Summary
TheDragon Questseries began in 1986 in Japan on the NES followed by a release in North America in 1989 under the new nameDragon Warrior. While the first few games did get localized in English, the series never got as big in the West as its counterpart,Final Fantasy. It was a different story in Japan though asDragon Questis easily one of the most recognizable game franchises to this day.
That’s why it’s not surprising to learn that theDragon Questfranchisehas so many spinoff games from action RPGs to puzzle-based board games. These are the ones that stick out but there are plenty more where this came from both good and bad.
6Itadaki Street Dragon Quest And Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary
A Party Game For Fans
Itadaki Street Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy 30th Anniversaryis as much aFinal Fantasyspinoff as it is aDragon Questspinoff. It is the latest Itadaki Street game which is like a more RPG-likeMario PartyorMonopolygame. The only entry in the series to hit the West wasFortune Streeton the Wii which had Mario andDragon Questcharacters collaborating.
Itadaki Street Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary is fairly easy to discern even without knowing the language though. Players can use their favorite heroes from the two franchises like Jessica fromDragon Quest 8: Journey of the Cursed KingorZidane fromFinal Fantasy 9. For those curious, there were also crossover entries on the PS2, PSP, and DS that are entertaining.
Dragon Quest Treasuresis one of the newer spinoffs in the franchise which serves as a prequel toDragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Agestarring one of the party members, Erik. It takes place during his earlier adventuring days before his sister, Mia, met a terrible fate. That said, they do get separated in the game and players have to do their dungeon crawling mostly without the other nearby.
That’s okay as both heroes can summon monsters to their side like in theDragon Quest Monstersspinoffs likeDragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince. Classic monsters like Slimes or Drackies will fight automatically by their side but they have a dual purpose. They can be mounted which helps with some traversal problems like flying over gaps. It’s the best use of monsters in one of these spinoffs yet and overall it’s just a jolly good time with satisfying action combat.
Dragon Quest Heroes 2is the second spinoff made by theDynasty Warriorsteam over at Omega Force. The first game was a hack and slash RPG with a heavy emphasis on tower defense. While there are still some missions like that, most of the game is more open-ended.
Players can explore a world, take on quests, eventually unlock classes for their character, and so on. Plus a lot of characters make cameos from the series like Torneko fromDragon Quest 4: Chapters of the Chosen. It may be a mindless action game for some, butthese Musou-style RPGsdo have their merit in the gaming space. As a spinoff of a spinoff,Dragon Quest Heroes 2ranks up there as one of the best ones Omega Force has touched.
Dragon Quest Warsis a rather obscure entry because it is locked away on a dead console and an even deader marketplace. It was released as a download-only game for the DSi. Many of those early digital games remain trapped in that marketplace since Nintendo shuttered it.
History aside,Dragon Quest Warswas a classicgrid-based tactical RPG. Players could get new monsters and forge their way forward through numerous maps. It was light on story which is fine as it was a spinoff that favored gameplay instead which was as addictive as it was solid. It’s the only tactical RPG in the franchise to hit a dedicated handheld or console but hopefully, it won’t be the last forever.
Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slimeis the second game in theSlime Mori Morispinoff franchise. It’s the only one to leave Japan with the GBA and 3DS games still being exclusive to Japan. They all play relatively the same in that players control a Slime trying to fight against an invading army of Platypunks and otherDragon Questmonsters.
InDragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slimespecifically, players can go into levels looking for lost NPCs. Once rescued, they can help improve the town that was destroyed by the invading Platypunks. Players can attack enemies by stretching their Slime hero with the DS which was a novel idea for the handheld. The highlight of the game though, besides the excellent sprite work, had to be the tank boss battles which were epic even on thesmall scale of the DS.
Dragon Quest Builderswas a rough draft just like how the firstDragon Quest Heroesgame didn’t quite nail its gameplay idea.Dragon Quest BuilderswasaMinecraftclonewith the same world aesthetic albeit with better modeled characters and enemies. Players could explore and build to their heart’s content or follow the story to new lands which reset progress. That’s where the first game failed and where the sequel fixed itself.
Dragon Quest Builders 2was everything players could want from a sequel and more. Better combat, a more engaging story, easier ways to build, a co-op centered island, and so much more. It still feels odd that it borrowed so heavily fromMinecraft, but one could say it did the wholeMinecraftformula better. That debate is for another day though.
