Dragon Quest VIII (PS2) - Part 2

This week on Super Adventures, I'm learning that Dragon Quest VIII is a very long game. So long that I'm going to have make a second article just to reach the second town.

I'm looking for the right place to stop playing, hopefully somewhere that looks cool and has a third party member to recruit. I mean how am I supposed to tell people I've got opinions about the game with a straight face when I've only gotten as far as running around a cave with my buddy Yangus?

If you want to read PART ONE instead just click that text.

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Previously, in Dragon Quest VIII:

A silent JRPG hero is travelling with a monsterised king, a horsified princess, a rehabilitated bandit, and a mouse in search of the villainous Dhoulmagus. A fortune teller's daughter told them she can get them a lead on his location if they bring back her father's crystal ball from a dungeon, but they were a bit low level for that so it took a few trips. They managed it in the end though and are on their way back with the ball!

And now, the continuation:

2 HOURS 10 MINUTES INTO THE GAME

 

I gave the crystal ball to Valentina and she told her dad she forgives him for the tragedy that got him to launch the ball down a waterfall, so that's all worked out now. Kalderasha repaid us for resolving his subplot by using the ball to locate Dhoulmagus! Turns out that he was the one who killed Rylus and he's just smashed through the southern checkpoint.

So I raced out of town to give chase... ending up back at the waterfall cave again instead, because it's directly south. I probably should've followed the road instead, it's got helpful signs on it!

I tried to get back on track but ended up doing a sidequest instead, promising to recover a guy's missing tool bag that he left next to a red tree. It's a pretty simple job, but all these random encounters aren't making it easy for me for keep track of where I'm going. I've ran into 13 of these surprise fights so far on this hike and it's getting a bit old.

9 MORE RANDOM ENCOUNTERS LATER

It was dark by the time I miraculously found my way back to return the guy's bag of tools. Turns out my rewards was... cheese. Apparently if I feed it to my mouse during combat things might happen! Eh, maybe later.

With this tiny sidequest out of the way I headed back to the road in the hopes of someday making it to this southern checkpoint, and ran into this guy instead:

I think he's some kind of rare mini boss monster. It'll be a shame to kick his ass, he looks so cute and harmless, but that's what's got to happen here. I might never find him again so I've got to seize the opportunity.

It wasn't actually that hard to beat him and in exchange I got a monster coin. No idea what that's for. Fortunately I got something much better a few battles later. I've been levelling up Hero's 'Courage' skill and once I raised it high enough I unlocked a new spell: Zoom. That's instant teleportation to any town I've visited and it only costs 1 MP! Levelling up Courage was the correct choice.

Right, now I'm going back home to rest. I'll find the southern checkpoint tomorrow!

A SEVEN BATTLE JOURNEY LATER

I've reached the next town! Turns out the trip only takes seven battles if you just follow the obvious road instead of getting sidetracked.

The first thing that happened when I got there was another battle against these two kids, but it turned out to be a cutscene so it's fine. I'm not 100% convinced by their voices though. It seems like the actors were told to put funny cartoon voices on and fake accents and they've really delivered. Then again what are you supposed to do when you're playing kids called Bangerz and Mash?

This town's pretty nice though; very picturesque. Plus the buildings are easier to find. They're even selling an axe for Yangus so I can finally make use of that axe skill I've been levelling up. It's bloody expensive though, 550 coins.

I've got 613 gold, so I can afford it, but should probably spend that on new armour so that I can survive long enough to bring more money home.

Wait wait wait... "Temporarily prevents weaker monsters from attacking the party"? Is this basically a 'no random battles' potion? Man, I need to go fight a dozen random battles right now so I can afford to stock up on these as well.

My quest to get better gear has given me clear objectives, but my quest to find Dhoulmagus has hit a bit of a wall. Even talking to Yangus was no help this time. I'm not discouraged though, because there's a big mansion down the road which might as well have 'PLOT RELEVANT' written above the door.

