You can find and buy awesome gear, then (honestly) go online and look at all the BETTER gear you can make by throwing stuff in the Alchemy Pot. You can build an amazing team of monsters and compete in the Monster Arena for fabulous prizes and the growing respect of Morrie, the overly-enthusiastic proprietor of the Arena. You can hunt for Mini Medals to trade for awesome gear from Princess Minnie. This is understandably tougher in narrow dungeon hallways, but that’s part of dungeon traversal-they shouldn’t be a cakewalk.Ī metric ton of side quests ably distract you from your hunt for Dhoulmagus. Monsters now dot the landscape, allowing you to ignore or engage more or less at your leisure. Oh, I should mention that, aside from water traversal, random encounters are a thing of the past. The real discoveries, though, are off the beaten path. The plot has a very specific through-line and you’re told exactly where to go almost all the time, often with a clearly marked trail to guide you. I should mention here that the majority of the exploration is voluntary. New discoveries are abounding, and I heartily enjoyed the exploration. You eventually earn (and I do mean “earn”) a way to cross open water, an insanely fun way to trek across land quickly, and a very imaginative “airship” towards the end. Exploration is always rewarded with well-hidden treasure chests, both in the overworld and in dungeons. Dragon Quest VIII isn’t as pun-filled as previous games, but when puns occur they stand out due to their rarity.ĭragon Quest VIII was the first in the series to present a fully 3D open world, and every inch of it has been preserved here. The writing and localization are similarly impressive. I enjoyed all the voice acting, especially Yangus and Jessica, who get the best characterizations throughout the game. The story’s depth is absolutely driven home by the game’s impressive voice acting in every cut scene (there are plenty). The story seems straightforward enough, but eventually takes a number of unexpected twists and turns, as your merry band comes across a great many colorful characters in their travels. The 3DS version even adds two new playable characters in an organic and fun way. Before too long, your party grows to include Jessica Albert, a spitfire mage looking to avenge her brother’s death, and Angelo, a smooth-talking Templar knight who joins the cause after his superior is targeted by Dhoulmagus. Also along for the ride is Yangus, a former ruffian who joined the group after befriending the hero, who he refers to as “the Guv.” You four are on the trail of an evil jester, Dhoulmagus, who cursed Trodain and now goes around killing people. Your companions are the diminutive King Trode, who has been turned into a troll, and his daughter, Medea, who has been turned into a horse. The story seems simple enough-you are the silent hero, the only unchanged survivor of a curse that befell the kingdom of Trodain. I do not hedge my language when I say that this is one of the best games I’ve ever played. Every moment is an engaging, interesting experience. For a series that often treads familiar territory, Dragon Quest VIII feels like a breath of fresh air. By some miracle of programming, the game is now available on your 3DS and it is absolutely the best, most refined, version of this standout Japanese RPG. It’s been ported to mobile devices in the last couple years, where it enjoyed a graphical bump but a predictably terrible control scheme. The map is huge, contains a lot of hidden items, and you'll be in a good spot if you explore thoroughly before continuing with the story.Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King was already fantastic on the PlayStation 2 way back in 2005. If you feel under powered then explore the world map as you reach a new town.You can safely sell anything that's not an ingredient after getting the pot. And of course most of your starting equipment is unique. The alchemy pot lets you see what items can be mixed and almost all the starting equipment can be used for super powerful late game items. Do not sell anything until you get the alchemy pot.The hero uniquely gets a special skill at swords/courage 100. In general prioritize each character's unique skill (courage, humanity, etc) and weapon skills that hit multiple enemies, increase critical hits, and ignore defense. There's no respec or skill map in the game, you're just blindly putting points in. Use a skill guide to see your options (Such as this one: ).
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