FANTASY INCARNATE!!!

Several months back I set out on a quest to purchase and conquer all the Final Fantasy games on the App Store then write a review for each, and thats exactly what I did. Needless to say it was one of the most exciting and fulfilling gaming experiences Ive ever had in my 26 years of life. In the interim they finally added FF9 to the mix, and though I still have yet to embark on that journey, (mostly due to the software limitations of my current device) I plan to do so very soon.

That being said I decided to take a short break from the FF series to pursue other great video games, none of which brought me the viscerally nostalgic and heart-pounding joy that Final Fantasy has (Crashlands and Dont Starve to be the only exceptions). Thats when I remembered seeing the Dragon Quest series all those times I went perusing through the vast library of Square Enix games, so I decided to pull the trigger, and I gotta say...WOW!!!

Last week I purchased 1-5 all at once and tonight I finally beat the first. While some would argue that the game probably hasnt aged well in its 30 year lifespan due to the very simplistic combat and extremely short story line (5-10 hours), I would have to argue that pound for pound, its even better than the first FF! The simplistic one-on-one battles give a real sense of intimacy and excitement, and given the fact that all the encounters are in first person as opposed to third person like with Final Fantasy really adds to said excitement. And while there are certain aspects Ive found to have aged a little less gracefully than others like the limited inventory, the entire package is an absolute masterpiece (and Im really digging the old English text as well)

All in all, even though the DQ franchise never got the exposure and recognition in America it truly deserved, no doubt mostly due to the fact it got steam rolled by Final Fantasy, it has been a major hit and gaming staple in Japan for the last 30 years and still remains so to this day, and Im proud to say that Ive officially jumped on that band wagon!!!!! Next stop, Dragon Quest 2‼️‼️

UncleSlam Temple about DRAGON QUEST, v1.0.3