your posts on twitter inspired me to start playing through the series starting from 1 too. I've only just beaten 3 but have been really appreciating them

Dragon Warrior had the best spell names, Hurt & Hurt More

when i was 4 my mom played dragon warrior to the end. ive not seen her play any other game that way. that was like more than 25 years ago. it came with a map and bestiary i think. the best part was the princess asking "doth thou love me?" and they let you say "no" and she then says "but thou must! doth thou love me?" and you can do that over and over as many times as you want and then when you say "yes" she goes "Im so happy!!!!!"

More people need to experience a good Puff-Puff.

Been playing Dragon Quest since Nintendo Power sent me a free cart. Those were the days...

After coming from Dragon Quest 7 to 8, I can say 8 certainly was a breath of fresh air. Not that I didn't like 7, but it was the longest game I think I've ever played - clocking in at almost 300 hours and still not even accessing the bonus content due to missed tiny medals. The reason why Dragon Quest 8 is so special to me is simply because Level 5, the creators of the Dark Cloud / Chronicle series, absolutely knocked it out of the park with bringing Dragon quest fully into 3D from it's pseudo 3D world of 7 on the PS1. Even with that, the charm of the Dark Cloud series seemed to almost be integrated into it as well, and both meshed perfectly. I honestly still think about the post game content in Dragon Quest 8 as well - as it offered some of the most challenging and strategic fights that weren't just all about piling on massive damage. With that said, can't wait to hear what you think about 8 when you can give it a shot! It definitely doesn't feel as "raw" in a written form as its previous games and is certainty toned down, but I think it was done tastefully.

Honestly I enjoy a silent protagonist, keeps me from hating my own character

It's worth noting for new players that all of the pre-IX mainline Dragon Quest games have more recent-ish remakes that add lots of things such as quality-of-life improvements (improved visuals, re-done soundtracks, animations, quick saves, etc.), mini medal hunts, new sidequests and even completely new party members and story scenarios. The optional major party member they added for the DS remake of V is a particular favorite of mine, they're one of my favorites characters in the entire series. Also, I absolutely recommend using the party chat option in the DQ games that have it; your party members will almost always have something to say about whatever is going in the story, the location you're currently in and, in some games, nearly every single NPC in the game. It's probably where you'll see most of your party members' dialogue, and you'll see a lot more of their characterization and growth through those optional bits of conversation. The scripts for some of the later games are enormous, and many players only see a fraction of it.

DQ deserves more love in the west, you always have a bunch of whining about Final Fantasy "changing too much" and Square Enix not making old school RPGs. Yet that's what the DQ series is, a line of games for the traditionalist but they get unjustifiably ignored.

I think I have a problem. All these tropes. The grind, the silent protagonist. Saving in a church. I love it soooo much ! :D

Shesez, dost thou love Dragon Quest and all it holdeth? But thou must!

"None of these games are that amazing" as a student of videogame development and videogame design i have to strongly disagree with that statement, even for today standards some of the design choices present in these games are extremely well thought.

I love the Dragon Quest series because it's proud of everything the Final Fantasy series thinks it's too cool for, which also happens to be everything I loved about Final Fantasy's SNES era.

DQ11 is one of my favorite rpg of all time. DQ8 was awesome as well. I have a soft spot for DQ7 and the others

GC Perfectly nails it. In addition to what he said - DQ isn't a loud, bombastic series that's not attempting to wow you in the way a lot of rpgs try to. It's quiet, uses a light touch, is thoughtful, kind, joyful, and devoid of brooding characters and cynicism. It smartly and carefully can tackle heavy themes without bludgeoning you over the head with them, and without ever falling into melancholy. I'm a recent fan, but I really adore DQ a lot.

Loving this video, Shesez. Hearing you talk about things comprehensively and (mostly) objectively was a treat. Informative, charming, and edited very well. Would love to see this video format return, as it served as a great gateway for someone like me who knows nothing about DQ. Maybe one on Startropics? :)

That was a really good retrospect, pretty interesting, made me wanna check out DQ5. If you're gonna do another one of these I wanna see Fire Emblem.

