Dragon Quest V (PS2)
For the original game released for the Super Famicom, see DQV; for the remake released for Nintendo DS, see Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride.
Released in 2004, the PlayStation 2 remake of Dragon Quest V was a substantial overhaul and improvement of the original 16-bit version, adding new content and balance tweaks that would influence all subsequent versions of the game.
Overview and development
The remake was developed by ArtePiazza and Matrix Software, the former of which would go on to supervise remakes of nearly each title in the series. It features 3D graphics that are similar in style to Dragon Quest VII, but it utilizes the extra PlayStation 2 graphical capabilities for more detailed polygonal models and textures. The remake actually uses an earlier version of the DQVIII engine developed by Level-5, making the only instance of a hardware's remake title launching before the next main entry.
The Dragon Quest V remake is the third Dragon Quest release in the Square Enix name (after Kenshin Dragon Quest and Slime Morimori Dragon Quest). Lastly, a Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King preview video disc is included in the Japanese release of Dragon Quest V remake.
A fan translation of the PS2 version was completed by DQ Translations.
Changes to V originating from this version
Presentation
- Graphical style mimics that of the seventh game, utilizing SD characters on a three-dimensional plane with a rotating camera. The overworld screen now scrolls in a rolling motion, giving the impression of traversing a giant globe.
- Some town and dungeon maps are redesigned to take advantage of the new hardware, most notably Uptaten Towers and Lofty Peak
- The music is performed by the NHK Symphony.
- Save files now display a picture of the party's surroundings as a reminder.
Scenario
- Rodrigo Briscoletti & Nera appear at the beginning of Generation I as The Hero and Pankraz leave the ship in the game's opening scene.
- There are now 10 possible names for the Great sabrecub, instead of 4.
- There are now T'n'T boards as seen in Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation.
- Harry helps The Hero to fight the Slave-drivers.
- In the Super Famicom version, Nera cannot be controlled by the player directly in Generation II and could only go up to Level 10. The remake removes both limitations.
- Ladja now plays a more significant role in the plot, appearing three more times than in the original.
- In the snes version, losing to Ladja despite it being unavoidable in Generation I resulted in the player losing their Gold coins, whereas the remake removes that penalty. The gold is regained after escaping Crocodilopolis.
- Another new feature in the remake is the "Knick-knackatory," where the player has to collect local specialties from all around the world, return the items back to a museum run by a character named "Old Man Nick Knack," and receive rewards for them.
Gameplay
- There can now be 4 active party members in battle, instead of 3. Enemies appear in concomitantly larger groups, even in the early parts of the game when there are 3 or fewer party members anyway.
- The AI modes are updated to match the ones used in Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past.
- Stat gains on level-up are now randomized.
- Commands can be given to individual characters.
- Party Chat is now implemented, with human characters having full dialogue and monster companions alternating between two sentences.
- The Bag is available from the start of the game; so the Vault is replaced with a Bank.
- Items now sell for 50% of their purchase price, instead of 75%.
- Pots, barrels, and similar objects can now be picked up and thrown.
- The casino now offers poker in addition to its other games; the party's slime companion, if any, can be entered in the Slime Race.
- The first-level ice spell, Crack (Hyado), can now be cast by the hero's daughter; in the original game there was no way to obtain it.
- The effects of stat-buffing spells now expire after a certain number of turns.
- The "Paralysis" status effect will now wear off after 6~9 turns.
Monster-specific changes
- Monster companions can now have their names changed.
- The Monster Depository can now store 200 monsters instead of 50.
- There are now 70 potential species of monster companion, instead of 40. Including monsters that were present but unrecruitable, including:
- Some new monsters added (all recruitable) include:
Release and reception
Square Enix released a PlayStation 2 enhanced remake of Dragon Quest V on March 25, 2004, with first day sales of 722,000. As of 2018 the game has sold 1.64 million copies, making it the top selling Dragon Quest remake game of all-time, and is available in Japan as a Square Enix Ultimate Hits title.
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