Turns out that the mansion is where I need to be, but there's a locked door in my way guarded by Bangerz and Mash. That means it's Munchie the Mohawk Mouse's time to shine! No random battles as the mouse, thankfully, just a change of perspective.
 

Munchie can't read, but he can take letters back with him, so I was able to get the next piece of the story. The letter reveals that a woman called Jessica has crept out of the house and gone to the Tower of Alexandra in the east to avenge her brother's death. So now I know what to do!

Jessica seems more of a capable fighter type than a damsel in distress in over her head, and the voice acting I got when I read the note stood out as particularly good. She managed to say the names Bangerz and Mash with absolute sincerity. The clues are all pointing towards her becoming my third party member, but to recruit her I'm going to have to find her first.

So now I have two goals: buy an axe for Yangus so he can use his axe skills and recruit Jessica. Then I can turn the game off!

LATER

Alright, I've travelled to the Tower of Alexandra and fought my way inside. I guess I'm meant to go do something with that device on the wall to the left? Oh, it makes the wall spin around, so it basically works like a door. In fact it is really just a door, and there's more of them as I go up the stairs to different floors.

After Dragon Quest VII I was expecting to run into some puzzles here. That game really seemed to love its puzzles, especially for the first few hours. But nope the Tower of Alexandra is just a really straightforward dungeon, with some treasures lying around in chests and lots and lots of random battles.

This fight's a bit of a puzzle though. Also it's another kind of monster that licks you, what the fuck?

The frogs are pretty harmless, with their smug froggy grins being more damaging to the party than their 1 HP attacks. But if I hit them they flip around to the face side and start casting devastating area of effect magic... and also licking people. Five frogs flipped to faces would finish me off in a flash.

Fortunately hitting them a second time flips the face back to a harmless frog, and Yangus is smart enough to hit the same enemy I did even when he's switched to AI control, so they're easy enough to deal with. Though they take three hits to kill, so it's just as easy to accidentally end a turn with a frog flipped.

I ran into Jessica at the top of the tower, but now it seems like I need to be rescued from her. She thinks we're the ones who killed her brother and she's kind of pissed.

Fortunately the ghost of her dead brother had lingered in the statue of Alexandra and he was able to explain that it was actually Dhoulmagus who killed. So that's all worked out then. There wasn't even a boss fight.

Now we all share a common enemy... but Jessica didn't join the party! She just wants to be alone right now. Objective failed!

Oh well, at least I've got enough money to buy that axe for Yangus now.

You know, this game doesn't actually have a bad look to it at all. I'm not sure why I immediately bounced off it the first time I tried it.

I could use my Evac spell to escape the dungeon, then the Zoom spell to warp back to the last town (or the other one) and save. But I've got plenty of MP and herbs left so I might as well just walk out and get some extra cash and experience along the way. Getting the Heal spell and more max MP has really improved my dungeon exploring endurance.

It's nice to know the option to teleport home is always there though if I need to save and turn the game off in a hurry.

I love these goofy looking imps. They're armed with a fork and they've got their tongues hanging out but they don't lick you! They keep trying to cast spells, but end up toppling over instead because they don't have the MP for it. It's a nice break from all the frogfaces

Holy shit, I was not expecting them to actually cast a spell! If I'd known they were going to take 14 points off in one hit I would've spent the last turn healing up. Offensive magic is really damaging in this, landing harder than regular attacks and hitting every character in the party. I should really get some of my own somehow.

I should've also Evac'd out and saved the damn game when I had the chance. Now I've respawned at town with half my money gone, so I can't afford to buy Yangus his axe anymore. He'd really earned that axe! At least I've confirmed that this has the same system as the rest of the Dragon Quest games when it comes to losing a battle, not that there was any doubt.

So I've failed at both my goals. I assumed I'd be able to turn the game off after the Temple of Alexandra but that's off the table now. I'm going to keep playing until I at least get the money to get Yangus this bloody axe. The game has that 'gotta save up and buy that shinier sword' hook to it.

