This Dragon Quest is one of the best.
One of the traits of the Dragon Quest series is that things don't really change that much from title to title. Sure, the plot and most of the characters move around, but for the most part the series' defining characteristics stay the same. The art style is pretty much the identical to the others before and after it. There are castles to visit, dungeons to explore while on a quest for some vital item, and of course the endless level grinding to make sure that your party is strong enough to handle whatever you encounter on that next quest through the next dungeon to find the next really important item. And the slimes. Always the slimes.
So what makes this one different? Well for starters, the adventure begins with a series of introductions to each of the parties that are eventually going to make up your group of world-saving heroes. Each of these chapters clues you into the lives and experiences of each member of your party before they eventually meet up with each other under the watch of the game's main hero, who as usual remains completely mute. Other than that it's a fairly standard Dragon Quest game. Every character has a set class which both fits into their backstory and cannot be changed. Party members have a set list of techniques which they cannot move out of while they gain experience. Battles are entirely turn based with nothing in the way of timing or reflexes involved.
Since this is a remake, there are a few DS-centric additions made to the game, although most don't add very much. There is a new town located in the overworld which you can help to grow and populate by connecting with other people who own Dragon Quest IV over the DS' built-in WiFi system, but getting any use out of this is entirely dependent on knowing other people who own this specific game, so it may prove difficult to get any use out of this feature. The remake also adds an entirely new chapter which adds an alternate ending and a brand new dungeon to the original's story. Other than that there is an over world map which appears on the system's upper screen, and some 3-D visuals which take advantage of the graphical capabilities of the Nintendo DS.
As far as traditional RPG's go, it's hard to do much better than Dragon Quest IV. It has a fairly engaging story, a somewhat simple battle system that nevertheless manages to stay exciting even though you'll see it thousands of times before the end of the game, and enough charm in it's design to make all of the different areas and characters feel unique and stay entertaining as the game wears on. Dragon Quest IV is a sold choice for anyone seeking a new RPG to test out.
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