A look at Dragon Quest IX

By Spencer . May 16, 2007 . 10:26am

A look at Dragon Quest IX images While the Final Fantasy series has been getting a lot of attention recently, Dragon Quest IX is due to come out later this year in Japan. It’s being made by Level 5 who made Dragon Quest VIII and it is the first numeric Dragon Quest title to debut on a handheld. Recently Level 5 updated their Dragon Quest IX page with more details on the title and a few extra screenshots. Unlike other Dragon Quest games battles are not random. Slimes freely wander on the main map and it’s up to the player to decide if they want to engage a battle by running into a monster or not. If you want to avoid a fight you can, but slimes will chase you.

Dragon Quest IX lets players customize their main character. You can choose a gender for your hero, pick a face and equip him/her with items to change his/her look.

A look at Dragon Quest IX images

One of the interesting features is Dragon Quest IX has online multiplayer where you can take your customized hero into an adventure with up to four other players. If your party encounters an enemy you switch over to the standard turn based fighting mode and each player chooses their action from a menu. It’s just like single player combat, except you have to wait for everyone to input their moves.

A look at Dragon Quest IX images

TAGS: Dragon Quest, Level 5, Nintendo DS, Square Enix

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~ethan

yessssssss! they kept the wifi co-op support. i was really worried there for a little bit. this game is going to make my year, whatever year it comes out!

Atlus Shrugged

turn based? am i confused? I thought this was a real time RPG?

Veilknight

Originally it was intended that Dragon Quest IX would be an action RPG, but supposedly fan reaction from Japanese gamers weren't exactly so hot over this drastic change for the series. Since DQ games have more or less sticked to the same formula since the series conception on the NES, it's understandable why some fans may not take so kindly to some innovation at this point in the franchise's lifespan.

More than likely, Level 5 opted for the turn based route just to please those diehard fans who wanted DQ IX to strictly stay true to its roots. In the process, that would put to an end any controversy surrounding this RPG's battle system.

The new changes Level 5 made to Dragon Quest IX, however small, are noteworthy enough to drastically be an improvement over its predecessors. Slimes freely roaming around the map reminds me of both Chrono Trigger and Super Mario RPG, it's a really nice option that allows battles to be a lot more optional.

I think enemies chasing after you is a really nice touch. Since forces will head in pursue once the decision is made to avoid the battle, depending on your level, they should actually begin to flee the further you head to their destination, a la the Legend of Heroes series.

When leveling up to prepare for the inevitable boss fight, this would really help as a way to better balance the game. You wouldn't be able to fall behind, as you would know your above stats are limited since the slimes are slowly starting to gather after you. Also, you'd know if you were overpowered once they actually started to run away from you.