Great game, annoying localization
If you've played a Dragon Warrior / Quest game before, you should know what to expect from this old school RPG. That said it's probably my favorite of the series. What sets it apart from other DQ games is mainly the marriage option and the monster recruitment system, which adds some Pokemon-style flavor. The marriage choice doesn't have too much of an earth shattering effect on gameplay but it's unique and adds to replayability. It's not quite as hardcore difficult as earlier games in the series while still retaining the challenge which is part of what makes a Dragon Quest game, well, Dragon Quest.
Compared to the SNES original, this version obviously has better graphics which really show off what the DS is capable of in some areas. There are some extras like an expanded set of casino games and some stylus based minigames. There is also a third girl you can marry in this verison but she is a total bitch. Which brings me to the localization.
There's a fair bit of cringeworthy stuff here. There are accents, there are puns, some locations have stupid names. Abovitall Tower? Knot Welcome Inn? RIteof Passage? A certain very dramatic scene is almost ruined by a villan's corny accented speech. A character has been given a Ned Flanders personality, complete with church references. The father of two of the girls you can marry makes endless Itallian food 'jokes'. Leaping Linguini! Thank god there's no voice acting.
Happily, that's about all I have to complain about, and said annoyances are not nearly as egregious as in the DS remake of DQIV, in which nearly every town and every person in it had a different stupid accent. Here it's the exeception rather than the rule. Hopefully by the time VI rolls around they'll have it out of their system.