Good job on asking HCG to be on a video about Dragon Quest. He always talks so passionately about the series and you can tell he really does love the franchise.

I disagree with the idea that Dragon Quest V lacks an epic story. It just doesn't tell its story in the way a Western audience would prefer (ie with cutscenes and compelling character arcs). I think I love this series BECAUSE its story is more about the adventures you have than a Grand overarching narrative. It's kind of a similar joy to playing a N64 platformer. There's no logical or narrative link from Mumbo's Mountain to Treasure Trove Cove, but that doesn't matter because they're both interesting scenarios populated with fun enemy types and delightful NPCs.

DQ VIII is fantastic, you won't be disappointed. It's my favorite RPG ever.

some of my favorite videos on youtube are these style of in-depth analysis. I know they take a long time to put together, but the end result is what makes it! fantastic job on this to everyone who worked on it! would love to see more this in the future!

As someone who's never played the Dragon Quest series, I'm actually a fan of the silent protagonist. I think there are games that shouldn't have them, sure, but I find them to be a great way to relate to the other characters. I'm not supposed to like silent dude as a character, but it makes it seem more like the other characters are speaking to me instead of whatever random hero we're using. It's absolutely a trick of the mind or something, but when it seems like these people are telling you, the player, about their hopes and dreams, it gives me a greater connection. I dunno, maybe that's just me, but I figured someone should defend the trope.

Not everyone in your audience has to imagine having this as their first JRPG experience back in the '80s, you know. ;) And for what it's worth, we didn't see it as antiquated like you speculate. This was still the first true JRPG on the NES, period, so we had no point of reference to hand down a judgement like that unless we were fortunate enough to be playing the most cutting edge CRPGs. That would have been rare for a kid back then.

Dragon Quest is perhaps my second favorite series right behind Zelda, the fact that its stayed true to its roots yet gives some changes over time in the series which is a big reason why I love it so much, these games are my childhood, played all of the main series save for the nes titles (seen let's play of them) 10 (for obvious reasons) and 11 (hasn't come out on switch yet), have only beaten 7 at this point which is funny since it's the longest but one of my favorites, so good

I just started playing retro rpgs, so this was perfect timing for this vid. Very informative!

you son of a gun, i did not see that last big thank you to me, that really made my day, it was an absolute pleasure to work on this video with you!

I appreciate this retrospective greatly, and hope that you make similar content on other series you enjoy, even if they are smaller videos. I'm also getting into Dragon Quest more (first was IX and loved it) and hope to gain more insight on this series.

Dragon Quest 9 Is The Most Underrated.

Personally, I love the silent protagonist even to this day. I like to respond to the characters when the hero can't. That's the thing about roleplaying games, you put yourself into the shoes of your character and try to think what they'd be thinking

Great video! The only thing really missing is the fact that series creator, Yuji Horii, essentially adapted and streamlined the gameplay from Ultima and Wizardry into a console-friendly title. Everything you saw in Dragon Quest I through III were in full force years ago in said games.

Love a silent protagonist. Love grinding. Love the old school soundtrack with todays graphics. Love inventory management. Love it when you can't save everywhere. All rpgs are about the journey and not the destination for me. I think you're just not a jrpg guy if these are cons in yiur eyes.

this might be my favorite video of yours. love detailed breakdowns/histories like these!

This video is over a year and a half in the making, and it's only for Dragon Quest. That is some legitimate dedication, -at least you didn't do a video on something like Kingdom Hearts.-

I love turnbased RPGs.. they are dying out and I wish they made more

Improved inventory management and a full orchestrated sound track is featured in the Switch Version. They tried to fix a bunch of small annoyances from the PS4 version.

I really liked these videos. I know I've been critical as of late with certain games you choose for boundary break and the multiple part discovery videos, but the borderlands and this video was awesome! I would love to see you do more history on video games. I'd love to see a part 2 video when you finish the series.

