Author's Note: I incorrectly stated that Sugiyama was a holocaust denier. This was a slip-up- I meant to say he was a Nanjing Massacre denier. I got my wires crossed when I was writing this script, and didn't realize my error until the video came out. Sorry! PS. Still denying a horrible atrocity though. Fuck Sugiyama. RIP Bozo.
Yet you didn't have the stones to say he did outright in your own video? "Allegedly" So you're a coward. I find this to be very disrespectful to the dead and so hypocritical you're willing to dehumanize others in your perspective dehumanized an event and are ignorant to the historical context and culture in Japan. It is completely unfair, specially to put it on the foot of one Japanese man to smear his legacy and contribution to gaming history because he according to your video allegedly shared the views of the times and era in which he was born. You're the worst person by far.
I mean, it's basically analogous. The world (including Dragon Quest) is better off without him. I gurantee the music in next game will be better. Maybe we'll even get more than one hit-or-miss battle theme for the ENTIRE F-ING GAME.
Dragon Quest is that friend you only see every couple years, because they're so busy, but when you do see them, it is the most fun you've had in a long time. My love for this series was later in life, but runs so deep now
@@GCVazquez I still wonder what is going on with the DQ3 remake, I assume the death of that Shugiyambo guy (the composer) made developing anything about the franchise difficult and yes I would also want the composer mistress from the Dragon Quest Swords title to work for the franchise because I looked up hre work and as an EX Capcom woman she really did some cool stuff, like U.N. Squadron a very dope and reasonable difficult shmup for the SNES.
@@Evilriku13something I've been wanting to happen was give the remastered port treatment that FF was given for steam etc, DQ is stuck on mobiles and the 3ds and some of those mobile ports 4-6 did do some nice alterations that make the game feel cleaner in both sound and cutting out the wifi gimmicks
It's super easy to look back on games and creative works from the past and have all sorts of criticisms of how they should have or should not have planned or done something mechanically, but if you've ever created anything from nothing it's really quite incredible seeing how these folks reached into the ether and pulled out a functional and timeless gaming experience. Of course with decades of hindsight there are things that could have been done better or differently, but it's buck wild that something existed after these folks that did not exist before and they just made decisions as they went.
Beautifully put. It’s so easy to take the design choices of foundational classics for granted today, but Horii, Nakamura and co. were taking a gamble on a vision they had for an incredibly niche genre at the time. Though they did manage to express that vision from a number of different angles in subsequent entries, I think it’s interesting to consider how the conventions that Dragon Quest established for itself might’ve also come to hinder Horii’s ability to make a game with the manga-like pacing and structure he’d imagined at the start (which might’ve resulted in his breaking away from the series for a bit to co-produce Chrono Trigger). ‘Course, it’s incredible that the team managed to make Dragon Quest’s structure into a medium for all sorts of stories and settings, but you can see how so many of those innovative solutions became writ law for the series down the road. Your assessment of Dragon Quest’s “bad timing” in the West is spot-on, though I’ve gotta wonder if history would’ve gone a bit differently if they’d promoted Dragon Quest III (rebranded as simply “Dragon Warrior,” in Final Fantasy fashion) alongside those issues of Nintendo Power instead of the first one…sporting Toriyama’s box art, of course. It’s fun to speculate, at least. Great to see you return to this series with a new perspective, one of the best and most succinct breakdowns of its design philosophy I’ve seen.
Dragon Warrior was one of my first games on the NES and I completely forgot about the no full failure state! It really is incredible looking back how big of a deal this was especially compared to games back then.
For every Dragon Quest fan I could recommend the Anime called Magical Circle Guru Guru(2017). It is the perfect parody of Dragon Quest, it has good character development and a good final. I'm sure you would appreciate every little reference from the games on it 🎉
I was waiting for this one and it turned out great! I also really liked that you used footage of multiple versions of DQI, because it gives the video more visual variety + the video itself feels like a very different approach not only compared to your first video, but also compared to most other videos about DQI.
Look, I only know one thing and one thing only. Dragon Quest is the best video game franchise of all time, and Yuji Horii is the greatest video game designer. 5 years ago I was playing through every Zelda game and had finished Zelda 1 and 2, and I started to get curious about Dragon Quest, because like Zelda, it was a "progenitor" of a genre. I played the first game's GBC version to see what it was all about, I just did it out of curiosity and if the game weren't great, I would have stopped playing the series right then and there. But this first Dragon Quest game, the first one already, exceeded my expectations hundredfold. I had just played Zelda 1 and 2, so I knew how NPCs, story and world building was handled in those games and compared to them, Dragon Quest was so beautifully elegant. It's the most elegant video game series design philosophy-wise that exists. I don't want to get too deep into this, but you exit the castle, you know right away what your goal is, you are given just enough lore to know what is going on and what to do, the story is drip-fed to you as you go along one by one, NPCs refer to other NPCs in other towns. The hints NPCs give isn't primitive "Therei s a secret at X" like in Zelda 2, but "This guy in that town that was destroyed by monsters sold good shields, you might want to take a look at that". The beautiful way that carrying the princess back to the castle made you feel truly heroic, and how absolutely surprising it was to see the sprite actually change to reflect it. The charming line at the end where the Dragonlord asks you if you want half of the world if you would only spare him. I was utterly blown away. Of course, I played the entire series in order after that, and there are at least 4 games I consider absolute masterpieces and some of the best gaming experiences I have ever had. Dragon Quest got me into JRPGs and gaming as a whole. The emotions this series created within me were still not replicated by any other game though. It really is the best.
