LogFAQs > #957397361

I think it's weird to call DQXI slow when it has options to speed up the game to ludicrous levels. Actually, all the DQ games have had really fast battle and traveling options compared to a lot of JRPGs. (They're usually not bogged down by excessive battle animations, and have had fast travel for AGES before other games did it).

Of course, the biggest complaint people have about the series are the weak plots, but I also think that misses the point of the stories in these games as well. Dragon Quest is not really about the huge overarching plotline and the inter-personal party drama like other JRPGs are. Often the story isn't anything more than "There's a big evil demon trying to take over the world. Find it and kill it." Instead the core of the games' writing is in the smaller, more inconsequential adventures you have along the way. Kind of more like an episodic TV show rather than, say, a movie with a distinct beginning/middle/end. The various towns you visit and the escapades you get into are more interesting than the overall plot, and there are minor NPCs that have more character and more interesting stories than main party members other RPGs have. If you focus on simply the goal the story presents you and view anything that doesn't directly feed into that as pointless diversions then yeah, I can see why you would think of the games as not being "tight" and being full of filler, but that really misses the point. It's about the journey, not the destination, and the various quests unrelated to the main plot and the various side characters and stories you come across IS the meat of the game. These games are all about those little experiences you have across the adventure, and even in the smallest details the games are very rewarding in that manner. Like, even the most insignificant NPCs in the towns have some great and interesting dialogue that is worth exploring and reading. That something that a LOT of RPGs fail to make worth your time, but it's something Dragon Quest does excellently. I do feel that there are plenty of people who hate talking to NPCs and don't bother to explore towns and simply try to get to the next plot point, and it's those type of people who would absolutely hate these games because your reward for continuing to play isn't to make it to the next story beat, it's to visit a new area and to explore and discover the interesting little details sprinkled throughout (heck, it doesn't even have to be a NEW area. You'd be shocked to discover just how often NPC dialogue updates in older areas throughout these games. Even in places you really don't need to revisit the dialogue will change and add new layers to NPCs that many players wouldn't even think twice about. It's so refreshing compared to games that don't even bother to give an NPC a second line even when the world is about end). I can understand why people wouldn't like these games even if they like other JRPGs, because they do build these games differently and they're rewarding to play in a different way from other games. But calling them "soulless" or lacking in character is really off the mark. These games are FILLED to the brim with detail and character that's really easy to miss if you're the type to not take your time to pay attention to them.

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Okay, I rolled a 14. What's that mean? Hsu
That you're a cheater. This is a 12-sided die. Chan