Dragon Quest is now over thirty years old. It’s amazing that it still holds as much relevance today as it did in 1986. The world has changed. Games have changed and yet this series has remained true to itself. Dragon Quest XI was a big leap forward with a lot of new additions like campsites and being able to move around in battle.
That said there are still a lot of things missing one would want in a sequel. That is not the topic of this article though. That could be one in the future though. Anyway on the related subject of missing stuff, here are some lesser-known facts about the franchise.
10 10. The Name Change
Dragon Quest premiered for the Famicom in 1986 and wouldn’t get translated into English until 1989. For those too young to remember, for years the series had to go under the guise of Dragon Warrior in the West because of a similarly named DragonQuest tabletop RPG game.
The rights were finally smoothed out and Dragon Quest got to keep its name in all regions with the release of its eighth title in North America in 2005.
9 9. There Is An Anime
There are actually several anime series. The first was Dragon Quest: Legend of the Hero Abel, which came out in 1989 and had an astounding 43 episodes. It was original, too. Oddly enough the first thirteen episodes were translated into English, but not the rest. The second series, Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai, was both an anime and a manga. It was also an original tale. Lastly, Dragon Quest Biography: Emblem of Roto was a short film with a longer manga. There is surprisingly a lot!
8 8. Dragon Quest Live
Anime isn’t the only other media Dragon Quest has dabbled in. While there hasn’t been a movie yet, there have been a lot of stage plays. There was Dragon Quest Fantasia Video, which was an adaption of the second game in 1988. Well, it was actually more of a hybrid with a video shown on stage and a live orchestra playing in the background. Years later, there was a ballet aptly titled Dragon Quest Ballet in 2002 and was based on the first game. Japan also got some great live action commercials. And yes, all of these things are on YouTube.
7 7. Voice Acting Peculiarities
The soundtrack in Dragon Quest VIII was not orchestrated and there were no voice-overs. These two things were added into the international releases. This was done the exact same way with Dragon Quest XI.
The only difference with that and Dragon Quest VIII is that the soundtrack was still midi based and the Switch release will finally add in an orchestra arrangement. Man, what’s with Japan and not wanting voices, or orchestras?
6 6. Dragon Quest XI Versions
Speaking of Dragon Quest XI, the details upon its release was a bit crazier in Japan. When it launched there were two versions players could buy. The PS4 version is the exact same version that the West would eventually get minus the voice acting. The other edition was on 3DS. It was the exact same game except that players could choose to play it in different graphical settings. One was similar to how the Dragon Quest VII remake looked while the other was 16-Bit. The Switch version has the latter version built in, but not the former.
5 5. Dragon Quest IX Inspired The 3DS
Everyone loved the 3DS' SpotPass system, right? It's the one thing missing from the Switch, although carrying that thing around isn't as handy as the clamshell design of the 3DS. Anyway, the idea of closing the system and having it retain information while asleep was first found in Dragon Quest IX for the DS. Players could similarly get stuff like maps, or items. It was awesome and paved the way for SpotPass.
4 4. Dragon Quest: The Real
In a similar article featuring another Japanese gaming phenomenon, Monster Hunter, there was a factoid about a live attraction. Well, it turns out Universal Studios Japan has done that not only with that series, but various other games including, yes, Dragon Quest.
There was an AR centric game, tons of recreated statues of characters and events from the games, and of course, lots of goodies to buy. It was, unfortunately, a limited timed event in 2017 so for those hoping to check it out someday in Japan, well, one can't now.
3 3. Alternate Ending
Alternate endings aren't that surprising to see in video games nowadays, but back in 1986, they were a huge surprise. At the end of the game the main villain, the Dragonlord, offered the player a choice. Join him and rule hand in hand in darkness, or stand up to him, which would surely end in defeat. Choosing to side with him would end with a Game Over screen, which would later become cannon via Dragon Quest Builders. Yes, that game is based on that bad ending. Way to pay that off, thirty years later!
2 2. The Name In The Game
In the first game the first four letters in a character’s name determined stats, like HP and Defense. So yes, it is true what they say. The pen is mightier than the sword. That analogy works here, right? This would only be a thing for the first game and none of the following sequels. And that’s all there really is to it!
1 1. The Father Of Dragon Quest
Unlike its RPG counterpart, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest has remained in the hands of seemingly one guy: Yuji Hori. He is the credited creator of the series and has gone on to help in every title, even spinoffs, in some regard. In another fun piece of trivia, Dragon Quest was his fifth game. So in Hori’s case, it was fifth time’s the charm. Now he is a symbol in his home country, which must feel like such an accomplishment.