Let's go! Dragon Quest is what got me into your channel and you got me to play all the games so I could watch your reviews after playing the game! So nostalgic hearing you talk about it again!
The claim about DQ pioneering menu-based control scheme in an RPG is factually wrong. The very first Wizardry (from which Horii reportedly took a lot of inspiration in creating DQ) released in 1981 had almost the exact same menu-based system. In Wizardry you move using arrow keys, you press A to attack etc. The only thing you have to type in that game are spell names. Meanwhile in the video you are showing text adventure Zork, that is enteirelly different game genre with zero PRG elements in it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Hell, setups like Dragon Quest's, similar to Wizardry, were already used in PC-88 games like Heart of Fantasy II and The Screamer. Of course, this isn't an indictment against any of those games - it's more proof of how *hugely* influential Wizardry was in Japan. I think DQ really _popularized_ that kind of control scheme because it was made for the Family Computer, a much more accessible home console with unified hardware, unlike the insanely fluctuating hardware differences of 80s home computers.
THE KING IS BACK ! Always love revisiting your DQ videos at different points in my life, and now as I'm on my own DQ journey (currently playing DQIV), its nice to pair your insights as I play the game. Thanks, man. Your videos are like DQ-- a friend we go back to from time to time, as if we didn't spend any time apart.
Back to Dragon Quest yes!!! Edit: Very glad you mentioned Koichi Nakamura, he deserves a lot of credit for the first five games in the series and other games he worked on, especially the Spike Chunsoft Visual Novels and Sound Novels. Well now I finished the video and it was fantastic! :D I always like to think DQ is to RPG what Super Mario is for platformers and Street Fighter is to fighting games. It is the game that made the genre what it is and inspired many devs to create other similar games that do their own thing, but by playing those games, it's almost like lineage of the genre communicate with each other and people would realize they can enjoy those series because they love what was inspired by them.
Man that Like a Dragon 7 video is going to be so fascinating, specially coming from a Dragon Quest expert like you cuz holy shit, that game has a lot of intentional parallels to DQ. It would also be a perfect opportunity to touch upon who actually owns Dragon Quest, many think its SE but when SEGA asked for permission to use DQ's name in RGG7 they didn't asked SE, they asked Yuji Horii the man himself.
It's Horii through his production company Armor Project, right? I think A.P. had an exclusive publishing deal with Enix since the launch of the DQ, which SQEX continues to honor.
Great video, love to see more Dragon Quest content! But a small correction (pedantic, i know...): when you talked about how other RPGs didn't copy DQ's death system you showed Mother. Mother actually uses the exact same system. If anything it makes it easier since you don't lose the money you saved in the bank, only half of what you're carrying. But you still retain your level, exp points and items and you're sent back to the last phone you used.
I'm honestly surprised that there hasn't been an official tabletop role-playing game of Dragon Quest ever made. If it has, I'd sure like to know about it.
Awesome video G.C.! Glad you made another Dragon Quest video! But if I'm being honest... I'm kind of bummed I didn't get to see that handsome face of yours hermano! 😆 Looking forward to your next Dragon Quest video! Much love!
Great video man. The algorithm is bound to discover you soon. Have you ever considered an in depth dragon quest timeline video? Those types of videos tend to do very well and I've looked unsuccessfully to find one on the dragon quest series.
I got into dragon quest in 2022 and it became a major special interest for me in almost a year (which most of my interests have not done it takes like 2 to 3 years for them to be solidified as a major special interest for me)something about the art style and its simplicity drew me in very fast lol
Great video as always! I recently went through and watched all your videos and your stuff is always enlightening and entertaining. I was sad when I saw that you hadn't uploaded anything in like a year but I see you're now uploading again, I know I'll be watching every video!
Just wanted to pop in and say that, in addition to Pokémon, the EarthBound trilogy and at least Metal Max 1 also handle Game Overs the same way Dragon Quest does! SaGa 2 / Final Fantasy Legend II actually puts an interesting spin on the concept, too: Instead of being punted back to your last save or heal point with halved money but no EXP penalty, SaGa 2 gives you unlimited retries for each fight should you fall in battle. This DOES get revoked late in the game for cool but spoilery reasons in favor of the standard "game over, boot to title screen" setup, but it's neat while it lasts and I think it's a fun twist on Horii's idea to make RPGs more forgiving of the player losing fights. Aside from that, this is a really good video, and very enlightening! Dragon Quest is such a charming and important series, but its reputation kinda precedes it to a fault, such that... well, as you point out in this video, a lot of "common knowledge" about the series's origins, contributions, and impact ranges from slightly to significantly off-base. I know I had seen Dragon Quest as this sort of hardcore, grind-heavy, brutally-difficult epitome of everything people have misgivings about in old RPG video games, so I was sincerely surprised to hear that making a notoriously-arcane genre more accessible was one of Horii's key priorities with the series from the start. Now that I'm more familiar with the series, though... I totally see it. Dragon Quest CAN be hard at times depending on the game, but the series always has this sense of... kindness to it, I suppose, even when things get brutal. Like, "Hey, hang in there. You can figure this out; just keep at it!" It feels like a series that fundamentally wants its players to pull through and succeed even as it places challenges before them, which I think definitely deserves some of the credit for its welcoming atmosphere.