Hey this place looks cool.

It's just feels weird that the game plays so much like Knights of the Old Republic or Final Fantasy XII while I'm walking around, but every 10-20 seconds I'm suddenly warped away to the fight dimension. It was less jarring in the classic games with an overhead view.

Right now I'm hiking to the town of Port Prospect, because Jessica's went this way on a roaring rampage of revenge against Dhoulmagus and that's the guy we're trying to find!

Four fencing foxes now?

It's cool when you run into a new type of weird enemy for the first time, but I've had plenty of time now to dwell on the fact that I'm just not doing anything in any of these fights. The process is so brainless I've got it half-automated, but I'm also not trying to achieve anything aside from winning. I'm not trying to level up weapon skills, or steal items, or draw magic out of them. It's just 'tap button, get XP and money' and at this point I'm starting to wish the game would handle it all itself and just tell me if I won or not at the end. You know, like Final Fantasy XII does.

MEANWHILE, ON THE 3DS PORT

3DS version

The 3DS port is based on the Japanese version of the game, so the menus aren't as good as in the English PS2 version and it's missing the orchestral soundtrack. But they've updated the overworld to add visible monsters roaming across it instead of random encounters! You can just dodge the monsters if you'd rather explore for a bit, though they will chase you if you get too close. It makes walking around so much less frustrating, and makes you resent the battles a little less.

Plus there's another new feature that helps: a 'fast' mode for battles that dramatically speeds them up! And you even get all your HP and MP refilled during a level up so you don't have to keep running back to town during the first dungeon.

3DS version

It's also got this beautiful map on the bottom screen, and a photo mode so you can pose with a horse!

Really it's a shame the 3DS port doesn't have the upgraded interface and music from the English PS2 game, as that would've made it a no-brainer which version to pick.

SOON

Alright, some stuff happened and now I'm on a boat fighting a giant squid with a daft voice who likes to do hand puppets with his tentacles. This has gotten very Final Fantasy X all of a sudden... well except for the hand puppets and the daft voice.

Final Fantasy X (PS2)

It reminds me of the fight on the boat is all I'm trying to say! I pressed 'attack' a lot in that game as well now that I think about.

I finally got Yangus his axe by the way! It was the worst weapon in the shop at this point but at least now he's got axe skills available. I was pretty sure I'd have Jessica joining me in this fight as well, even if she was just a guest character, but nope it's just me and Yangus against this thing.

Fights up to this point have been pretty brainless, but this one... is no exception. He hits both characters at once and can kill them in two hits, so I've got Hero casting healing magic every turn, while Yangus automatically hacks away with his axe. I'm really starting to get the feeling that I'm way underlevelled for this, but I'll stick with it for as long as the Hero's MP lasts.
 

I beat the squid first try! It was really close, Yangus had just 1 HP at one point, but I did it. And then Jessica joined the team! That means I've got some offensive magic of my own... which means I've achieved all three of my goals and I can finally turn the game off.

Though first I'm going to go chat to the NPCs. Not because I have to, I'm just worn out after the boss battle and want to relax for a moment. Plus I want to hear their reactions to me slaying the squid monster! (Well, knocking him back to his senses anyway).

Also a new town means new barrels to smash. You can get some real treasure out of them, like permanent stat boosts, so I can't allow any to live.

Anyway here's my final score. I played for 5 hours 37 minutes, I fought 119 battles, I got my team killed once, and I never used 'intimidate', much to Kind Trode's disapproval. I don't even know what it does!

Oh I should mention that Trode's just given me a new feature: alchemy. When I find some recipes I'll be able to use that mysterious thing he was working on to turn stuff into other stuff. Which sounds cool. I could keep playing a little longer and go recipe hunting, but... 5 hours and 37 minutes seems like enough. That's 9% of the way through the whole game!


