Over the past 15 to 20 years, role-playing games have changed a lot. Graphics are now smoother and look more realistic when compared to their 8-bit counterparts. Music can be downright addictive with lush orchestrations instead of basic “beeps” and “bloops.” Stories have become not only more dramatic but also more sophisticated due to increased memory space of DVDs and cartridges. However, some things have stayed the same. No matter how active the battles are, victories always occur thanks to well-done strategies and the proper equipment. This all leads to one of the more important role-playing series and the world of Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen .
Dragon Quest IV is about as traditional as it gets. You will lead eight characters from various backgrounds — ranging from commoners to knights to tomboy princesses who refuse to conform to standard femininity — over the course of four chapters, with each story creating a reason for those characters to travel the world. Ultimately, Dragon Quest IV follows a young man whose village was burned down because malevolent monsters were looking for him. Out to avenge the death of his family and friends, the young man is trying to save the world to prevent what happened to him from happening to others. It’s a simple plot that slowly becomes richer as you go on, though it doesn’t waste time developing characters. What makes the game unique is the interaction in the various towns. That’s all you need to know.
Gameplay continues this classic theme. With its turn-based system, characters that have higher speeds go first. Each character gets one turn to perform the action you intend. This ranges from the attack command, items, defend (or “guard” if you prefer) and spell casting. The only way for a character or enemy not to act is to have him/her/it paralyzed, sleeping or confused (which could have the monster attack an ally monster) or to luck out and surprise it. Unlike other turn-based games, you can let the game handle your allies’ turns. This is something that I never did; I fear that my allies will waste their turns doing silly things. Furthermore, you can only tell your party what monster group to attack — not an individual monster. Add into this mix that all enemies are perfectly lined up, and I sort of scratched my head in wonder.
Why can’t I use a group-targeted spell to inflict damage on all enemies at once? Dragon Quest IV is a game that returns to its old-school roots. Therefore, gaining levels and more potent equipment (along with a solid strategy) is imperative. This is the main method of moving your party forward. Money is rare, and you have to save up to purchase equipment. This is especially true early on as monsters drop only a few coins at a time. Thankfully, gold and equipment abound in dungeons.
Of course, this makes it sound like there isn’t much customization to the party. You have eight characters to choose from, each a variation on the archetypical classes. The exceptions to this rule are Torenko and the hero; Torenko is the only merchant that joins the group. Each pair of the archetypes focuses on different aspects of the class. For example, Ragnar is a typical (Scottish-inspired) warrior who hits hard and has the health to back it up. Then there is Alena, a Russian-inspired princess, who can hit almost as hard but is much faster than Ragnar. Both do the same thing: cause high amounts of physical damage. But how do you want your fighter to behave? As a fast and heavy hitter with slightly lower hit points or a slow-moving tank that can survive most attacks? The same thing applies with healers and mages. Do you want someone who is more defensively or offensively minded? And who says that you cannot have the hero with the two mages and a healer?
Graphically, Dragon Quest IV is reminiscent of Super Nintendo games. The colors are bright and cartoony. It’s the sense of nostalgia that makes it work. You may not be able to see every little detail of what is there, but you do not need to. Where you need to go is clearly seen on both screens. This made dungeon traversing much easier as I consistently was able to plan where to go. Furthermore, characters roam about their villages lost in their daily lives. Monsters have their own unique battle animations. The downside is that the party members do not visually engage their opponents. Instead, all you see are sword slashes, cracking of icicles, smashes of staves, fierce winds and the intense heat from fire spells. Interestingly, you can rotate the camera in towns and certain dungeons. It’s a little weird to watch them and the foliage rotate with you.
The sounds of the series haven’t changed much in Dragon Quest IV . Swords slash, and the crackle of fire roars during combat. Music is perfectly orchestrated. Each chapter has its own theme song from a unique musical ethnic background: French, Russian, Irish, Scottish, English. Other fantasy sounds also are present. It’s pleasant to listen to them. And what would a Dragon Quest game be without the victory fanfare for leveling up?
Overall, Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen is a very solid DS game. It is even more playable than its Nintendo twin. The game has solid visuals, solid RPG tendencies and lush orchestrations. Dragon Quest IV is not a game for everyone, and it requires a very specific mindset. Grinding is a major part of the game.
Dragon Quest IV is an easy game to recommend not only to old-school gamers but also to new-school gamers. Even the most average Dragon Quest game is more forgiving than the most average Final Fantasy game. For me, this is comfort food. Place this (or any other Dragon Quest) game in my hands, and I’m happy as a hibernating bear. I feel rejuvenated after spending hours in its arms. It may not be as good as its successor Dragon Quest III, but it can stand well on its own. That is worth the price of admission to me.