As for getting stuck, on the Game Boy Colour version I couldn't find the sunstone. I knew it was in the castle but couldn't see the staircase from the inside. I went and grinded metal slimes up to the level cap and got all the best equipment I could while going to search the castle over and over again. Eventually I used a guide and felt so stupid.
I played a little bit of dragon warrior 1 and 2 as a young kid but wasn't old enough to get into them. Then I discovered dragon warrior 3 when I rented it in middle school, and that was my first experience with a game that was so fun, I could play it all day. I rented it several weekends in a row til I beat it, spending multiple entire weekends in my room on the nes. Pretty sure my parents were concerned my brain was turning to mush, but that was a good time
the point of DQ retaining xp after game over, softening the blow feels very distant after playing yakuza 7s majima fight. theres really no option but to go grind for close to 10 levels lol
@@GCVazquez i think its because i didnt go through the yokohama underground. a lot of people go through it to gain those necessary 3 million yen but i got some expensive watch from somewhere to sell it. i also didnt go through the sotenbori battle facility. but after i lost a couple times to majima, thats where i grinded the levels necessary to beat him.
Hey man, I love your DQ reviews! Just wondering what are your thoughts on dq 12 going in a darker direction? Also it potentially changing the command based combat? It’s been stirring up the the DQ fan community, but I think they’re being over dramatic. Really hoping that game gets shown off next year.
I really don't have much to say considering that I don't think they ever specified what they were going to do with 12! I know they want 12 to be for a more mature audience or something like that. I know they said they were going to do something different, but they never really said what!
Atlus kinda follow through the no game over idea in their Megami Tensei. You can pay half of your money to continue, but if you choose not to pay, it's game over.
I am sad about the fact that dragon quest didn't come to europe in the 90s. Europeans had to wait until the playstation 2 just to play a game in 50hz.😢
Yesss new DQ video!! You are hilarious and deserve more subs! I got curious about the series after Hero in Smash + The DQ3 2DHD announcement, and going through your DQ videos was a big reason why I finally decided to eventually give the series a shot. Going to be playing the DQ mobile games from 1-6 in due time and I can't wait! And eventually getting to DQ11s which should be a blast and I'm gonna guess that DQ4,5,8 & 11 end up as my faves (especially as someone who likes the more character & story driven games, but I can see myself really appreciating 3 as well) Loving all the high quality videos and I hope it pays off for you in the future!!
Unfortunately not until I can play it in an official capacity in the West- or at least until I'm not in danger of being banned from the servers/don't have to do huge workarounds for it.
Dragon quest Xi came out 3 days before spiderman. Im so sad. i bought it day one to support. But against spiderman thatt gotta be rough to get new players.
@@GCVazquez Aw, that's a shame. The tools to play have never been easier to use, but I can understand not wanting to risk losing everything. If you ever change your mind, there's a very welcoming community of english and spanish speakers that are willing to help out!
Oh how I miss the days when people could disagree, and still not act like the person they disagreed with deserved to die alone and beaten under a bridge somewhere. When people could say that they disagreed with somebody's opinions or belief systems, while still giving them full credit for (hypothetically) the brilliance of their scores or the significance of their Dragon Quest contributions. Especially if that person was like 95 and very much a product of their time and upbringing. But nah! Screw that, we're the enlightened generation of tolerance!
Dragon Quest is an amazing series but damn it is completely overshadowed in the west since most people prefer Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts and other JRPGs. Come on! This is bullshit! The west has no taste! Dragon Quest has a neat story, wonderful music, interesting characters and a fun world to explore. People in the west and around the world should play and know Dragon Quest more. My favorite is Dragon Quest XI S and my favorite character in the series is Sylvando! Sylvando in my opinion is hands down the best character in the Dragon Quest series.❤️
I feel like it has more to do with the persecution of nerd culture. Back then, the only people who liked that knights and dragons and magic shit were your more stereotypical nerd. You know the type: pimples, nasally voice, socially awkward, looked like their mom mated with a goblin ect. So people who liked any type of fantasy had to stay underground and the games couldn’t spread by word of mouth.
Sorry what, why are you comparing Dragon Quest to text adventures? Wouldn't Wizardry and Ultima be more logical comparison points? Edit: Wait, later you do just that? So you know those games don't use text commands, why are you still making that argument? Idk man, I don't agree with a bunch of arguments in this vid
Why does everyone feel the need to go out of their way to whine about Sugiyama's political views? He's a composer for a video game, who cares? That's like me sitting in the theater for the new Top Gun movie, feeling the need to walk up to the front like, "YOU KNOW, THIS GUY IS A SCIENTOLOGIST, AND THAT'S BAD. ANYWAY, I'M GOING BACK TO MY SEAT NOW, ENJOY THE MOVIE!"
