Game Review: Dragon Quest VIII

Platform: Playstation 2
Developer: Square Enix & Level 5

When I was a kid, Dragon Warrior on the Nintendo served as my entry into the world of roleplaying games. The first game was neat for me because it was a new kind of game. Dragon Warrior III and IV blew me away with how well they expanded on the original game. Needless to say, I hold the series in high regards and it has a special place in my heart where gaming is concerned. So when Dragon Quest VIII came around late last year, I was leery. 20 years later, would the game be able to keep the classic, old-school gameplay of its predecessors in today's world of shiny, gimicky gameplay?

Like the old Dragon Warrior games but purdy.

That question was answered with a resounding yes when I got ahold of the demo. In spite of the huge visual upgrade, DQ8 stays very true to its roots in terms of gameplay. Everything I loved about the old games is here. Huge sprawling world, traditional RPG save-the-world storyline, plenty of locales (complete with weapon and armor shops) and the old tongue in cheek humor. Some of you will even recognize some of the battle and menu sounds from the old games. The creators kept the same look for many of the monsters, they simply upgraded the art and added animation which was done perfectly. There are plenty of nods to the prior games hidden here and there. I even saw Taloon from Dragon Warrior 4!

Good old turn-based combat.

The only major change to the gameplay is the character development: at each new experience level your characters are given points to spend in one of 5 specialties. This system is fairly simple, allows for a degree of customization and fits naturally into the game. Players will definitely get their money's worth here as well. I finished the game in about 75 hours, and there are additional challenges opened up after the end boss is defeated as well. This game is chock full of little details, things to find and things to tinker with. Early on in the game you are supplied with an alchemy pot which can be used to, well, turn things into other things. There is also a monster arena. It works kind of like Pokemon where you defeat and capture rare monsters in the game world then battle them against other teams of monsters. Like Pokemon but way better. There's also a casino once again for you gambling junkies out there, but sadly there is no poker this time around.

Everything has a well polished feel to it: game design, voice acting animation, you name it. Dragon Quest VIII exceeded my expectations in every way. Like RPGs? Have fond memories of Dragon Warrior? You'll love this. It made me feel like I was parked in front of my boxy grey NES and it was 1985. And yes, the game has blue slimes.

Dragon Quest VIII earns 4 slimes out of 4