What's So Great About Dragon Quest? - Birth of the JRPG

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Come learn about the game that brought role-playing to the masses as we dissect the original Dragon Quest, known as Dragon Warrior in the United States, as we learn about the formation of the JRPG genre.
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• What's So Great About ...
#gaming #nintendo #dragonquest

[@SpeedAnarchy]

Rip To Akira we will miss you for our lifetimes

[@JackPR]

Literally searched "Dragon Quest" in youtube and got this as my first result, great vid! Keep working at it, I'm sure you'll take off soon, I'm def gonna see more of your videos!

[@chrisdsx5]

My favorite game series and one that has the same developers for 30+ years. Every game in the series has been amazing!

[@Dyundu]

Fun Easter Egg in Zelda 2 (in the Japanese version): Link can find a graveyard in Saria Town that has a secret textbox that reads, “Here rests the Hero Loto,” the main character from DW1

[@giggymuun]

That’s because some Enix workers worked on LOZ!

[@Cyanide_03]

I vaguely remember this but I think it was for Final Fantasy? and the tomb says instead Erdrick or Link

[@paulkendrick4153]

@@Cyanide_03 Which Zelda game is considered the best. Currently only played ocarina and it so so freaking good!!!!

[@hectorcollazo8845]

​@@paulkendrick4153Ocarina of Time undoubtedly is one of the best games and I'm glad you enjoyed it. However, there are other equally great Legend of Zelda games like the original 1986 release, A Link To The Past, Link's Awakening, Majora's Mask, Windwaker, Twilight Princess, so many!

[@Buhllistic]

One of the best series ever

[@mindstorm1883]

Agreed

[@otakubullfrog1665]

I'm really surprised that more Americans didn't give this game a try considering how much effort Nintendo Power put into marketing it. If you were a reader back then as I was, they even gave you a free copy with a subscription renewal if you still hadn't tried it yet.

[@denjr10]

...plus the maps and strategy guides too!

[@unclebobboomergames]

The first game had a good amount of fans. But that effort definately didnt translate to the sequals. Clearly

[@sabastiancauliflower6091]

That's how I got my copy and I've been a super fan ever since.

[@ritastahl6427]

you forgot to mention the tongue-in-cheek humor! After my kids and I all played and beat the game, we were all taking turns playing and decided to not rescue the princess just to see what would happen! We fought the dragon but decided to leave the princess sit there for a while. So everytime we went back to check in with the King, he would ask things like ‘Why hast thou not rescued the princess?’. ‘Surely you’ve rescued my daughter by now’ or words to that effect! Then we’d feel pretty rotten, lol, and go back and unlock the cell!

[@HerohammerStudios]

What does that anecdote have to do with the humour?

[@Viewer123r]

😂 Lol. What version was this? Was it the NES version?

[@Morgil27]

Even better, rescue the princess but _don't_ take her back to the castle. Instead, carry her to the Dragonlord and he'll say something along the lines of "I see you brought me a gift." 😂

[@GozUnlimited]

That sounds really similar to the play that Cloud and Aeris take part in when they're on a date in FF7. I wonder if there was some inspiration from Dragon Quest

[@TheArbiter1721]

Great video by a very underrated youtuber

[@Drachenhannes]

Enix: Western RPGs must be simplified for eastern players! Squaresoft: Eastern RPGs must be simplified for western players!

[@quinkelly1441]

The slime is so adorable

[@entropie138]

Dragon Quest Builders, the Dragon Quest and Minecraft crossover, used the same world and locations as DQ1. As I was watching footage, I was also visualizing the Builders game at the same places. Great nostalgia trip!

[@nosynosee3835]

If I remember correctly Builders 1 follows the story from DQ1 assuming you chose the bad end.

[@luceatlux7087]

for some reason, DW rly got my imagination involved. I was like 5 and couldn't immediately get such things. but i kept going back to it for some reason. The music was cool too (even though i listened to it for what felt like hundreds of hours) and i loved the fact that, IF YOU CAN DEFEAT THE GUARDIAN OR GET TO A PLACE, you can buy/obtain the weapon/armor there. "But thou must!"

[@hovasaxa]

Great work! Solid video on Dragon Quest.

[@briangaar]

Really enjoyed this. I grew up with the series but you taught me a few things!

[@coolguy13]

Underrated video. Good job!

[@Kitxunei]

Great video about a legendary series

[@areloTET]

I'm pretty new to the franchise but I really like the soundtrack

[@tryhardnobouken465]

This Series is like a Ghibli Movie to me. the music, the adventure.

[@mrnukes797]

Dragon Quest 12 devs: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eITWl51-eKuiqdk

[@tryhardnobouken465]

@@mrnukes797 Hahaha, Can't wait

[@TheSkullKlownTSK]

I love Dragon Quest. My favorite RPG series ever

[@spicedlatte2334]

This video just got you a new subscriber, amazing content!