DQ9 was my first title in the series, and I really enjoyed playing through it with my cousin. It’s far from the best game in the series, but man do I love DQ’s monster design

This was a fun diversion from your usual content. I really enjoyed it. When you mentioned that you had other KZfaqrs involved, I instantly thought about Johnny and was happy to find out it was him. I haven't played that many Dragon Quest games myself but the ones I've played, I've enjoyed. They are long and grindy though so I usually stop 10-20 hours into the game. I'm looking forward to the Switch version of XI and I hope it'll be the first DQ game I can actually finish. I also really enjoyed Dragon Quest Builders' demo but I decided to wait for Builders 2. That said, I haven't bought 2 yet since I've had other huge games taking my time. But I will get it once I have time for it.

Wow this was an amazingly well done, refreshing change of pace. I absolutely adore the boundry break. Vids, but this was just so damn entertaining. Great job for a one-off

Another amazing video. I cant say how much i love your work. One of the best channels ive ever seen on this sight. You deserve millions more subscribers. I love this channel so much

"The silent protagonist is the worst trope" You haven't played Persona 3, 4 or 5, I guess...

I remember playing Dragon Warriors till I feel asleep, that is how much I liked that game!!!

This is really good! I would totally watch more video essays like this from you

Great video! Congrats on the editing, it's very well done!

Sheez is right; Dragon Quest V is one of, if not the best entries in the series. Wonderful story. If you want to play one of the older games, just play V. The twists and turns that game takes are pretty awesome.

A lot of interesting opinions on this, and a good video overall, I personally appreciate the occasional antiquated bits, a lot of games have evolved and forgotten where they came from outside of just references. Is it a bit tedious/trite at times, perhaps, but I like that feeling of nostalgia the games present with the occasional bits of old fashioned-ness. It maintains it's identity while still moving forward.

Great video. An outstanding effort on showing us the Dragon Quest saga. Thank you for the good content. Keep up with the great videos. Cheers.

Great video Shesez. Gotta admit at first I was kinda bummed out that it's not a boundary break episode but tried to watch it and I liked it. Hope to see more vids like this

Excuse me DQ4 didn't inovate yes it did it inspired project octopath chapter base design

This video just motivated me more to play the series. The only one I've played a decent amount of was 4, but I'm wanting to go back and play them in release order. It's a weird thing I like to do (currently doing that with the Tales series) and I can't wait to play them all.

Dragon Quest is one of the greatest series of all time, been watching your channel since the beginning, and this video is great

I actually really enjoyed this, the almost casual nature of this video is pretty cool and I'd enjoy more videos like this.

The fact it's "Stuck in its ways" is the reason I like it, honestly. They're comfort games to me.

18:50 I gotta disagree with you here kinda, I personally like the silent protaganist insofar as it allows me to directly reflect myself in the character I am playing. Though, in the case of DQ it might make less sense, I don't think the silent protag is a wholly negative thing. Anyway, other than that minor nitpick, this was a really well put-together video and I enjoyed listening. Thanks!

10:00 Erdrick is a title more than a simple name. Great video, BTW. Really glad you made this.

This was a great video. I hope you end up making more like this.

This is my favorite video you have made I played builders like you never head of dq played the demo on switch of builders was soo hooked got the 3ds port of 7 and 8 and then played 11 now I’m playing builders 2 huge fan

I’m currently playing dragon quest 8. I’m only like 2 hours in and I’m really enjoying it so far.

