Dragon Quest V -Super Famicom- 10

May 20, 2023

Earlier this year, I beat Dragon Quest 5 on the Nintendo DS, and I loved it so much that I immediately began a casual playthrough of the original version for the Japanese Super Famicom, and I just beat it today. (I actually played it on a snes repro with an English fan translation, but the authentic Super Famicom cib is pictured here.) Playing the two versions back to back really made me appreciate how faithful the DS remake was to the original version, as well as see all the little nuances between the two. The original only has three active party members during battle, while the remake has four. And the remake had a short scene at the beginning that introduces the rich guy’s daughter, as well as her sister, who does not exist in the original. That scene is absent here in the original version. The remake also added party chat, which developed the great characters’ personalities even further. Anyway, I gave the DS remake a 10 a few months ago, and I am absolutely giving the SF version a 10 out of ten as well. Just like the DS version, the storyline is one of the best rpg stories of all time. You really feel like the events are happening to you as your character grows up, gets married, and has kids. And the graphics are beautiful for an old school rpg. And the soundtrack is up there with the very best of the 16bit era. This game absolutely cracks my top three Super NES games of all time (if we are counting Japanese releases). It’s a masterpiece that hits me hard on an emotional level. And that ending is just beautiful! The DS version gets the edge for the party chat, but both versions are must plays. Oh, and in the DS version, i married the tomboy (Bianca). But in this SF version, I married the rich guy’s daughter (Flora). I loved the way the game really puts pressure on you to decide who to marry. Brilliant storytelling. I already want to replay this a third time!