Right now you're the guy standing up in the theater while this video is playing going "WHY DID HE MENTION THIS THING I DON'T CARE ABOUT IN THIS VIDEO HE MADE TO TALK ABOUT THE THINGS HE WANTED TO TALK ABOUT?" That's you right now.
@@GCVazquez It just makes no sense why you feel that you can't talk about a game you like without feeling the need to admonish the devs personal views. It's not like Enix was conducting job interviews asking Sugiyama what political party he was affiliated with. All you're doing is trying to get a pat on the back from other DQ fans who are obsessed with approval seeking. It just gets tiring dude. But no, entrench yourself more.
Who said I was indicting Enix with a crime? All I did was point out that this celebrated person wasn't terribly kind, because I felt it was important to be aware of these things before we blindly sing their praises. Because that's basically what the rest of the video is about: singing the praises of the people who made Dragon Quest. Surely you can understand that?
@@GCVazquez I feel no ill will towards you, bro. You make pretty good videos. And I do see where you're coming from. Where I'm coming from though, is it's important to separate the art from the artist. That, and since about 2 years ago, every DQ video, article, thread has felt the need to admonish a dead man, from the other side of the world, two-generations removed, from an extremely conservative culture who largely despise the Chinese, for his political views. It's just unnecessary. And honestly, considering that last point, in all likelihood, the odds are exceptionally high that other video game greats probably hold the same views, Sugiyama just had his views publicized. Regardless, the guy was fantastic at his job. A great artist. I hope he rests in peace.
@@montefistoif you want to separate the artist from the artwork, that’s on you and no one else. Just because you deem it unnecessary doesn’t mean everyone agrees. You’re free to do so. Many can’t, and that’s fine. I personally think it’s important to people and glad GC mentioned it (and corrected it)
When i was a kid nintendo power did a bit showcasing dragon warrior. I was hooked as soon as i saw the monster and weapon/armor/item art and just the whole concept was very alluring to my autistic ass. I got the game for xmas (this was before the free cart promo) and that's how i got into the franchise. Playing it was magic. I didn't even play the sequels until the DS versions came out but i am so glad i came back to the series.
I love the series with all my heart including the music it's what breaks my heart that the person who composed some of the songs that make my childhood end music influences neurology is terrible. He has the best music it could have had. What a monster. But it doesn't compromise my love with the series and of the music even though I hate myself for loving the music. Dragon Quest 12 I hope it's going to be the best ever.
Author's Note: I incorrectly stated that Sugiyama was a holocaust denier. This was a slip-up- I meant to say he was a Nanjing Massacre denier. I got my wires crossed when I was writing this script, and didn't realize my error until the video came out. Sorry!
PS. Still denying a horrible atrocity though. Fuck Sugiyama. RIP Bozo.
Thank you for addressing this.
Yea whatever dork
Yet you didn't have the stones to say he did outright in your own video? "Allegedly" So you're a coward.
I find this to be very disrespectful to the dead and so hypocritical you're willing to dehumanize others in your perspective dehumanized an event and are ignorant to the historical context and culture in Japan.
It is completely unfair, specially to put it on the foot of one Japanese man to smear his legacy and contribution to gaming history because he according to your video allegedly shared the views of the times and era in which he was born.
You're the worst person by far.
I mean, it's basically analogous. The world (including Dragon Quest) is better off without him. I gurantee the music in next game will be better. Maybe we'll even get more than one hit-or-miss battle theme for the ENTIRE F-ING GAME.
Dragon Quest is that friend you only see every couple years, because they're so busy, but when you do see them, it is the most fun you've had in a long time. My love for this series was later in life, but runs so deep now
I'm super excited for Dragon Quest 12!
@@GCVazquez Same, I've been so curious how they're going approach it. I know it's going to consume me like 11 did though
@@GCVazquez I still wonder what is going on with the DQ3 remake, I assume the death of that Shugiyambo guy (the composer) made developing anything about the franchise difficult and yes I would also want the composer mistress from the Dragon Quest Swords title to work for the franchise because I looked up hre work and as an EX Capcom woman she really did some cool stuff, like U.N. Squadron a very dope and reasonable difficult shmup for the SNES.
Same but That one is not the soonest. DQ infinity Strash is. It comes out on September 28th, then DQM3: the dark prince on December 1st.
@@Evilriku13something I've been wanting to happen was give the remastered port treatment that FF was given for steam etc, DQ is stuck on mobiles and the 3ds and some of those mobile ports 4-6 did do some nice alterations that make the game feel cleaner in both sound and cutting out the wifi gimmicks
It's super easy to look back on games and creative works from the past and have all sorts of criticisms of how they should have or should not have planned or done something mechanically, but if you've ever created anything from nothing it's really quite incredible seeing how these folks reached into the ether and pulled out a functional and timeless gaming experience. Of course with decades of hindsight there are things that could have been done better or differently, but it's buck wild that something existed after these folks that did not exist before and they just made decisions as they went.