DQ has always been to me "a fairy tale that your 'movie-mom' tells you at bedtime." It's this huge adventure, where you pair with a bunch of people with little to nothing in common, to unite and defeat the great evil. You go to so many towns and experience some wonderful- even emotional- stories and feel so accomplished when you make it through it all. It's always been such an accessible title, where in this day and age, others are trying so hard to trump everything else or make things overly-complicated just to say they're doing something new. I can always pick up a DQ and feel right at home from any save point in the game, and I do regularly, lol. From playing IX for the first time, I fell in love with everything, from the story, to the design, to the music, to the heart and charm, and even the nostalgia that I didn't get until playing VIII and onwards, lol. This series always has everything I ever want in a game, and I'm so glad that I've met this experience. Also, am I the only one who really loves silent protagonists? I mean, c'mon, dood...

Awesome video and quite good analysis ! Everything was clear and all, seemed really objective, all good

"Lets pretend that you're a fully grown adult.." 'Ooof' ~Most of your audience, probably Good video tho :)

The subtlety of a silent protagonist allows the game to interact with the player more naturally through indirect cues, which is the appeal of video games as a form of art. Not saying the main character having lines makes a game bad, there are plenty of those that I enjoy, but the ones I love playoff the indirect interaction between the writers, artists, and directors of a game and the player. I feel like sometimes a character speaking can get in the way of that aspect. When I read a book, or watch a movie, I am either processing the words or watching from a screen and while games are on a screen, the difference is when I push a button or move my control stick, I participate in the information that's in front of me. So having that player be silent is important because it allows me to participate while still beholding what the creators have created. Again there's plenty of games with main characters that have dialogue that I like, and for some genres like fighting games, it's practically a must-have, but for other games, it just makes the experience feel so much richer for me. Otherwise, I feel game and story elements can often be at conflict with one another, and it just becomes of a less convenient way of experiencing a story or narrative in that form, in contrast to a book, a comic, a play, or a show.

I can't' wait to watch a part 2 of this video, where you have hopefully played more DQ games. 7 and 8 are my favorites and thanks to your video I started playing DQ1 and I'm really enjoying it!

I really liked this! Would love to see you do things like this more often!

20:06 "i always know i'll be getting a great orchestrated soundtrack' Uhhhh... what? Isn't the composer infamous for not using orchestras and using MIDI instead? How many Dragon quest games feature an orchestrated soundtrack and not a MIDI one?

The best part of DQ is the consistency across games. Final Fantasy no longer has an identity because it's always changing drastically.

Please do more! This video was really good, and a pleasant surprise!

I really like what you and your guests had to say. The consistency of the series, especially from an aesthetics standpoint, for me has made the series really stand apart, and I think the three of you summed that idea up really well. My stepbrother and I played the 1st DW for the NES when we were kids in the 2000s, completely unaware of its identity as DQ. When I finally put the pieces together, I became interested in the future games because I saw the connections of how the games felt and looked, and that really shaped the way I viewed the older games as I played them for the first time. Interestingly, my stepbrother (who loved the 1st game) never showed much interest in the other titles, and I remember him saying that as the platforms and technology advanced, the graphics and feel didn't modernize in the direction that he had expected after playing the original. I definitely understand that conclusion given that we played the original in the heyday of the Xbox 360, when realism was starting to be heavily sought by the typical gamer. It's an interesting divergence of views given the circumstances of how we played the game "out of time". It's definitely not for everyone, and the older games haven't aged terribly well, but I think anyone who caught the vision of those early titles was incredibly blessed to see the series evolve in the way it did, because it really is something special. That being said, the issues you mentioned with how rigidly it sticks to its traditions really limits its appeal to younger generations. I never really considered that dilemma before, so I'll be thinking about it.

Dragon Quest XI was what I want for Final Fantasy XV.

The silent protagonist works in the way that you can see yourself as them. I thought even the newest dragon quest worked just fine with the mute protagonist. If they changed anything I would like selectable dialogue options but I definitely wouldn't want someone voicing the main character.

Yo, this was dope! Good job man. If this turns out not to be a One-Off kind of show I can tell ya I wouldn't be mad. =]

I kind of expected a video appreciating the games ^^" it's okay, it's not for everyone. One thing I love about the story of these games though is the story IS the adventure. I've never had a more immersive game than original dragon quest games (maybe Pokemon) Congrats on your Nintendo Force collab! That is so cool!

