those companions are much more interesting than The Hero him-or-herself. So Hero #4 rates around the middle.
Number Five
The Ninth Hero
Dragon Quest's only design-your-own-hero character is like a much more interesting version of the fourth Hero(ine). Dragon Quest IX establishes a world of gods, demons, guardian angels, and wish-granting, with Hero #9 born right into the middle of it. The ninth Hero (or Heroine) doesn't have a lot of personality, but working as a wish-granting angel that's turned into a human, and then saving various kingdoms and villages from wishes-gone-awry and navigating intrigue and ancient grudges within the hero's angel community are some good drama. I think I wanted a little more out of the Nintendo DS's signature Dragon Quest hero, but the player customization and the good backstory make for a solid main character.
Number Four
I think that the seventh Dragon Quest hero has a boring design visually, but accomplishes a lot within Dragon Quest VII's story. I mean, he eventually confronts a world's crisis of faith AND his own destiny. Rebuilding the world island by island, seeing his best friend choose to leave his life behind forever, discovering his heritage by saving one of his ancestors, and contextualizing his relationship with his family and the ocean are all great concepts and plot points, culminating in the dope Water Sword acquisition scene. So yeah, Hero #7 is one of the most non-threatening Dragon Quest heroes by appearances, but I love everything he accomplishes in the game's main quest and really dug the one or two twists in his personal story.
Number Three
Hero #8's quest is both personal and world-preservational. His entire home was cursed, with his beloved princess turned into a horse, his king turned into a monster, and all his friends and neighbors turned into stone (or thorns? It isn't clear.). Through his journey, the Hero defeats a demon king (of course), turns his home back to normal, discovers why he was immune to the curse (a surprisingly important plot point), AND leverages his personal story into marrying the woman of his dreams (with a new 3rd ending in the 3DS version!). He also has a bright clothing ensemble, an adorable pet mouse, and several great smaller story moments to prove his mettle. Dragon Quest VIII is one of the best games in the series, and its hero does a fine job helping to carry the story along.
Number Two
In perhaps the most dramatic hero's journey in all of Dragon Quest, Hero #5 joins his father on a search for his missing mother, learns that he's not the hero of destiny (really), watches his father die before his eyes (!), is forced to work in a mine for ten years, escapes slavery, marries a young woman of the player's choice (neat!), sees his wife give birth to twins (aww), gets turned to stone alongside his wife (!?), is separated from his wife-statue, is rescued BY his children ten years later (what!?), discovers that his wife's bloodline is the heroic lineage and his son is the hero of destiny (really!), reunites with his wife, finds his mother that's been missing for 25+ years, and then defeats the Demon King. Fuck. Dragon Quest V has an amazing story, and Hero #5 has been through more than any other Dragon Quest hero. I also dig the turban, cloak, and staff. Dragon Quest V is a game about family and fatherhood, with one of the best Dragon Quest heroes at the center of it all.
Number One
I love the color combination on the DQ3 MC, especially the magenta cape. Dragon Quest III also does the very cool thing of allowing players to choose the sex of the main character AND all of his/her allies. But most importantly, the Hero (or Heroine) of Dragon Quest III arguably accomplishes more than any other Dragon Quest hero because, well, they save two worlds instead of one. After collecting the six orbs, defeating Baramos, and saving their own world, Hero #3 jumps down into a pit to enter the "World of Darkness," which veteran players should recognize as the world map from the first Dragon Quest. Oh snap.
There, our illustrious main character finally finds their father (who was thought lost falling into the same pit years earlier), only to see him die soon after (WHY), then defeats ANOTHER Demon King (Zoma, who's a real motherfucker), and lifts the veil of darkness cast over the new world. Right before the credits, the people of the newly liberated world officially anoint Hero #3 with the holy name of Loto (or Erdrick). Yup, that's right. The Hero of legend whose descendants starred in Dragon Quest and Dragon Quest II. The Hero whose shadow looms over the entire series. The Hero who gives their name and sword to Dragon Quest XI. Loto (or Erdrick), star of Dragon Quest III, is the greatest Hero of the Dragon Quest universe. Or Heroine.
---
I hope you enjoyed my first Dragon Quest blog post! I'm going to try and write one every two weeks, with two landing in July and then two in August. I *might* plan out a sixth in September if inspiration strikes, but right now I'm only certain about the first five. I'm doing my best to channel my Dragon Quest XI hype into my blog, heh. I'm excited to see how it all turns out!
Gaming-wise, I'm playing Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete for my podcast and Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana on my Switch. Enjoying both a lot. Happy gaming!
No comments:
Post a Comment