I have never played a Dragon Quest game and probably never will.

I played 1 and 2 on a cartridge when it was still called Dragon Warrior. Good games, I remember them fondly.

They’re some of my favorite games, but there’s no reason to force yourself to play them. I like that the combat is still the classic simple JRPG format. It’s satisfying to just run around and check every drawer, closet, and cupboard in a new town. They’re structured so you can play for like 30 minutes a day and always feel like you made some progress.

i personally have a beef with the Dragon Quest series after Yakuza Like a Dragon where the entire game just felt like the devs screaming “wow i wish we were making dragon quest instead of Yakuza. Let’s turn Yakuza into Dragon Quest about it and then mention it by name too many times” and instead of Kazuma Kiryu kicking ass with that signature crisp, clean beat em’ up combat that I came to know the series for, I instead got some very forgettable turn based combat that made me want to fall asleep. God I can’t believe what a let down Y:LAD was

I bought a (used) PS2 towards the end of its life mostly for DQ8 (and later Personas 3 and 4).

When DQ11 arrived on PC, I actually asked for it as a gift at near full price rather than waiting for the inevitable 75% off, but somehow I never got very far on it.

It manages to not age well even as a new title-- the tropes are a bit too tropey (Sylvando, dear, I went to the freaking Castro and saw less flamboyance) and the storyline doesn’t seem to give a rewarding feel of forward motion, just bouncing from aimless episode to episode like a shonen anime that went 500 episodes beyond its original vision.

It does have a unique nostalgia as a franchise in that it was basically EVERY American’s first JRPG, due to the first installment being given away by the millions as a “subscribe to our print game magazine” promotional item, so whenever you look at someone trying to produce a “8-bit/16-bit RPG” homage, it’s going to smell a lot like Dragon Quest.

If you want a fun less problematic (because slimes, comfy) Dragon Quest game, check out Dragon Quest Rocket Slime. It was for the DS but you can def find, pirate, and emulate it.

Afaik Link isn’t a part of every bloodline. Each one is a different prophesized hero

I tried 11 and at its best I was bored, at it’s worst I was actively disliking it. I maybe did like 10 hours because I know how JRPGs can take some time to find their form but Dragon Quest is definitely not my thing

I know nothing about it as a series, but the DQM Joker games were great and I honestly still replay them sometimes. The storylines are pretty bland but the synthesizing monsters mechanic makes them like a more fun Pokémon imo - and your post is the first I’ve heard of birthrights or bloodlines even after playing all the Joker series, so if it has anything about that I missed it (luckily).

If you wanna give it a try I’d probably recommend joker 1, it’s got the best gameplay (although QoL improves in 3) and the single good character in the trilogy (she’s such a massive bitch, truly an icon). 2 is skippable but not bad, and 3 is a real change with some new and fun mechanics but kinda cursed to get it working in English.

I’ve only played 8 too though I am great full for it inspiring yakuza 7, love me some ichiban going all don quixote because of that game.

Dragon Quest games are cozy for me because I remember playing DQ1 on the NES as a kid not knowing what the fuck to do and just walking around fighting. Same thing in FF1, just made a party and fucked around because I didn’t get the concept of the game. Eventually I played Pokemon and was like, “Oh, this is like DQ and FF, I should replay those” and got into JRPGs properly. DQ is like Star Trek TOS: it’s flawed but revolutionary and still enjoyable if you understand it as a product of its time. Where FF changes everything up in every game, DQ presents itself as familiar and reliable. You always know what you’re getting and if you like one DQ, you’ll pretty much like them all. That said, the first 2 games are really rough from a modern perspective and are only recommended if you’re some kind of series completionist. As for the themes, yeah, that’s just how it is. It’s really old school style fantasy so that’s what you end up with. I would recommend trying DQ5 (the PS2 version with translation patch or DS version), it’s a high point for the series and not too long. It introduced the ability to catch monsters and use them in battle (copied later by Pokemon) and the story follows the protagonist through different periods of their life, which is somewhat unique. In the end, though, DQ fandom is nearly entirely vibes-based. Other JRPGs have more interesting stories, battle systems, music, etc. For me, it’s a combination of nostalgia and the particular quirks of DQ games that make me feel at home in the slop.

All about birthright and bloodlines

I don’t like DQ at all as a series, but this is a trope the Japanese seem to absolutely love based on how many pop culture franchises, especially JRPGs, are obsessed with “good nobles”.

This post made by Trails gang

I like Dregonquest (despite the problematic aspects) and I felt ripped off by 11. A game that looks that good deserves more than the most boilerplate storyline since the NES entries.

I still stand by DQ7, though. The plot centers around time travel and sees the heroes save world not because it’s their destiny but because they decide it’s the right thing to do. Also at the end you kill god with the power of friendship, as a proper JRPG should end.

the only ones i’ve played any significant amount of were the original dragon warrior 3 on gbc, and a bit of dragon quest builders. i honestly don’t know what you’re on about with ‘birthright and bloodlines’. maybe that’s a theme that matters more in other games?

I played DQ1 on NES as a kid and I loved it then - I was so confused and felt so free walking around, fighting cute slimes, going to towns. I haven’t tried another one since and probably never will.