[@ameryaser3987]

You got yourself a new subscriber!

[@WhatsSoGreatAboutGaming]

Welcome! And thank you!

[@joerexhausen8897]

I've always enjoyed this series over FF on nearly every entry, except for FFVI which is my favorite, and i have almost beaten all DQ titles released in the west which i only have 7 and 8 to complete and i may need to beat DQ2 just to be safe.

[@masterfarr8265]

RIP Akira Toriyama

[@ChipipoydotcomdotPH]

Waait theres A phantasy star game on NES woah i was born yesterday

[@Amazce]

I watched the anime for a very long time on Hulu. Every Saturday I would watch a new episode and I did taht for about 13 weeks. But one day Hulu stopped realeasing new episodes for it (or the creators stopped making episodes. Today I can’t find the anime anymore, I kinda miss the anime.

[@GrrrrrrGrrr]

As a Japanese Dragon Quest enthusiast it’s great see all you guys’ love for the series. although its sales outside Japan wasn’t as phenomenal as it was in Japan, I’m convinced that this is one of the best series in the history of video games worldwide.

[@raddastronaut]

Yep. What a game. I got the Nintendo power deal where this game and the guides came free. I was so stoked when the commercial aired I immediately called my mom at work to tell her. 😂😂 Then my mom got my kid bro Pokémon for Christmas ten years later and I was like wtf??? They ripped off DW??? But I loved it.

[@oofley8346]

Perhaps somewhat ironically, much of the foundation of pokemon mystery dungeon was laid by a dragon quest spinoff series centered around torneko Edit: I don't think that series is actually called torneko's mysterious dungeon

[@615taz]

It taught a lot of us how to speed read. Lol

[@EarthwormHam]

Keep on tranglin!

[@jeremybroderick9465]

Stairs? yes stairs I selected the stairs for you now go!

[@tjcihlar1]

I've played DQ up through #7, and I note in the early game that I really don't feel connected to the story like I did with the Final Fantasy games.

[@DragonKingX78]

Classic game series, wish it got as much love as Final Fantasy.

[@quinkelly1441]

I hook up my freinds with the whole Dragon Quest franchise cost me 800$

[@Rubberman202]

I'm going to copy/paste something I said on another video here, since they're basically the most pressing things I have to say regarding Dragon Quest and its status as the "birth of the JRPG". 1.) Rest in peace, Akira Toriyama, I don't think the Dragon Quest series would have taken off as well as it did were it not for Toriyama's iconic character and monster designs. I'm really going to miss him and his distinct artstyle. :( 2.) About the term "JRPG" or "Japanese Role-Playing Game", I've been trying to use that term as little as possible after I heard that Japanese developers at Square Enix expressed discomfort with the term, saying they just try to make RPGs. In fact, they're so uncomfortable with what western gaming culture tends to associate with so-called "JRPGs" that some of them deliberately try to make their games less like that to avoid the label, hence why Final Fantasy is barely an RPG these days. I know genre names can be a thorny issue, because genres themselves exist for categorization and helping people recognize what kind of media you're consuming, and to a lot of people, mostly western gamers, "JRPG" is a neutral term and not intended to be derogatory (at least not on a conscious level). Because of that, I won't blame you or anyone else who continues to use JRPG, I just thought I'd bring this to your attention. 3.) I feel like because of Enix failing to capitalize on Dragon Quest in the West, coupled with the release of the first four Dragon Quest coming out in the West years after their initial release and after other console RPGs emerged, Dragon Quest as a whole doesn't quite get the recognition it deserves. The influence of Dragon Quest can't be understated, as many popular and fan-favorite RPGs like Final Fantasy, Pokemon, EarthBound, Chrono Trigger, and the like, either took something or owe its very existence from this series. While Dragon Quest III, I'd argue, is more influential than the first game, it build it expanded what the first game set up. Not to mention the first game was designed specifically for console gamers new to RPGs, and thus was incredibly simple compared to the likes of Wizardry and Ultima, which were direct influences on Dragon Quest. Thus, my hope is that videos like this will raise awareness of just how and why this game is so impactful.

[@forpavorcivil7635]

Yes after all they make slime popular

[@j.gaitan5232]

Toriyama lead me to this

[@destructodisk9074]

Just a minor correction. Dragon Quest II came to Famicom in January of 87. Ultima III came to Famicom in October of 87 and February of 89 to the US. So Enix did have the first party based RPG on Nintendo's 8-bit machine, and even though it is almost a year younger than Ultima III on Nintendo, it was able to technically execute it much better. Actually, Ultima III barely beat Phantasy Star and Final Fantasy to 8 but consoles, which is kinda criminal when you think of how impressive those games are and what they can do (especially Phantasy Star) compared to the flickering mess that was Ultima III on Famicom.