Beautifully put. It’s so easy to take the design choices of foundational classics for granted today, but Horii, Nakamura and co. were taking a gamble on a vision they had for an incredibly niche genre at the time. Though they did manage to express that vision from a number of different angles in subsequent entries, I think it’s interesting to consider how the conventions that Dragon Quest established for itself might’ve also come to hinder Horii’s ability to make a game with the manga-like pacing and structure he’d imagined at the start (which might’ve resulted in his breaking away from the series for a bit to co-produce Chrono Trigger). ‘Course, it’s incredible that the team managed to make Dragon Quest’s structure into a medium for all sorts of stories and settings, but you can see how so many of those innovative solutions became writ law for the series down the road.
Your assessment of Dragon Quest’s “bad timing” in the West is spot-on, though I’ve gotta wonder if history would’ve gone a bit differently if they’d promoted Dragon Quest III (rebranded as simply “Dragon Warrior,” in Final Fantasy fashion) alongside those issues of Nintendo Power instead of the first one…sporting Toriyama’s box art, of course. It’s fun to speculate, at least.
Great to see you return to this series with a new perspective, one of the best and most succinct breakdowns of its design philosophy I’ve seen.
Thank you!!
Dragon Warrior was one of my first games on the NES and I completely forgot about the no full failure state! It really is incredible looking back how big of a deal this was especially compared to games back then.
I'm still shocked no one followed through with the no game overs!
Bro CARRIES DQ content on RUclips
I didn't know Sugiyama denied the Holocaust. I knew he denied the Nanjing Massacre, which makes him a Japanese equivalent of a Neo-Nazi.
Might have gotten my genocides mixed up!
@@GCVazquez It's fine. Only Sugiyama apologists will mind, and they're crazy.
Why does not believing in something make you a nazi ?
For every Dragon Quest fan I could recommend the Anime called Magical Circle Guru Guru(2017). It is the perfect parody of Dragon Quest, it has good character development and a good final. I'm sure you would appreciate every little reference from the games on it 🎉
I was waiting for this one and it turned out great!
I also really liked that you used footage of multiple versions of DQI, because it gives the video more visual variety + the video itself feels like a very different approach not only compared to your first video, but also compared to most other videos about DQI.
Thank you!
Look, I only know one thing and one thing only. Dragon Quest is the best video game franchise of all time, and Yuji Horii is the greatest video game designer.
5 years ago I was playing through every Zelda game and had finished Zelda 1 and 2, and I started to get curious about Dragon Quest, because like Zelda, it was a "progenitor" of a genre. I played the first game's GBC version to see what it was all about, I just did it out of curiosity and if the game weren't great, I would have stopped playing the series right then and there. But this first Dragon Quest game, the first one already, exceeded my expectations hundredfold. I had just played Zelda 1 and 2, so I knew how NPCs, story and world building was handled in those games and compared to them, Dragon Quest was so beautifully elegant. It's the most elegant video game series design philosophy-wise that exists. I don't want to get too deep into this, but you exit the castle, you know right away what your goal is, you are given just enough lore to know what is going on and what to do, the story is drip-fed to you as you go along one by one, NPCs refer to other NPCs in other towns. The hints NPCs give isn't primitive "Therei s a secret at X" like in Zelda 2, but "This guy in that town that was destroyed by monsters sold good shields, you might want to take a look at that". The beautiful way that carrying the princess back to the castle made you feel truly heroic, and how absolutely surprising it was to see the sprite actually change to reflect it. The charming line at the end where the Dragonlord asks you if you want half of the world if you would only spare him.
I was utterly blown away. Of course, I played the entire series in order after that, and there are at least 4 games I consider absolute masterpieces and some of the best gaming experiences I have ever had. Dragon Quest got me into JRPGs and gaming as a whole. The emotions this series created within me were still not replicated by any other game though. It really is the best.
Let's go! Dragon Quest is what got me into your channel and you got me to play all the games so I could watch your reviews after playing the game! So nostalgic hearing you talk about it again!
Hopefully I'll have more reason to talk about it soon!
Beautiful video! Loved your old DQ vids and INSTANTLY clicked on this one
Thank you!
Great to see you revisit DQ since it was the reason I subbed in the first place!
Glad you like it!
The claim about DQ pioneering menu-based control scheme in an RPG is factually wrong. The very first Wizardry (from which Horii reportedly took a lot of inspiration in creating DQ) released in 1981 had almost the exact same menu-based system. In Wizardry you move using arrow keys, you press A to attack etc. The only thing you have to type in that game are spell names. Meanwhile in the video you are showing text adventure Zork, that is enteirelly different game genre with zero PRG elements in it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Hell, setups like Dragon Quest's, similar to Wizardry, were already used in PC-88 games like Heart of Fantasy II and The Screamer. Of course, this isn't an indictment against any of those games - it's more proof of how *hugely* influential Wizardry was in Japan.
I think DQ really _popularized_ that kind of control scheme because it was made for the Family Computer, a much more accessible home console with unified hardware, unlike the insanely fluctuating hardware differences of 80s home computers.
THE KING IS BACK ! Always love revisiting your DQ videos at different points in my life, and now as I'm on my own DQ journey (currently playing DQIV), its nice to pair your insights as I play the game. Thanks, man. Your videos are like DQ-- a friend we go back to from time to time, as if we didn't spend any time apart.
