Though I know the game has been out in Japan for almost a year now, I figured I would post some of my pre and post impressions of the Dragon Quest IX. I had fears that the game might be too non-traditional to retain the Dragon Quest feel. The lack of turn based battles was something I needed to experience myself to understand if the game was true to the old-school nature of the series. I found that at least by the amount I played at E3, I was able to embrace this change in format. Still, whether or not the game is as difficult as some of the previous Dragon Quest titles is still to be seen and whether or not strategic level grinding is necessary is also up in the air.
As for the customization, I also enjoyed that rather than be just a gimmick with form over function gameplay, they retained the original equip system from previous games and merely added different visuals for each outfit for aesthetic purposes. Thus, though I had some doubts about the game before seeing it at the show, I’m more excited than I’ve ever been for the release of a Dragon Quest title and realize that the game looks and feels very much in the vein of previous titles in the series. Through its incredible music and beautiful graphics on the DS, Dragon Quest IX should live up to the hype that it’s received. I just hope it garners close to the same level of interest that it always does in Japan because of the adaptations. Stay tuned for more coverage of the game as well as a full review when it comes out in The States on July 11th.
