Later in the game, the party often acquires improved transportation that may allow them to avoid such skirmishes. As the party traverses the landscape and various dungeons, they will be forced to fight (or, if they choose, flee from) enemies based on a "random encounter" system. Usually, one of his first orders of business is to gather a party of like-minded warriors to join him on his quest. The player advances through the game by carrying out pre-determined actions directly related to the progression of the plot, such as collecting a key item or defeating a particular antagonist. Magic is frequently an important element, as both an in-battle ability of player-controlled characters and the cause of various world-shaking events.Īs a pioneer in the RPG realm, Dragon Quest games have a reputation for being "bread and butter" representatives of the genre. II is a direct sequel to the original game, while III is a prequel that effectively makes a trilogy IV, V, and VI each feature the Zenithia castle as an important plot element, and so fans have come to call them the "Zenithia Trilogy." However, Yūji Horii has stated that this second group was never intended to be related. However, Dragon Quest I-III and IV-VI can be considered related through their storytelling. With certain exceptions, most games take place in a world distinct from every other there is next to no direct continuity between installments, with each game taking place in a world envisioned from the ground up ad hoc. Unlike other games in the genre, which have since the turn of the century begun to take on more of a science fiction bent, Dragon Quest tends to lean more towards traditional fantasy, with medieval technology and trappings. Often, this evil is a Dragonlord or some kind of demon, but one that invariably wishes to take over the world and enslave or destroy humanity. It is Square Enix's second most successful franchise after Final Fantasy and is one of the most popular video game franchises in Japan.Įvery Dragon Quest game is told primarily through the eyes of a Hero named by the player, usually a prophesied "Chosen One" or a similar concept that requires him to rise against a new evil.
As of May 2021, the Dragon Quest series has sold over 82 million units worldwide. Installments of the series have appeared on MSX computers, Famicom/ NES, Super Famicom/Super NES, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and Wii video game consoles, as well as on several models of mobile phone. The two competed for more or less the same market until the companies' merger in 2003, at which point Dragon Quest became the main financial pillar of the company amidst wavering popularity and unreliable sales of the Final Fantasy series.
Although the Dragon Quest series started before Final Fantasy, it continues to release titles at a slower paces within the main series (11 versus 15 total games). It has also featured several animated productions.ĭragon Quest is often compared with the Final Fantasy series, created by SquareSoft. Since 1986, which marked the release of the original Dragon Quest, Dragon Quest has so far featured eleven games within the main series, as well as several spin off games. 30 years after its debut, it is the all-time best-selling video game series in Japan, and enjoys increasing worldwide popularity through a stronger international marketing push with the merger of Enix and Square.Įach game in the main series of games it titled with the name Dragon Quest followed by a roman numeral. Dragon Quest (ドラゴンクエスト Doragon Kuesto) is a series of role-playing games made by Yūji Horii, Akira Toriyama, Kōichi Sugiyama and Square Enix (originally Enix) for a variety of video game platforms.