Back to Dragon Quest yes!!!
Edit: Very glad you mentioned Koichi Nakamura, he deserves a lot of credit for the first five games in the series and other games he worked on, especially the Spike Chunsoft Visual Novels and Sound Novels.
Well now I finished the video and it was fantastic! :D
I always like to think DQ is to RPG what Super Mario is for platformers and Street Fighter is to fighting games. It is the game that made the genre what it is and inspired many devs to create other similar games that do their own thing, but by playing those games, it's almost like lineage of the genre communicate with each other and people would realize they can enjoy those series because they love what was inspired by them.
Horii was against needing to use strategy guides? That's ironic in hindsight, because I don't know how I'd beat the first three games without one.
It would take a really, really, REALLY long time. Which I suppose was the style back then LOL
Man that Like a Dragon 7 video is going to be so fascinating, specially coming from a Dragon Quest expert like you cuz holy shit, that game has a lot of intentional parallels to DQ.
It would also be a perfect opportunity to touch upon who actually owns Dragon Quest, many think its SE but when SEGA asked for permission to use DQ's name in RGG7 they didn't asked SE, they asked Yuji Horii the man himself.
It's Horii through his production company Armor Project, right? I think A.P. had an exclusive publishing deal with Enix since the launch of the DQ, which SQEX continues to honor.
Great video, love to see more Dragon Quest content! But a small correction (pedantic, i know...): when you talked about how other RPGs didn't copy DQ's death system you showed Mother. Mother actually uses the exact same system. If anything it makes it easier since you don't lose the money you saved in the bank, only half of what you're carrying. But you still retain your level, exp points and items and you're sent back to the last phone you used.
This whole playlist was a really good listen today. Thank you very much for your effort, GC. You've got a new fan 💪.
I'm honestly surprised that there hasn't been an official tabletop role-playing game of Dragon Quest ever made. If it has, I'd sure like to know about it.
That's a great idea for a tabletop RPG- maybe I'll make something like it!
Awesome video G.C.! Glad you made another Dragon Quest video! But if I'm being honest... I'm kind of bummed I didn't get to see that handsome face of yours hermano! 😆 Looking forward to your next Dragon Quest video! Much love!
Great video man. The algorithm is bound to discover you soon. Have you ever considered an in depth dragon quest timeline video? Those types of videos tend to do very well and I've looked unsuccessfully to find one on the dragon quest series.
have you found one? AVGN has a neat one
Oh yeah! Reason I originally found and subscribed to your channel! Cant wait GC! 😄
I got into dragon quest in 2022 and it became a major special interest for me in almost a year (which most of my interests have not done it takes like 2 to 3 years for them to be solidified as a major special interest for me)something about the art style and its simplicity drew me in very fast lol
It's simplicity is golden!
Great video as always! I recently went through and watched all your videos and your stuff is always enlightening and entertaining. I was sad when I saw that you hadn't uploaded anything in like a year but I see you're now uploading again, I know I'll be watching every video!
I watched all of your DQ retrospective videos and have now subscribed so I can see what you bring us in the future.
Just wanted to pop in and say that, in addition to Pokémon, the EarthBound trilogy and at least Metal Max 1 also handle Game Overs the same way Dragon Quest does! SaGa 2 / Final Fantasy Legend II actually puts an interesting spin on the concept, too: Instead of being punted back to your last save or heal point with halved money but no EXP penalty, SaGa 2 gives you unlimited retries for each fight should you fall in battle. This DOES get revoked late in the game for cool but spoilery reasons in favor of the standard "game over, boot to title screen" setup, but it's neat while it lasts and I think it's a fun twist on Horii's idea to make RPGs more forgiving of the player losing fights.
Aside from that, this is a really good video, and very enlightening! Dragon Quest is such a charming and important series, but its reputation kinda precedes it to a fault, such that... well, as you point out in this video, a lot of "common knowledge" about the series's origins, contributions, and impact ranges from slightly to significantly off-base. I know I had seen Dragon Quest as this sort of hardcore, grind-heavy, brutally-difficult epitome of everything people have misgivings about in old RPG video games, so I was sincerely surprised to hear that making a notoriously-arcane genre more accessible was one of Horii's key priorities with the series from the start. Now that I'm more familiar with the series, though... I totally see it. Dragon Quest CAN be hard at times depending on the game, but the series always has this sense of... kindness to it, I suppose, even when things get brutal. Like, "Hey, hang in there. You can figure this out; just keep at it!" It feels like a series that fundamentally wants its players to pull through and succeed even as it places challenges before them, which I think definitely deserves some of the credit for its welcoming atmosphere.
As for getting stuck, on the Game Boy Colour version I couldn't find the sunstone. I knew it was in the castle but couldn't see the staircase from the inside. I went and grinded metal slimes up to the level cap and got all the best equipment I could while going to search the castle over and over again. Eventually I used a guide and felt so stupid.
You made me apreciate this game in a completely new way. Thank you so much!
My pleasure!
I played a little bit of dragon warrior 1 and 2 as a young kid but wasn't old enough to get into them.
