LogFAQs > #897533352

3 | Dragon Quest V (DS)

Does it still count as a SNES game if its a remake based on another remake OF a SNES game? Im calling this one a loophole! Also, it was my first real, and best, experience with DQV, so DS it isits also the only way to legitimately play in English.

Anyway, more Dragon Quest, my favorite RPG series of all!

Dragon Quest VII was structured around small vignettes about seemingly no one special, and that has its own appeal to me, but Dragon Quest V? DQV opts instead for a very personal story, and journey, of the main character.

Like all main characters (maybe like all the BEST main characters, hoho), he is completely silent, no real dialogue to speak of, but his emotional, and physical, journey over the course of the game is anything but what you might assume. Far from a characterless avatar, hes the main draw of the story. Its a rare video game explores a character so fully as to see their birth all the way through maturity, and into parenthood, but thats the sort of experience DQV gives you. The Hero makes friends, enemies, gets married and even has kids that can join you in battle! No other DQ game is so focused on fully exploring a single characters existence.

Thats where it so strongly resonates with me! Its very intimate and personal, its about one persons experience and life, his development and growth, his sacrifices and tribulations, and the emotional toil that comes with all of it. There are highs and lows, victories and defeats, and every step of the way you feel part of journey. Its a story that gets better as you age, too, because of the themes it explores. Dragon Quest V resonates stronger today for anyone whos in their mid-to-late 20s or 30s than someone first playing it as a teenager. Its powerful!

Even with all the cinematic flair of small sprites that walk in place, there is a moment in DQV that affected me in a way few video games have. Were talking Aeris levels of spoiler, only with a way stronger emotional gut punch and a kind of heartbreak that I am still not overall in a context that I cant remember many other games using.

It might seem strange, to be espousing a Dragon Quest game almost exclusively on its narrative and silent main character, but thats how GOOD it is! To be sure, the usual Dragon Quest hooks of leveling up, hearing that addictive jingle, the fast and fun turn-based battle system are all here in top form. There is even a monster catching component very similar to what would later become Pokmon, and Dragon Quest Monsters!

When I think about the best RPG, Dragon Quest V has all my bases covered. I love to play it almost as much as I love revisiting its story. If EarthBound came with caveats about being a mid-90s RPG, DQVs DS version has no such warnings. I would recommend it to anyone that could get their hands on it. Provided you dont exclusively play the latest Final Fantasy games, this should be in everyones library for a rainy day.