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Despite being known for it's charm, Dragon Quest is depressing. SPOILERS

M

Megalosaro

Banned
I always hear about how Dragon Quest is really charming. I agree it is. It has this reputation as being adorable, mainly due to it's monster designs, I think. But thematically, it's a pretty heavy series. I think in a lot of ways, it's heavier than most RPGs (except maybe Mother, which is also known for it's charm and humor but is actually horrorifying).

Let's look at how sad each game in the series is. SPOILERS WILL BE UNMARKED

Dragon Quest I
DQ1 isn't too depressing. It's basically a "Knight goes on a quest to save a princess from a dragon" type stuff, but there are elements in there. Such as Hauksness, or the Golem that killed its master

Dragon Quest II
Again, nothing too dark here other than maybe Moonbrooke

Dragon Quest III
This is where it starts to get rough. The game is about a dude who is trying to fulfill the quest his father failed at. Some of the scenarios are pretty rough, such as the village that is cursed by elves because one of them fell in love with humans. But really, the big thing I found tragic was when the hero finally finds his father, his father is KILLED RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM.

Dragon Quest IV
The main villian is trying to kill all humans because they are constantly abusing his girlfriend in order to make her cry (she cries ruby tears). Eventually she is killed by a party of humans, causing him to lose his mind.
Several of the main party members have pretty tragic backgrounds. Alena, despite being upbeat, has her entire kingdom disappear in retaliation for her winning a tournament. Mara and Nara are on a quest for revenge. The hero's father is killed by a lighting since he married the game's equivalentt of an angel. Plus his village is wiped out.

Dragon Quest V
Dank game is dank. The main character's mom is abducted the night he is born. His father is killed in front of him when he is a kid. He's forced into slavery for 10 years. Then, his wife is captured, he is turned to stone and misses out on raising his own children. When he finds his mom, she dies protecting him.

Dragon Quest VI
Lots of pretty sad stuff in here. Main character's little sister died when he was young. His parents are in a coma (the dream version of his dad is the demon king). One of the main party members was a child slave for a crime syndicate. A kingdom is wiped out trying to summon a demon to help them. At the end of the game, the main character's love interest is ripped away, since she is a dream person (basically Tidus 5 years before FFX came out)

Dragon Quest VII
Each town is basically experiencing it's own hell. One town is turned to stone and you can't save it since all the people are decayed too much. There is a love triangle in another town that is doomed for all sides. The main character didn't get to grow up with his real parents, since his dad is sealed in ice, and he was ripped from his mother's womb before he was born. God is defeated by the demonking, who pretends to be him.
Nottagen is pretty rough too :(. Not to mention ELLIE, a robot who spends centuries serving her dead master.

Dragon Quest VIII
Marcello's relationship with Angelo is pretty sad.

Dragon Quest IX
Every town's story is about dying and moving on. Every. Single. Story.
 
SinCityAssassin

SinCityAssassin

Member
IX's town plots are all very sad but the story about the little girl and her doll is incredibly fucking depressing.

That messed me up a lot.
 
G

ghibli99

Member
Please, please remember to use "its" properly. I like what you're saying, but the grammar fails over and over are distracting. :( Not trying to be a jerk... just don't want your points lost in what is an easy thing to remember (I agree with you, by the way, but choose to focus on the positive aspects of the storyline, characters, and world).
 
A

aadiboy

Member
I wish all the DQ games were available digitally on a non-smartphone platform. Right now only DQVII and DQVIII are available digitally on the 3DS, and it doesn't seem like there's any push to release the older games on any current platforms.
 
M

Megalosaro

Banned
Wait a few years. Square Enix is always looking for new ways to new ways to milk the franchise. Now that the whole franchise is out on mobile, i reckown we'll see new ports.
 
S

SkyOdin

Member
SinCityAssassin said:
IX's town plots are all very sad but the story about the little girl and her doll is incredibly fucking depressing.

That messed me up a lot.
Click to expand...
I think the Zere Rocks and Bloomingdale plots back to back makes it even worse. You get no relief.