Then I discovered dragon warrior 3 when I rented it in middle school, and that was my first experience with a game that was so fun, I could play it all day. I rented it several weekends in a row til I beat it, spending multiple entire weekends in my room on the nes.
Pretty sure my parents were concerned my brain was turning to mush, but that was a good time
My friend, at 22:06, it seems to be the Switch version, but with a filter on top. Can you tell me what version is that?
The best deep dive into DQ1 I've ever seen. Also the only one |-) but still master craftsmanship as always
Appreciate it!
Yes !!! A retrospective !!!
I KNOW RIGHT?!
Ayyy the game series that got me into your channel. Nice to see you revist the series.
Thank you!
I am a huge Dragon Quest fan so glad I found this!!👍👍👍
Thanks GC - always love all your content, and especially your DQ content and this is a great one!
Thank you!
the point of DQ retaining xp after game over, softening the blow feels very distant after playing yakuza 7s majima fight. theres really no option but to go grind for close to 10 levels lol
I did it without grinding, I think it's just a matter of proper setup and making sure you're fighting enemies throughout the playthrough.
@@GCVazquez i think its because i didnt go through the yokohama underground. a lot of people go through it to gain those necessary 3 million yen but i got some expensive watch from somewhere to sell it. i also didnt go through the sotenbori battle facility. but after i lost a couple times to majima, thats where i grinded the levels necessary to beat him.
Banger video as always my dude
Thank you friendo ^_^
Hey man, I love your DQ reviews! Just wondering what are your thoughts on dq 12 going in a darker direction? Also it potentially changing the command based combat? It’s been stirring up the the DQ fan community, but I think they’re being over dramatic. Really hoping that game gets shown off next year.
I really don't have much to say considering that I don't think they ever specified what they were going to do with 12! I know they want 12 to be for a more mature audience or something like that. I know they said they were going to do something different, but they never really said what!
ok GC pooped in the zaddy toilet and REFUSED to flush with this one -the girlypops have to stan, what a legend
10:15 "I'm probably about to butcher this pronunciation *becomes japanese*"
Where it all started!!!!
Amazing video that makes me appreciate games and history even more but no slam poet pun.
Sorry GC but you know the rules.
v_v I understand.
I always enjoy your content ❤
Thank you for this one🤝🏾
Thank you! :D
Fantastic! Nicely put!
What's up with the captions sometimes showing stuff that isn't in the video?
Sometimes things in my script get cut from the final edit, that's what ended up happening there!
@@GCVazquez k
I really hopee for a full-fledged erdrick-trilogy remake.
Like DQ11 graphics aand the whole storrylines from 1-3.
Atlus kinda follow through the no game over idea in their Megami Tensei. You can pay half of your money to continue, but if you choose not to pay, it's game over.
I am sad about the fact that dragon quest didn't come to europe in the 90s. Europeans had to wait until the playstation 2 just to play a game in 50hz.😢
Great video. Just never again say "grinding is optional" regardong Dragon Quest. It's literaly the worst thing about this entire franchise.
another banger 🙏 you should cover the DQ spin offs!
I'm interested in covering the Monsters series!
@@GCVazquez You should tbh, I’d love to see your style of videos on the monsters games
Yesss new DQ video!! You are hilarious and deserve more subs! I got curious about the series after Hero in Smash + The DQ3 2DHD announcement, and going through your DQ videos was a big reason why I finally decided to eventually give the series a shot.
Going to be playing the DQ mobile games from 1-6 in due time and I can't wait! And eventually getting to DQ11s which should be a blast and I'm gonna guess that DQ4,5,8 & 11 end up as my faves (especially as someone who likes the more character & story driven games, but I can see myself really appreciating 3 as well)
Loving all the high quality videos and I hope it pays off for you in the future!!
Will you ever play dragon quest X?
Unfortunately not until I can play it in an official capacity in the West- or at least until I'm not in danger of being banned from the servers/don't have to do huge workarounds for it.
@GCVazquez do you live in the US? They removed the region lock so you could play without a vpn and not get banned.
If not, then yeah. Having to constantly worry about your vpn cutting out would be too much
@@Lanceolson4586 I didn't know they removed the region lock! That certainly makes a huge difference.
Odd seeing this video immediately after watching your dragon quest I & II video.
Awesome video!
Glad you enjoyed it
dragon... quest..........
Yes...dragon...quest
the first three for me will always be the best
and vii of course
Dragon quest Xi came out 3 days before spiderman. Im so sad. i bought it day one to support. But against spiderman thatt gotta be rough to get new players.
But when are you going to play DQX?
As soon as I can without needing to go through a bunch of steps/risk getting banned!
@@GCVazquez Aw, that's a shame. The tools to play have never been easier to use, but I can understand not wanting to risk losing everything. If you ever change your mind, there's a very welcoming community of english and spanish speakers that are willing to help out!
Cool video!
Oh how I miss the days when people could disagree, and still not act like the person they disagreed with deserved to die alone and beaten under a bridge somewhere. When people could say that they disagreed with somebody's opinions or belief systems, while still giving them full credit for (hypothetically) the brilliance of their scores or the significance of their Dragon Quest contributions. Especially if that person was like 95 and very much a product of their time and upbringing. But nah! Screw that, we're the enlightened generation of tolerance!
