Review – Dragon Quest IV: Chapter of the Chosen (DS)

RPG remake season seems to be at full swing. Final Fantasy IV was released last July for the Nintendo DS, and critics think it’s great. Chrono Trigger is also making its way to the dual screens this November. Could the same be said for the recently-released Dragon Quest IV: Chapter of the Chosen? Let’s find out.

This Dragon Quest installment for the DS was originally known as Dragon Warrior IV for the NES. It was released for the Famicom last February 1990 in Japan, while the North American version followed two years later. Interestingly, this isn’t the first time Chapter of the Chosen was remade because the game also made its way to the PlayStation last 2001, but it was limited to a Japanese release.

The good news: Dragon Quest IV for the DS is as every bit as good as its predecessors, and then some. This version is made even more colorful, and boasts of a 3D environment that allows the camera to be moved around without any visual hiccups. The hallmark Dragon Quest elements are all here: old-school turn-based action, random battles, level grinding, day and night cycles, houses of healing, banks, and Dragon Quest slime.

As some of you may remember, the narrative approach used by Chapter of the Chosen is quite different from other RPGs. The main characters are introduced in a series of chapters, finally joining the main hero at a later part. The progression brings about rather compelling yarn despite the various stereotypes used.

Thanks to the system’s dual screens, the interface feels much cleaner because the necessary data is displayed on the top screen. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t take advantage of the touch screen. Then again, the default button controls work just fine so touch screen controls won’t be necessary anyway. The tactics feature that allows players to set ally AI is an added bonus that removes the tedium of micromanaging each teammate’s actions in battle. One can also turn this feature off and manage every ally’s attack, allowing for flexibility.

Since Chapter of the Chosen is a portable game, ArtePiazza—the developer—has integrated a quicksave feature that allows players to postpone an adventure even when in the middle of a dungeon. The implementation of Dragon Quest IV’s quicksave is better than the one used in Final Fantasy games for the DS, which erases the quicksave once loaded. This Dragon Quest’s quicksave is never erased no matter how many times loaded.

Dragon Quest IV’s audio is quite loud for a handheld game, and it’s very much welcome. The volume is perceptible even when in a noisy environment so earphones only become necessary when players want to keep the noise down. The music is noticeably upgraded from the 8-bit bleeps, while sound effects rival those used in the PlayStation version.

There’s a lot of gameplay that can be squeezed out of Dragon Quest IV: Chapter of the Chosen. The main quests alone number around 40 hours or so. If the side quests and other diversions are factored in, this number would greatly increase. Furthermore, there are two bonus chapters from the PlayStation edition and unlockable shops via Wi-Fi that further extends the game’s shelf life. Given everything that this portable Dragon Quest has to offer, a purchase is highly recommended.

8/10

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