Y’know, I was browsing through the app store this week, and I saw on the “popular games” list that some of the dragon quest games were on there. I guess hero’s reveal finally got others into it. Also, THEY MADE APPS!?

Yes thank you! :D This video is just what i needed rn. sadly i've never played a Dragon Quest game before and since the Heroes showed up in Smash, i was very curious about these characters' origins c:

My first DQ was VIII on PS2 - the first for PAL regions. I loved the art style and soundtrack, but because I wasn't very good at JRPGs at the time, I dropped it not long into the game. Fast forward years later, and I downloaded the first Dragon Quest on my phone due to curiosity. I became hooked, and completed it (along with all the others), before moving on to VII, VIII and IX on 3DS. I most recently played the first DQ Builders, and am eagerly awaiting XI on Switch. It's easy to see why the series is so revered in Japan, and comparing them alongside all the Final Fantasy games (which I also recently revisited), it's really interesting to see how they both evolved. IMO, FF was always a lot more daring in its innovations - wheras DQ was always more low-key with its changes, with shake-ups hidden behind familiar presentation and combat (custom party in III, separate stories in IV, monster recruting in V, dual worlds in VI, online in IX & X).

Personally, I love the Dragon Quest series, it's one of my favourites. However you made many good points and it was fun seeing you go through the history and aspects of the series. I actually wouldn't mind if you did a rare video like this, on occasion, on different series as it was incredibly well made and entertaining. Thank you.

I wish we had an online environment where that disclaimer in the beginning of the video wasn't necessary, I can't speak for everyone but I'm a fan of yours, so I'll support whatever you put out!

Thanks for the shout-outs, Shesez!

I love Dragon Quest. I love how it doesn't change. It's the gameplay and charming characters that makes me keep playing it. I hope it never goes the Final Fantasy route. It's perfect as it is in my eyes ^~^

I would love to see more videos like this! Very enjoyable

As much as you grind in Dragon quest you really hammered that point past what it actually was. Older Final Fantasy games had worse grinding in all honesty, especially with 3, 5 and 6 with the job systems and magicite just adding more grinding on top of the standard level grinding

11 was my first dragon quest game and I have to say that it totally floored me with just how engaging it was, im usually not a big jrpg person but i could not put that game down, it isnt too grindy until late/post game (a few bosses aside), the characters are really well written and have great motivations, the plot unlike other dragon quest games, is very much at the forefront with you going from town to town to find something or someone to advance the story, the game visually looks stunning with huge sprawling landscapes and massive cities, a lot of old dragon quest tropes that held the series back are gone such as random encounters (though not the first to remove it), inclusion of fast travel, fleshed out character ability trees and more. The only problem is the soundtrack which in the ps4 version is midi but if your'e getting the switch version that is no longer a problem and you get to enjoy a really catchy ost in full orchestral beauty. Basically what i'm trying to say is buy DQ11 because it's a criminally underrated game.

This was super awesome! i wouldnt mind similar videos maybe on a franchise you absolutely adore.

Just so you know Shesez, this video is really fun to listen to and I like this style. An overview of a series with plenty of opinions sprinkled in. The end result is pretty intellectual.

Good video, although personally I don’t think I silent protagonist is a bad thing. I hope you can enjoy the rest of the series!

11 was my first and only Dragon Quest game. I loved it. 200 plus hours and I’m hoping that the next one comes to PlayStation.

Dude, thank you for including the 80s Japanese pop song in this video, complete with 80s sax LOL. Having finished the first game as a kid, in the 80s, it is interesting hearing a younger gamer's perspective on it. For me personally, it totally sold me into RPGs. You are right, despite how archaic it seems today, at the time, it was mind blowing. It definitely paved the way for Final Fantasy and everything that has come after. I jumped back into the series with 11 recently, after a 30 year hiatus. I really loved your synopsis. Fair criticism while still giving it the respect it has earned. I will argue that the newest entry in the series was a breath of fresh air to me. While it was weird having a silent protagonist, it was kind of nice to play a game that doesn't bog itself down with 20 minute cut scenes and over involved story. A bit of a breath of fresh air, in its simplicity and for me, the nostalgia. Great review man. Its great hearing a reviewer who doesn't just complain about a game but adds some context. You got yourself a new subscriber. Keep up the great work.