I'm actually in the middle of playing through DQ IX for the first time, and the sheer amount of tragedy and loss you encounter is startling. The game's cheery town music just seems wrong occasionally.

Amazingly, Dragon Quest Builders is even darker than the rest of the series, since it goes full post-apocalyptic fantasy. It even manages to make the story of Dragon Quest 1 darker by association.
 
1

1upsuper

Member
Part of what I love so much about DQ is the fact that its vignette, town-to-town approach allows for all sorts of emotive scenarios. Sometimes something really sad or tragic happens, but sometimes it's subtle enough that it only vaguely creeps into your consciousness, like a specter looming over your adventure. Other times, like the example in DQ III which you highlight, is directly, fundamentally tragic. Other times, the game exudes pure joy and naive adventure. I think V is perhaps the most consistently tragic, but its tragedies provide a crucial contrast to your own important successes; being a husband and a father.
 
R

rpmurphy

Member
Spoilers more like Mega Spoilers.

DQIV was definitely the first to really hit home on the dark tone and depressing story. Like the very first chapter you search for missing children whom you eventually find locked up in cells in a tower and being interrogated (and probably tortured by my assumption) because the antagonist wants to seek out the legendary hero and kill him/her when he/she is still young and weak.

But then we also have Torneko in the game who makes it not so dark so it wasn't all deeply serious.
 
C

Colby

Member
Come on, mark that damn FFX spoiler! Maybe I'm the only one currently playing FFX for the first time, but I hope that spoiler isn't something that shows up end-game.
 
B

Bebpo

Banned
Which is the one where early on the MC is turned to stone and years pass and everyone he knows grows old and dies and then he is unfrozen sometime later? Was that VI?

Also the depressing grimm fairly tales aspect of DQ is a good part of why I enjoy it. If the short stories were generic anime fluff the games would be incredibly dull.
 
M

Megalosaro

Banned
Bebpo said:
Which is the one where early on the MC is turned to stone and years pass and everyone he knows grows old and dies and then he is unfrozen sometime later? Was that VI?

Also the depressing grimm fairly tales aspect of DQ is a good part of why I enjoy it. If the short stories were generic anime fluff the games would be incredibly dull.
Click to expand...

That sounds a lot like V, but it's not as bad as that. Years definitely go by, but it can't be more than...7 years?
 
A

Aeana

Member
Bebpo said:
Which is the one where early on the MC is turned to stone and years pass and everyone he knows grows old and dies and then he is unfrozen sometime later? Was that VI?

Also the depressing grimm fairly tales aspect of DQ is a good part of why I enjoy it. If the short stories were generic anime fluff the games would be incredibly dull.
Click to expand...

That's 5, but what actually happens is
his wife is kidnapped just after having their children, hero is turned to stone, 7ish years pass and he's forced to watch the child of the man who purchased him grow up and get kidnapped, and his kids grow up a bit and come find him and cure him

But yes, that scene still makes me cry to this day. I've played DQ5 more times than any other game.
 
K

Kanann

Member
Dragon Quest X
Part 1: Reaper (main villian) wiping out yours (player) entire tribe and seal the world for prepareing of Demon lord's returns. You're acidently sent your sibling to 50 years in the past. You died, become spirit, and left alone in alien nation with someone else's body.
Part 2:
Reaper's seal created fake continent full with, dead, depressed, and lost souls while Demon lord (main-er villian lol) armies rampage the towns, in search and hunting legendary hero lineage. This part is full lot of tragedies.
Part 3:
Your most trusted friends got kidnapped and disappear to another dimension, or maybe turn villian, your sibling returns from the past but not on your side. Your quest for rescue and liberate the ancient dragon world may turn catastrophe.
 
N

Noogy

Member
This is one of the main reasons I enjoy the series. Cute exterior, surprisingly poignant stories. Depressing is a strong word, but yes, the lows are low.
 
