What You Need to Know:
- When many gamers hear of Dragon Quest, they often compare the title to that of Square Enix's other mainstream RPG Final Fantasy. The two have reached peak levels of popularity recently, with both Dragon Quest XI and Final Fantasy 7 Remake selling extremely well, cementing the two franchises as some of the greatest RPG titles in gaming history. However, many in the west are still quite unfamiliar with Dragon Quest as Final Fantasy became more prevelant during the mid 90's with the launch of Final Fantasy VII, Chrono Trigger, and other notable classics from Square (at the time).
- Let's kick things off with a little history lesson! The Dragon Quest series made its debut on this day May 27th, 1986, and for a good period of time the title was actually Dragon Warrior up until 2005. Yuji Horii is the mastermind behind this wonderful title and throughout its tenure in the gaming world, Dragon Quest has gone on to sell millions of copies worldwide, and also ushered in a lot of innovative gameplay aspects that we now see in most RPGs today.
- The most notable feature of Dragon Quest is the Slime character, who acts as an enemy within the game but is also the brand mascot which has become very popular due to its cuteness. Ok we lied, the most notable feature is of course Akira Toriyama's art direction which we've seen in other titles like Chrono Trigger. Both features are obviously very noticeable and help to create a world that's very different from other role-playing games. Today in Japan is known as Dragon Quest Day because as we mentioned before, this is the day that the series was brought to life and created a world unlike any other.
- What are some of your favorite Dragon Quest titles? For us we'll always enjoy Dragon Quest VI and VIII, but Dragon Quest XI has found a place in our hearts as well with its beloved cast of colorful characters! Happy 34th anniversary!
What a great day to be a gamer!
Truly one of my favorite games of all time!