I remember as a child playing Dragon Warrior and Dragon Warrior III with my mom (don't know why we didn't get II). I remember how cool it was to see what happened in the past while playing the third game. I loved this video, it reminded me a lot of my childhood. I've been thinking recently about picking up a Dragon Quest game, since I haven't in 20-something years.

This was a great video. You should make more stuff like this. Or at least a follow up once you get through DQ7-11. But yeah, I am also glad both of us are on Team Called-DQ-In-Smash-Before-It-Was-Cool-Despite-Not-Having-Played-DQ. Also HCG appearance at the end of the video was cool.

Erdrick isn't actually a name, it is a title that is given to the hero

My favorite game series ever. I love the characters, the enemies, the story, and especially the soundtracks. So much so, that i actually walked down the aisle in my wedding to one of the songs.

Great video! I love stuff like this

“Silent protagonist is the worst video game trope” I disagree! There are games where the playable character is talkative and says things I would never say or want them to say. I do prefer to have a choice in dialogue, like in Skyrim or Fallout, but Dragon Quest and Zelda isn’t really so much about role playing a character as it is about going on a journey. This sounds counter to my earlier statement about the chatty player character, but it doesn’t- in a game like Final Fantasy, the story normally revolves around the player character and their companions, whom normally do need to talk to each other to advance the plot as a novel or a movie would. Dragon Quest and Zelda are more about the hero(es) going on lonesome quests. They don’t need to talk amongst themselves so much and when they do, it’s obvious that the player character is meant to be you. And when the plot needs to move forward, you’re usually just the one turning the page, not really the main actor. And if someone talks to you, you can form your own opinion in your mind without putting words in your mouth. I much prefer that over other “epic” games where the player character just goes on and on and on about their quest or their history or whatever. I don’t care about my character’s history because I want to be my character and I already know my own history. Or, in Dragon Quest V’s case, you learn the history very organically and aren’t hit over the head with with it like a sad and soppy soap opera. But growing up with Dragon Quest and knowing absolutely no one who wanted to get into it, let alone try it, I know mine is a very unpopular opinion. Dragon Quest is kinda stuck in the past (you can see this in full effect if you look at Dragon Quest VII, a great game that looks like the inside of an anus), but like one of the fans in the video said, it’s still comfort food. You know what to expect and it hardly ever betrays that. You can rank Dragon Quest games all you want but they’re all still going to be good; unlike, say, Final Fantasy which will always give rise to people fighting over how Final Fantasy VII is better but no, wait, Final Fantasy VI is the best one but no, hold on, Final Fantasy IV... and no one likes Final Fantasy II. And you have people who are fans of XIII but can’t go back to VII or vice versa, where XIII betrayed everything a FF fan knows and loves... Dragon Quest is unlike that. It always has an incremental improvement but is always still familiar to play. You don’t even really get tutorials on how to play them because you just learn as you play your first one. I love Dragon Quest (and Zelda). I’m really happy to see people start talking about Dragon Quest now, although I wish it had happened way back when I was still in middle school. Haha...