K

Kas

Member
I really loved DQIX, but it's the only one I've played, but I wouldn't call it depressing, more like sweet...and really fucking sad at times, but still
 
M

Megalosaro

Banned
SinCityAssassin said:
Yo, Zere Rocks is fucked. It's all fucked. Llaffan's fucked. Coffinwell's fucked. Everything's fucked.

Except for Gleeba, which is honestly very tame.
Click to expand...

Everything was fucked, wasn't it?

Except Erinn. She was pretty upbeat. Even she has some sad stuff though, about living up to her dad's legacy
 
S

SpiceMelange

Member
Gah I shouldn't have read this thread... spoilers galore for VII....my fault I didn't see the spoilers at the very end of thread title.
 
M

Megalosaro

Banned
Helacious said:
Gah I shouldn't have read this thread... spoilers galore for VII....my fault I didn't see the spoilers at the very end of thread title.
Click to expand...

Sorry dude, but a thread can't really be made without unmarked spoilers I gave warning twice, both in the thread title and in the body of the message
 
jetsetnickradio

jetsetnickradio

Member
I remember playing the Dragon (Quest) Warrior Monsters games as a kid and noticing a that they sometimes had a much darker tone than the Pokemon games ever did at the time. But they were also more whimsical at times, too. I think that also applies to many other Dragon Quest games as well and it's one of the things I find endearing about them (aside from them just being really well-made traditional JRPGs).

I think it's generally good for games to have different tones through out. It's refreshing to come out of a dark dungeon or a sad side story to a colorful village or some comic relief and the Dragon Quest games I've played seem seem to balance that stuff pretty well. Except for maybe the first Dragon Quest game which was a solo adventure and light on story (still a great game, though).
 
N

N4Us

Member
Megalosaro said:
One town is turned to stone and you can't save it since all the people are decayed too much.
Click to expand...

I dunno how it was in the PSX version but it surprised how light it's treated in the 3DS one. Everyone's a decaying crumbling statue doomed forever, and the survivors are like "Oh well what a bummer lol. Thanks for stopping by guys!"
 
A

Aters

Member
DQ can be very heavy-hearted without being manipulative. It never just kills off the whole team and plays a sad song and tells you to "insert tears here". Thanks to that, it's able to reach deeper into my heart than most games I've played.
 
N

Newtype-001

Member
Dragon Quest 5s MC went through too much.
Getting put into slavery and later turned to stone it was really sad watching the seasons go by.
 
M

Mozendo

Member
I also find Bianca's situation to be depressing and it felt as if the game was guilt tripping me to pick her to be my bride.
 
K

Krabboss

Member
The games never deliver these stories in a way that's very affecting, though. I think in every case I thought "oh, that's a tragic story, oh well." They're not anything that stick with you, really.
 
D

DiipuSurotu

Banned
All this is pretty standard fare for JRPGs. Final Fantasy has equally depressing stuff. Even FFV which was one of the most lighthearted entries had depressing events involving Galuf, Lenna's mother, Stella, the Wind Drake, the Garula, Syldra, etc.
 
M

Megalosaro

Banned
DiipuSurotu said:
All this is pretty standard fare for JRPGs. Final Fantasy has equally depressing stuff. Even FFV which was one of the most lighthearted entries had depressing events involving Galuf, Lenna's mother, Stella, the Wind Drake, the Garula, Syldra, etc.
Click to expand...

I don't think ff ever really goes as low as dq does. It's certainly more melodramatic able out it, most dqs have victorise that are a tad more bitter sweet
 
C

Crankshaft

Member
Krabboss said:
The games never deliver these stories in a way that's very affecting, though. I think in every case I thought "oh, that's a tragic story, oh well." They're not anything that stick with you, really.
Click to expand...

I agree. Having a dad show up only to die a few seconds later doesn't really do anything for me. I need to build an attachment to a character first. Like in Lunar when Alex and Luna spend the whole beginning of the game together and then she is kidnapped. Then I feel invested. But when something just pops up, "Hello its me! Your mother! I just showed up in the game so I could die tragically" nahh.
 