What kind of opinions are they?
I can't believe you spoiled me on dragon quests legacy I can't believe it.
Jk
Is the reason this video exists because Yakuza: Like a Dragon was very heavily inspired by Dragon Quest?
Very astute!
@@GCVazquez I guess the Yakuza 7 Questrospective is next (or soon) then?
@@dvader518 I'm writing the script for it as we speak!
Dragon Quest is an amazing series but damn it is completely overshadowed in the west since most people prefer Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts and other JRPGs. Come on! This is bullshit! The west has no taste! Dragon Quest has a neat story, wonderful music, interesting characters and a fun world to explore. People in the west and around the world should play and know Dragon Quest more. My favorite is Dragon Quest XI S and my favorite character in the series is Sylvando! Sylvando in my opinion is hands down the best character in the Dragon Quest series.❤️
Sylvando is a treasure
@@GCVazquez a treasure we all must cherish and protect
It wasn't because "the west has no taste", though. DQ was released too late in NA.
Este video es cojonudo. Eres un maquina
muchas gracias!
I fucking loooooved your DQ series. Just wanted to give you some love for a series well done!
Thank you!
SO freaking excited for this video
Just bear it for first time
I just wanted to watch dragon quest
Dragon Quoost
I feel like it has more to do with the persecution of nerd culture. Back then, the only people who liked that knights and dragons and magic shit were your more stereotypical nerd. You know the type: pimples, nasally voice, socially awkward, looked like their mom mated with a goblin ect. So people who liked any type of fantasy had to stay underground and the games couldn’t spread by word of mouth.
Sorry what, why are you comparing Dragon Quest to text adventures? Wouldn't Wizardry and Ultima be more logical comparison points?
Edit: Wait, later you do just that? So you know those games don't use text commands, why are you still making that argument?
Idk man, I don't agree with a bunch of arguments in this vid
They're not arguments....
Lovely video as always!
And to Sugiyama
Rest in poor quality midi
Koichi is one the most influential videogame music composers ever
And lets stay whit that ignore him as person
No one really cares that Koichi was a little racist. His music was awesome.
@fakyu9252 some things are more important than a little ditty somebody wrote.
❤️🩹
Why does everyone feel the need to go out of their way to whine about Sugiyama's political views? He's a composer for a video game, who cares? That's like me sitting in the theater for the new Top Gun movie, feeling the need to walk up to the front like, "YOU KNOW, THIS GUY IS A SCIENTOLOGIST, AND THAT'S BAD. ANYWAY, I'M GOING BACK TO MY SEAT NOW, ENJOY THE MOVIE!"
Right now you're the guy standing up in the theater while this video is playing going "WHY DID HE MENTION THIS THING I DON'T CARE ABOUT IN THIS VIDEO HE MADE TO TALK ABOUT THE THINGS HE WANTED TO TALK ABOUT?"
That's you right now.
@@GCVazquez It just makes no sense why you feel that you can't talk about a game you like without feeling the need to admonish the devs personal views. It's not like Enix was conducting job interviews asking Sugiyama what political party he was affiliated with. All you're doing is trying to get a pat on the back from other DQ fans who are obsessed with approval seeking. It just gets tiring dude. But no, entrench yourself more.
Who said I was indicting Enix with a crime? All I did was point out that this celebrated person wasn't terribly kind, because I felt it was important to be aware of these things before we blindly sing their praises. Because that's basically what the rest of the video is about: singing the praises of the people who made Dragon Quest.
Surely you can understand that?
@@GCVazquez I feel no ill will towards you, bro. You make pretty good videos. And I do see where you're coming from. Where I'm coming from though, is it's important to separate the art from the artist. That, and since about 2 years ago, every DQ video, article, thread has felt the need to admonish a dead man, from the other side of the world, two-generations removed, from an extremely conservative culture who largely despise the Chinese, for his political views. It's just unnecessary.
And honestly, considering that last point, in all likelihood, the odds are exceptionally high that other video game greats probably hold the same views, Sugiyama just had his views publicized. Regardless, the guy was fantastic at his job. A great artist. I hope he rests in peace.
@@montefistoif you want to separate the artist from the artwork, that’s on you and no one else.
Just because you deem it unnecessary doesn’t mean everyone agrees.
You’re free to do so.
Many can’t, and that’s fine. I personally think it’s important to people and glad GC mentioned it (and corrected it)
When i was a kid nintendo power did a bit showcasing dragon warrior. I was hooked as soon as i saw the monster and weapon/armor/item art and just the whole concept was very alluring to my autistic ass. I got the game for xmas (this was before the free cart promo) and that's how i got into the franchise. Playing it was magic. I didn't even play the sequels until the DS versions came out but i am so glad i came back to the series.
I love the series with all my heart including the music it's what breaks my heart that the person who composed some of the songs that make my childhood end music influences neurology is terrible. He has the best music it could have had. What a monster. But it doesn't compromise my love with the series and of the music even though I hate myself for loving the music. Dragon Quest 12 I hope it's going to be the best ever.
Do not denie your fathers. They got by on shuttle racism and homophobia. Get a helmet!