Am I the only person who really loves Dragon quest 6? Tis a lonely existence

Dragon Quest honestly is famous for two main reason as a series. 1. The artwork, as you mentioned. 2. The soundtrack which you didn't mention. Each game builds upon the soundtrack, so in reality it's not a new soundtrack for each game, just a more advanced and more invilved version of the same thing. 20 plus yearsof the same thing musically and people still want it. It's really just that good. Lets look at the title theme as its the one track that has existed since the NES days. New tracks have been added in subsequent games that have become series mainstays too. DQ1 - basic track using the NES 5 sound channels. For it's time it was really well done. Using the limited soundchip that the NES had to it's full effect. Koichi Sugiyama was a genius in being creative within these limitations. DQ2 and 3 - Much of the same, just slightly different. DQ4 - This is where the track takes on the form we know it today with the elongated intro. Sure DQ1 created the base track but DQ4 has all the parts that the track today has. DQ5, DQ6, DQ7, DQ8 - Much of the same as DQ4, just better versions of the same thing. DQ9 - Modifies the intro quite a bit. Also makes the drums in the main part of the track more in the background. A substational change. DQ10 - pretty similar to DQ9 but as it's an online game I don't know if this changed with the new DLC added to the game. DQ11 - There's the midi and orchestral version of this. Both similar to 9 and 10 but feel a little more bolder with the instruments and less reliant on the drums. My point? DQ as a series does not reinvent the wheel with each game. That's not the point. The wheel was made with DQ1 and each subsequent wheel just adds more and more to the wheel. Sure the newer games are better, but that core wheel is always there. If peopel want a different DQ experience, go play the spinoff games. Like Builders and Heroes. Both are very good. Personally I'm not a Builders fan (though both builders games are good too) but I think DQ Heroes 1 and DQ Heroes 2 are fantastic games. Complaining that the wheel is not reinvented with each new DQ game is saying I want the next DQ game not to be DQ. Either you like what DQ is at it's core, or you don't and you play other games). For main series games, I recommend just jumping right into DQXI-S first. It has the orchestral soundtrack and the 2D version as additions so you can play the game how you want to. Thogh swapping between 3D and 2D can lose a little progress so best to do a whole playthrough in each mode if you want to experience both. I am aware some of the previous games are very good, but honestly you get to experience DQ at it's turn based, cartoony, tongue in cheek, silent protagonist glory with DQXI. The historical area in DQXI-S even gives players a glimpse at what the older DQ games were like. So it's really the complete package for those new to DQ. Sure the hardcore fames either want to play every DQ game or already have but honestly for casual new fans, just start with DQXI-S if you have a Switch and if you're not willing or able to get a Switch, the PS4 version is still good as well. In the PS4 version there's no post game content, but you don't need it. When you've beat the game, you're happy as it's a satisfying ending, and you are happy to move on to a new game once it's done. PS. Great video. Really liked your take on DQ as a series. I think your biggest point, the same-ness of DQ games is the polarising and main feature. They are samey by design and only a certain set of people will like this. The rest jusy go and play other games. Enough people from Japan seem to like it as well as a number of people outside Japan.

Dragon Warrior was my first RPG and favorite game as a kid. I put so many years into that game on my NES. Good memories. "But thou must.."

Dragon Quest XI is just an amazingly beautiful game that I just want to recommend it to anyone who likes simple rpgs, a great story and a beautiful soundtrack

You should play Dragon Quest IX, nobody ever talks about it and it's so good in spite of being a step back from Dragon Quest VIII, to this day it's my favorite mainline entry and I highly recommend it!

my first dragon quest game was 9 and I absolutely adore it, especially the story and customisation options. I've also really enjoyed the builders spinoffs (for the same reasons lol). I think the reason why I love the series is the wide range of monsters (metal slimes are my favourites) and the personality of the characters, as well as how the concepts of determination, perseverance and hope are imbued in each game 💙

As a big fan of the Dragon Quest series, I was one of those that was really hoping for some representation since Brawl. And boy did it happen! Our first game was Dragon Warrior for the NES, and we have a few others, with IX being our favorite (because of the multiplayer). This is a very interesting retrospective and covered a few things I didn't know about already. Dragon Quest has such an odd sense of humor to it and characters that just make the whole series lovable. It was a major inspiration for a game series I'm making and I really need to find a way to buy a Switch so I can enjoy the rest this series has to offer.