CONCLUSION

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To be honest, I still don't like the look of Dragon Quest VIII as much as the Final Fantasy games, and I don't think the setting is as interesting either. It's got more of a generic fairytale fantasy world and seems to be aimed at a younger audience (or they at least aimed to include a younger audience). But man I was an idiot to dismiss the game as quickly as I did the first time around. See, this is why this site of mine is awesome: it forces me to give games a fair chance!

The art style's really grown on me and its illustrated look has made it a bit more timeless than your average 2004 PlayStation 2 game. The music's grown on me as well, even though it doesn't really sound like any other JRPG I've played. I mean it's not usual to find an orchestral soundtrack in an RPG, but this sounds like someone recorded a 'Dragon Quest Live' concert and put it in the game. Apparently that's more or less what happened, as the English version replaced the Japanese game's synth soundtrack with tracks from the Dragon Quest VIII Symphonic Suite album. The Japanese game feels a little unfinished in other places as well, with its classic menus and complete lack of voices, so Westerners got a good deal here.

Plus the game is dripping with charm and imagination, mostly in the variety of bizarre enemy designs. The Dragon Quest games have always had the weird monsters, but here they're fully animated and you get a good look at them thanks to the more modern battle camera. Just being able to see the fights properly instead of being locked in that first-person box makes a massive difference to the feel, which is good because I haven't really noticed many other changes since the previous game so far. The designers have made a few concessions to the fact that it's a late PS2 title and what people expected from JRPGs had evolved a bit in 20 years, though underneath the slicker interface it's still Dragon Quest at its core.

But it's a more friendly Dragon Quest that has a bit more respect for your time. More than Dragon Quest VII anyway. I was still left on my own to find the right NPC to chat to a few times, but it hasn't been as nearly as annoying about it, and half the time I was going to talk to them anyway. Plus being able to ask your party members for a reminder about where to go helps. I doubt they'll go as far as to give you hints to the puzzles, but seeing as I haven't found any puzzles so far, that's not really something I've had to think about.

The story hasn't been anything special so far, but I appreciate the way it's been told, with little bits of the backstory coming out naturally over time. It took me five hours to learn how Yangus and the hero met and I still don't know the details of how King Trode and Princess Medea got cursified, and that's good as I'm far more interested in that than whatever Dhoulmagus is up to next. The switch to full 3D characters allowed the game to have proper cutscenes with them talking and doing stuff, and it's a lot more like a cartoon as a result. Plus it seems like the game was localised in England, judging by the accents, and there's some great voice acting there (Yangus is dead-on perfect). There's also a lot of actors putting on obnoxious daft voices though, so it's probably for the best that all the NPC dialogue outside of cutscenes is silent. They could've given the hero some lines though, because it's jarring to have a classic mute protagonist when everyone else is from a PS2 game.

I wish the combat was more interesting as well. Or less frequent, one or the other. It was really cruel of the game to give me all that landscape to run around and then interrupt me every 15 seconds. The fights were pretty slick and frictionless, and faster than in some other JRPGs, but they were still long enough to give me to time to think about how pointless they were. I'm sure they'll get more involved later, but for these first five hours I pressed the button, numbers eventually went up, and sometimes I had to heal. And that was generally it. It didn't seem like my involvement was really necessary for the process.

But overall the game has just about got me. The good outweighs the bad, the fun characters outweigh the (currently) empty gameplay, and I feel like Yangus deserves an even better axe. But it's 60 hours long, so I think I'll be playing the 3DS version with the fast-forward button if I go back to it. That means missing out on the updated menus and music and playing at a slightly lower resolution, but being free of random encounters would make it all worth it. And I'd still get the voice acting... for better or worse.

Anyway, Dragon Quest VIII gets a shiny 'I'd play it again' star for sure:

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The good thing about RPGs is that they give me plenty to write about, and that's also the bad thing. You've made it through it all now though, it's over. You've won.

You should celebrate by leaving a comment, maybe even take a guess at what the next game's going to be. Though you'll have to wait two weeks for it this time I'm afraid. Actually my original plan was to disappear for two months, so really you're getting a bonus game next time.