YourMaster

YourMaster

Member
In DQIV the monsters attack the heroes village. The villagers - including all his friends and family - know how important the hero is and all die fighting to protect him. At the end the women he loves transforms herself into his likeness so she can die in his stead, allowing the hero to escape.

The hero then sets on to defeat the evil that wanted him dead, gathered the other chosen and eventually saved the world. A large celebration followed, and a tour around the world with people showing their gratitude and the chosen returning to their homes and families.

Then the hero returns to his home village - where everybody is dead, the village still burned to the ground. All the revenge and heroics did not bring his life back, and he still ended up alone. He might have helped countless others, with your loved ones gone in the end you're left with your grief.

----

I though this was a profound and beautiful story, but very sad indeed. Unfortunately they decided to Hollywood the story, and then made his new friends return and by the deus ex machina just resurrected his girlfriend and suddenly we're all happy.
 
C

Calamari41

41 > 38
For Dragon Quest VII, Regenstein is especially depressing because it hits you with the incredibly sad ending out of nowhere. For the whole game up to that point, you solve each island's problem in the past and go visit it in the present, where it is bustling and happy. Regenstein in the past ends with the two remaining non-stone inhabitants reunited, and happily telling you that they're going to work to find a cure for the rest of the townspeople. Great, you think, I'll go see how that turned out now that I can see the island in the present. I was actually shocked when I showed up to a completely empty island. Welp, they failed and everyone did end up dying, with all trace of habitation wiped out.
 
Y

Ydelnae

Member
Yeah, in Dragon Quest VI
Milly, one of the party members, was held captive by a rich man and raped when she was a child after separated from her brother. Then she started to resist the rich man's advances and was put into an underground cell for many years until she managed to escape. When you finally get to revisit that place and understand why Milly acts they way she does during the whole game, it's a petty shocking moment.

One of the best moments in the franchise is when you finally get to reunite with your father in DQ III, imo. You have such a little amount of time to interact with him after everyone told you how great of a hero he was.
 
R

rpmurphy

Member
YourMaster said:
In DQIV the monsters attack the heroes village. The villagers - including all his friends and family - know how important the hero is, and all die fighting to protecting. At the end the women he loves transforms herself into his likeness so she can die in his stead, allowing the hero to escape.

The hero then sets on to defeat the evil that wanted him dead, gathered the other chosen and eventually saved the world. A large celebration followed, and a tour around the world with people showing their gratitude and the chosen returning to their homes and families.

Then the hero returns to his home village - where everybody is dead, the village still burned to the ground. All the revenge and heroics did not bring his life back, and he still ended up alone. He might have helped countless others, with your loved ones gone in the end you're left with your grief.

----

I though this was a profound and beautiful story, but very sad indeed. Unfortunately they decided to Hollywood the story, and then made his new friends return and by the deus ex machina just resurrected his girlfriend and suddenly we're all happy.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I didn't like the story changes made to IV all that much.
 
M

MoonFrog

Member
Vignettes and distance from the characters really allows for it. You get more old school fairy tales, tragedies, and comedies in Dragon Quest and less power fantasy, player oriented romance, and manga-esque character driven and affirming narrative.
 
Z

Z3M0G

Member
I found this thread title interesting because I'm currently playing Dragon Quest Builders where humanity was all but wiped out, and the remaining humans had their ability to create and build stripped away... and you are trying to piece it back together block by block.
 
P

Purple Cheeto

Member
Noogy said:
This is one of the main reasons I enjoy the series. Cute exterior, surprisingly poignant stories. Depressing is a strong word, but yes, the lows are low.
Click to expand...

I like to describe Dragon Quest 7 as one of the most melancholic video games ever made. Even when you win some scenarios, you don't really win and people don't get to live happily ever after.
 
S

Secret Character

Member
Funny you say that DQ1 isn't sad considering what happens in DQ Builders...

Spoilers?
The game opens with the ending to DQ1 and it's obvious by the story going forward that the hero picked the bad ending. The world is now cast in darkness and civilization is scattered. Thousands, if not millions die (and the proof is in the hundreds of skeleton piles you find everywhere.)
Chapter 4 spoilers
Near the end of Chapter 4, you fight somebody called the Fallen Hero. He has the hero shield and sword, so it's pretty obvious that it's meant to be the player character from DQ1. Anyway, he runs away like a coward when you beat him.
 
