Some new releases feel like a welcome return of an old friend, while others are like an unwanted high school reunion with an old acquaintance who peaked long ago. Luckily, Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King is a great RPG that looks just as good today as it did back in 2005. The basic premise and structure are still strong, and are enhanced by some well-implemented new features.

Essentially, this is the most familiar kind of Japanese role-playing game. The turn-based combat system offers little that can’t be found in countless other games. The quality of the writing ranges from oddly fascinating to fascinatingly strange. Moving between towns, dungeons, and enemy-filled open environments is a familiar quality.

What separates this adventure from the vast majority of others, even those released since its debut on the PlayStation 2, is the artistry with which everything is produced and put together. No element feels out of place, and no feature is superfluous in delivering a game that shows just how satisfying the traditional structure of a JRPG can be. Everything from the graphics to the text, the combat to the world map layout, is produced and delivered with the flair and artistry that can only come from a designer who has a deep understanding of the framework they are working within.

Take the character design, for example. It is simply incredible, and is without a doubt some of the best work by renowned designer Akira Toriyama. He has been responsible for the character art for everything from Dragon Ball Z to Chrono Trigger, and Dragon Quest VIII’s cast is held to the same rigorous standards of quality.

It’s largely due to the character designs, the cel-shaded art style and the bold, almost rainbow-like colour palette that doesn’t dull over time that this game feels so charming and timeless. This design quality gives each character a unique personality before they even open their mouth. Yangus is stocky and round, reflecting his rough and inelegant personality, while the sometimes pompous and haughty Angelo has a trendy and extravagant sense of fashion.

The characterization is further enhanced by the full voice acting, some of which is new for this release, whose constant presence adds extra weight to the excellent English localization. Many of the voice actors have a slapstick quality, accentuating and embellishing the humorous script in a way that does justice to the ridiculousness of the central plot.

This 80+ hour long production starts with the conceit that you must travel the world to find a way to break the spell that transformed the king of the land of Trodain into a little green troll and the princess into a big white horse. Transformed. This is a setting that wouldn’t feel out of place in Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Monty Python, or Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, although there are (generally) more swords and dragons.

The central plot isn’t the main reason to get hooked on the story, but rather the great dialogue and entertaining character interactions. In fact, this is a game about unusual partnerships and relationships, and how disparate people can overcome their differences and work towards goals that would be impossible to achieve alone. This story is more about characters than it is about plot.

We added the option to fast-forward through battles, a great feature considering the portability of the 3DS. Those relatively short times on bus or train rides can now be spent swiftly progressing through dungeons without having to wait for animations to play out. This is especially useful if you’re spending your time fighting your way up to level up in anticipation of a tough boss battle.

Besides this time-saving option, the biggest change to the flow of combat is that encounters are no longer random. Instead of monsters storming in without warning, like in the original Pokémon or Final Fantasy VII, you can run around a field and decide whether to attack or not, like in Ni no Kuni or Final Fantasy XV.

This gives you effective control over how often you draw your sword, which significantly changes the overall tempo. If you decide you don’t want to fight, perhaps because you’re low on health and out of potions, you can choose to head for a city or other safe haven where you can avoid conflict.

Ultimately, it’s worth fighting as often as possible to level up and become more powerful. Still, being able to safely drag myself back to town with my tail between my legs without losing my progress is a welcome relief, and it makes me feel more in control of my destiny at every moment.

Combat itself is simple turn-based, forcing you to make smart decisions about whether to attack or defend at any given moment. Exploring forces you to think about the trade-off between the possibilities you gain by moving forward and the risk of dying and having to turn back. By constantly presenting these small decisions to me, Dragon Quest VIII maintained my interest and attention while rounding out these small conflicts with comedic scripting that easily fills in regular plot breaks.

These new features are bonuses to the package, but they’re not the real reason to invest your time in Dragon Quest VIII. As it was over a decade ago, this is a great example of how you can add value to a genre without necessarily breaking the rules.

If you’ve played the original on the PlayStation 2, it’s worth revisiting, not just to remind yourself why it was great the first time, but because it’s still a great game today. For those new to this crazy adventure, this is a great example of how much traditional JRPGs still have to offer. No matter how much you know, the bottom line is that Dragon Quest VIII is just as fun now as it was in 2005.

Verdict

Dragon Quest VIII was one of the best JRPGs when it was first released, and it maintains that high status in this 3DS version. Its strength lies in its adherence to the traditional rules of the genre, a familiar template that allows the design team to ensure that every element is as good as it can be.