Release Date: November 1, 2005
Another installment in the bestselling jRPG series which has been in development since the mid-80s. It is the first game in the franchise to be available for PlayStation 2. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King is set in a well-known fantasy universe. The player controls a party of adventurers who have to stop the evil Dhoulmagus and remove the curse he placed on the king and his daughter.
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King for PS2 and 3DS is another installment in the RPG series which are also known as Dragon Warrior and have been in development since the mid-80s. Those games were so popular in Japan that selling them during the weekdays became prohibited to stop them from drawing people away from their work. This game is the first installment of the saga to be dedicated to Sony PlayStation 2.
The dreadful Dhoulmagus managed to free hellish powers and cast a curse on the king as well as to turn the princess into a horse. The only person who can prevent an imminent disaster is, obviously, the player, who commands a party of adventurers (the warlike Yangus, adorable Jessica, and even the vicious ruler by the name of Trode himself, among others). The appearance of the virtual people was designed by the famous Akira Toriyama, who is primarily known thanks to his work on the Dragon Ball franchise. Naturally, over time, the characters gain new abilities, increase their strength and agility, collect various items, and so on.
While exploring the fantasy game world, we will encounter friendly NPCs (with whom we can talk, trade, etc.), but most of the time, we run into various hostile monsters. We use a number of more or less conventional forms of attack and defense to fight them. Therefore, we fight with typical medieval weaponry (swords, bows, etc.) as well as powerful magic. The combat system is turn-based.
Visually, Dragon Quest VIII for PS2 and 3DS bears some resemblance to Dark Cloud 2 (AKA Dark Chronicle), the reason simply being the fact that the same team is responsible for both games. The game world and the characters are three-dimensional and made with the use of the cel-shading technology. Thanks to this, the title’s graphics bring animated movies to mind, making it more attractive to the player.
Platforms:
PlayStation 2 November 1, 2005
Nintendo 3DS August 27, 2015
Android May 28, 2014
Apple iOS May 28, 2014
Developer: Level 5
Publisher: Square Enix
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A bestselling series of fantasy reality cRPG games. The series is developed by the Armor Project development studio with the support of other development teams. The rights to the brand are held by the Square-Enix publishing conglomerate.
Game Ratings for Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King Video Game.
TheSixthAxis: 9 / 10 by Dave Irwin
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King truly stands the test of time. Having this PS2 classic on the 3DS, despite its slightly inferior presentation, is a mind boggling feat. Each new gameplay addition or tweak is smart, not taking anything away from the original vision. It helps that the basis for this version was one of the better instalments of the franchise, but Square Enix could have easily just have ported it over and be done with it. If you don’t mind the slight presentation downgrades, this is the definitive version of a modern classic.
COGconnected: 90 / 100 by Scott Sullivan
Dragon Quest piles on the enhancements in the 3DS version, and these tiny improvements are so numerous, that Dragon quest VIII feels far less dated than an RPG over a decade old should feel.
Gaming Nexus: 8.5 / 10 by Nicholas Leon
This game is good. I have made good memories, and hope to make many more. I'm going to miss these characters, their quirks, their catch-phrases, and their flaws. It's a good egg.
Average score from votes.
![[2:35] 3DS version launch trailer](https://cdn.gracza.pl/galeria/filmy/640x360/107752058.jpg)
