It is getting close to winter time
and that is when I get the itch, and with good reason. Around this time of the
year Square Enix releases an epic RPG for me to sink my teeth into. While I am
sorely disappointed that this year the game is not Final Fantasy XII, I am
pleased that I get to try a game series that is so popular in Japan, that it
eclipses the popularity of the Final Fantasy series. The series I am referring
is the Dragon Quest, and this year the game that is released is Dragon Quest
VIII: Journey of the Cursed King. If you are a fan of RPG games then I suggest
that you go pick up this game as soon as possible because it is a game that will
not leave your PlayStation 2 until it is complete.
The story for Dragon Quest VIII:
Journey of the Cursed King goes like this: a long ago a scepter was created that
had extraordinary magical powers, and it was sealed away inside a castle. One
day a twisted jester known as Dhoulmagus broke the seal and awakened its
terrible powers. In the process he put a curse upon the entire kingdom. To taunt
the king and the princess this jester changed their bodies and turned them into
different forms, and as for the rest of the kingdom, time has been frozen. There
is only one person who escaped any effects of the curse, which is the hero
(you). It is up to the player to restore the kingdom back to normal and stop
this malicious jester. Are you up to this challenge?
The characters in your party are as
fleshed out as they can be. The hero of the story is a former royal guard who
had to leave his kingdom when a curse was placed upon it. He is proficient with
swords, spears, and boomerangs. Yangus is a former bandit and a turn of events
placed him and the hero together. He is a very physical powerful man that is
good at using axes, clubs, and scythes in combat. Jessica is the only daughter
of a rich family from a small village; she is good at combat spell as well as
using blades, whips, and staves. Angelo is a Templar knight who has sworn an
oath to protect, but he prefers to gamble and flirt with women. He is very good
at using swords, bows, and good at using recovery spells. As the game goes on,
players will be able to level up each of the characters skills to make their own
unique team that fits their personality the best.
Since this game is really huge there
are other forms of transportation that players can use instead of walking
everywhere. One is a Great Sabrecats – these animals can take players anywhere
that they can already get to, but with one huge difference. They can get you to
these places ten times faster by using their great speed. If you want to sail
around the world players will have to get their hands on a ship, which opens up
a whole new avenue to explore. Another thing about ships is that you can still
get attacked while you are on them so you will still have to be careful.
One good thing about this game is
that it has a day and night schedule that affects the gameplay. As time passes,
players will notice that their surroundings will have changed slightly as well
as people’s behavior. For instance at night you might get some information from
certain characters that you would have not received if you asked them in the
morning. This could be because they have been to the local bar and had a few
drinks and are more inclined to relate to you information. Also at night players
will notice that they will encounter stronger monsters, which is good because
they will give you more experience points, which helps you level up faster.
There is one thing that I always
want to know about an RPG is how the battle engine is. The reason for this is
that since players will be spending a lot of time fighting various creatures to
level up you will want an game that has a fun and interactive battle engine.
Well I can say that the battle engine for this game is really well done. There
are a variety of different things that players can do. If you find enemies that
are weaker than you and you don’t want to fight then, all you can do is
intimidate them and they might flee as well as drop various items. Players also
have various things they can do such as attack, use items, various abilities,
defend, or use magic against the enemies.
An interesting thing about this game
is how you save. The save point in this game is the various churches in the
area, which provide more services then saving. What I mean is if you are
poisoned or have various other ailments, if you don’t have the item to correct
this you must go to the church, make a small donation, and they will cure you. I
didn’t know this at first because I am used to going to an inn, falling asleep
but being fully recovered in the process. So in order to get back to 100%
players will have to visit more then one place. I thought that this was a unique
and interesting way of doing it, since it stands out from many other games in
area.
Once players boot up the game they
will be able to tell that the artist Akira Toriyama, famous for his work in the
Dragon Ball franchise, did the character and enemy designs. This makes the game
have a very anime feel to it and is perfectly complemented with the graphical
style of the entire game. The look of the game is very nice, since the world has
a more “realistic” feel to it, but the characters that inhabit it are cel-shaded
so it gives it a nice contrast and makes it look like an anime cartoon. The
characters themselves are really highly detailed especially when it comes to
equipping various items on characters. Different equipment will affect how the
character looks during battle, with various textures for the weapons in the
game. The clothes do not have that much affect on the characters other then your
female companion.
The sound for this game is equally
as good as the graphics. I found that the voice acting really complements the
game and its characters. The characters at times have a whinny pitch to them but
it is easily overlooked. The voice acting really helps bring these characters
alive to the players and makes the game feel much more authentic. Not only that but players also be treated to a nice musical score that accompanies the
entire game. The sound effects also complement the game as you heard the various
battle cries and weapons clashing.
While you wouldn’t think that this
game couldn’t get any better the developers at Square Enix put in a little treat
in this game. Included with every single copy of Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of
the Cursed King, players will find a demo disk of Final Fantasy XII! I was
ecstatic when I opened up the game box and found out this little item. After all
these years players will get to see what the deal is with Final Fantasy XII and
see that it is truly been worth the long wait that we have had to endure. The
only downer about this addition is that it is not the full game and that we will
have to wait just a little longer to get the full game in our hands.
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the
Cursed King is rated Teen for alcohol references, fantasy violence, simulated
gambling, mild language, and suggestive themes. The game will take up 177KB on
your memory card for game saves.
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Gameplay: 7.8
If you have ever played an RPG then you will know what to expect
out of this game. You will have to go to various towns, find different missions
to help people out. As you help people out you will get tips and clues about how
to get your overall mission complete. While the story is slow to start off in
the beginning it really picks up later on and the battle engine for this game is
equally as good and strong.
Graphics: 9.2
The graphics for Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed are really
great. The blend of cel-shading with the more realistic, yet light-hearted,
world works really well. Akira Toriyama did a great job with all of the
character and enemy designs as it makes players feel like they are playing an
interactive anime cartoon.
Sound: 9.1
The voice actors did a really good job with bring the characters to
life and giving the game a more realistic and natural flow to it. The music is
also really good and will keep players entertained for hours as they go through
the world of Dragon Quest VIII.
Difficulty: Medium
Just like any role-playing game, Dragon Quest VIII has its fair share
of easy and difficult moments. If players spend time leveling up their
characters then the game will go much easier for them. On the other hand, if
they try to just blast through the game, they will find out that it will take
them much longer and it will be very difficult for them, especially later on in
the game.
Concept: 9.5
I really like how this game was played. I have never played a Dragon
Quest game before, so I really didn’t know what was new in the series, luckily
the instruction booklet was kind enough to say what is new, and having these
additions I found was very helpful throughout the entire game. Another reason
why this category gets such a high points is that the developers included a copy
of Final Fantasy XII in there, and giving away free demos of highly anticipated
games is always a plus!
Overall: 9.2
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King is a great RPG game
that should be in any gamer’s collection. This game offers classic RPG elements
that gamers have come to know and love. Also who can forget the free demo of
Final Fantasy XII. This is another great reason to purchase this already great
game.
