Game Reviews

Dragon Quest II

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| Dragon Quest II
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Dragon Quest II
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| Dragon Quest II

As technologically advanced as our smartphones and tablets are, they also offer some tantalising glimpses into the dim history of videogaming.

And that's precisely what Dragon Quest II is. It's a scratchy, retro throwback that gives you look at the building blocks of one of the most famous JRPG franchises.

It's interesting to see how the series moved on from the original Dragon Quest, and as a piece of compare and contrast it's certainly worth some of your time.

As a game in its own right though, it's starting to show some pretty advanced signs of ageing.

Time travel

The game sees you setting out to free a fantasy world from a monster attack. It looks and plays in the same way as its predecessor: you stumble around a map, fighting random monsters, delving into dungeons, and picking up provisions and story hints at towns and villages.

The big change this time around is that you get a party. The first chunk of the game you spend on your own, but you recruit new allies as you play.

It makes for far more tactical scraps than the first game offered, and brings the series that little bit closer to modern RPGs.

Everything is that little bit more polished, although the faux Shakespearean language that a lot of the characters spout out remains, and is as annoying as ever.

Distance

Dragon Quest II is a lesson in how far the JRPG has come. It's not fresh, but then you wouldn't expect that from a game that's more than 25 years old.

It's a step forward from the original, but if you're not interested in learning where the JRPG came from, there are definitely better options on the App Store.

Dragon Quest II

An intriguing look back at what the JRPG used to be, Dragon Quest II has enough going for it to make it a little more than a curio
Score
Harry Slater
Harry Slater
Harry used to be really good at Snake on the Nokia 5110. Apparently though, digital snake wrangling isn't a proper job, so now he writes words about games instead.