T

Theanine3D

Member
The sad parts were what really cemented VIII as one of my favorite games of all time.
I cried so much when Marta was killed. Just a kind elderly lady who didn't deserve that.

There are various sad moments in VII too in some of the islands you visit. The game forces you to accept that sometimes you just can't save everyone, no matter how hard you try.
The one that hit me hardest was the Lavender/Carraway star-crossed lovers story though. Finding Lavender's gravestone and reading what was written on it brought me to tears..
 
Z

Z3M0G

Member
Secret Character said:
Funny you say that DQ1 isn't sad considering what happens in DQ Builders...

Spoilers?
The game opens with the ending to DQ1 and it's obvious by the story going forward that the hero picked the bad ending. The world is now cast in darkness and civilization is scattered. Thousands, if not millions die (and the proof is in the hundreds of skeleton piles you find everywhere.)
Click to expand...

Wow! I love Builders even more now! That explains why it feels so directly referencing DQ1 all the time :D

OH SNAP

dw1-over2.gif

dragon-quest-builders-map.jpg
Click to expand...
 
B

Bebpo

Banned
Aeana said:
That's 5, but what actually happens is
his wife is kidnapped just after having their children, hero is turned to stone, 7ish years pass and he's forced to watch the child of the man who purchased him grow up and get kidnapped, and his kids grow up a bit and come find him and cure him

But yes, that scene still makes me cry to this day. I've played DQ5 more times than any other game.
Click to expand...

Megalosaro said:
That sounds a lot like V, but it's not as bad as that. Years definitely go by, but it can't be more than...7 years?
Click to expand...

Thanks, yeah it's been like a decade since I played V on PS2, so didn't remember the details but I remember that scene still fairly vividly.
 
T

Toth

Member
Secret Character said:
Funny you say that DQ1 isn't sad considering what happens in DQ Builders...

Spoilers?
The game opens with the ending to DQ1 and it's obvious by the story going forward that the hero picked the bad ending. The world is now cast in darkness and civilization is scattered. Thousands, if not millions die (and the proof is in the hundreds of skeleton piles you find everywhere.)
Chapter 4 spoilers
Near the end of Chapter 4, you fight somebody called the Fallen Hero. He has the hero shield and sword, so it's pretty obvious that it's meant to be the player character from DQ1. Anyway, he runs away like a coward when you beat him.
Click to expand...

Locked In a castle called "Half of the World".......
 
K

KillerDark

Member
YourMaster said:
In DQIV the monsters attack the heroes village. The villagers - including all his friends and family - know how important the hero is, and all die fighting to protecting. At the end the women he loves transforms herself into his likeness so she can die in his stead, allowing the hero to escape.

The hero then sets on to defeat the evil that wanted him dead, gathered the other chosen and eventually saved the world. A large celebration followed, and a tour around the world with people showing their gratitude and the chosen returning to their homes and families.

Then the hero returns to his home village - where everybody is dead, the village still burned to the ground. All the revenge and heroics did not bring his life back, and he still ended up alone. He might have helped countless others, with your loved ones gone in the end you're left with your grief.

----

I though this was a profound and beautiful story, but very sad indeed. Unfortunately they decided to Hollywood the story, and then made his new friends return and by the deus ex machina just resurrected his girlfriend and suddenly we're all happy.
Click to expand...

That was really well done back on NES, sad that they changed it. Probably is my favorite Dragon Quest to this day (that being said I haven't finished any besides the NES ones).
 
YourMaster

YourMaster

Member
rpmurphy said:
Yeah, I didn't like the story changes made to IV all that much.
Click to expand...


I've never played the NES version. I only had the first game back then. Googling it didn't help, but I'd love to know what was changed and how the story originally went.

I've also read that DQV had also had its story changed for the worst during localization - so if anybody could point me to an overview of the modifications that would be great.
 
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