[@benshihadeh8561]

I’m here because of Kasuga Ichiban

[@solidwisdom8749]

It’s just all around a better overall made jrpg than final fantasy in modern day, great series

[@icyblue878]

Wow. Not only do you show footage of a game while mentioning it by name, you actually show the name of the different games on screen while footage of them are playing. Not nearly enough creators do this, thanks.

[@elrincondelukas]

Hi. I suscribe your channel. like

[@randallgoeswhere]

Well....everything.

[@satriapersada8601]

last play 150 hours imvest in DQ VIII..

[@jasonreardon8477]

Phantasy star was sega master system, not genesis 😮

[@TonyStarkCLC]

DQ>FF. Nuff said.

[@ulysessalvarez8294]

the dragon quest monster franchise alone is better than pokemon and was always ahead of its time, also the monsters are pretty damn interesting

[@ahis3233]

Is this the thing that got togashi addicted?

[@Drums_of_Liberation]

Yep. That and his inability to swallow his pride and hire some assistance so Hiatus x Hiatus isn't constantly on Hiatus

[@turtlemop8712]

Algorithm

[@mikexhotmail]

Because whenever one of your team Members's HP is in yellow all the IQ30 enemies turn into Einstein and focus everything on that member

[@meuhey]

if only the combat was more like FF ...

[@WilliamScavengerFish]

Funny enough, even early jrpgs were to complex for the general population in the west.

[@Harmonia96]

Just gonna leave a comment before starting the video, One reason I am so afraid to dive into Dragon Quest is because of the internet talks about the series literally halting time in Japan and putting the country in a chokehold. I've been having this nagging anxiety about "What if my first DQ game doesn't match the hype it allegedly got?" And that's why I'm here. PS: 8:07 is super progressive for its time

[@ArkThePieKing]

I know I'm 11 months late to reply to this but I figured I'd give my 2 cents on the matter. Dragon Quest is, for better or for worse, exactly Dragon Quest. For me at least it's comfort gaming at it's finest. The stories are cozy and warm, the writing is charming and fun and lighthearted, depending on the game it can definitely have some darker moments or emotional moments, Dragon Quest 11 literally made me cry. But at the end of the day you play Dragon Quest because you know exactly what you're getting. The details might change from game to game but the combat isn't dramatically different from one game to another. Dragon Quest is about the vibe. I think if you go in with the expectation to settle into something fun and inviting without expectations of a truly grand and epic quest meant to change your life, then you'll appreciate it for what it is. I've played most of the series at this point and I've never been disappointed because the Dragon Quest series is extremely consistent. It managed to change and reinvent just enough from game to game to make it fresh and exciting without ever losing the cozy and inviting atmosphere. I hope this convinces you to try and give one of the games a shot. If you need a starting point, I think Dragon Quest 5 offers the best of what the series has to offer as a whole. In that game you actually start as a child and play through their whole life. You can recruit monsters into your party, and even get married and have kids at some point. The story is incredibly solid and it's engaging from beginning to end. Sorry for the wall of text, I guess I had a lot of thoughts on everything lol

[@annoying_HK_guy]

I have sad news.......... Akira Toriyama, the art designer for Dragon Quest/Dragon Ball, have passed away today and join the journey with the late Kōichi Sugiyama into the Unknown World Thanks you, Rest in peace sensei.......

[@TappyWara]

"What's So Great About Dragon Quest?" NOTHING!!!

[@AmityvilleFan]

This is NOT an RPG, but an adventure-game.

[@bryancook6345]

Nothings great about the dragon quest on the NES Super Nintendo PS1 it was ruined dragon quest wasn’t great until it hit the PS3 and PS4 xbox one PS4

[@aerth6946]

Weak bait

[@peterparker346]

@@aerth6946 you sound salty the only games that were saved from the NES up to PS1 were the arcade machines you go and play in the arcades but I don’t remember seeing a dragon quest game in the arcade now do I

[@peterparker346]

I’m with you Bryan on that I didn’t even like final fantasy games either from square enix when the PS4 got released dragon quest and final fantasy games finally played the way they were meant to be played final fantasy 7 just sucked on PS1

[@The8BitAvatar]

@@peterparker346 Dragon Warrior games are not in the arcade because they’re not arcade games. What a stupid comment to make.

[@The8BitAvatar]

Millions of fans don’t care what you think Bryan.

[@V3RD1CTtm]

Honestly nothing. Dragon quest itself sucks, dragon quest monsters is awesome.

[@roseforyoubabe]

final fantasy 1 was way better then dragon quest 1...