Dragon Quest VIII -PS2- 9.5

February 6, 2025

Dragon Quest VIII released in North America for the PlayStation 2 back in November of 2005. I finally played through the game this past month, and it took me approximately 105 hours to witness both endings. I also collected 110 mini medals to receive the final reward from Princess Minnie, beat all the ranks in the Monster Arena, and completed the sidequest with Cash&Carrie to reopen the Baccarat Casino. Most importantly, I also went through the Dragovian Path in the postgame and defeated the Lord of the Dragovians to receive the Argon ring and unlock the second ending. However, I did not attempt the subsequent challenge trials that are offered after you save Dragovian Sanctuary.

Dragon Quest VIII is another magnificent entry in the superlative jrpg series. DQ8 takes big steps for the franchise with its presentation, taking full advantage of the generational leap to the PlayStation 2. The character models look like they are cut straight from an anime movie, as they roam about beautiful 3D landscapes. The glorious orchestral soundtrack booms and soars with some of the series’ best music yet. There is also voice acting now, with heartfelt performances all around. Most notably, the voices for Jessica, Princess Medea, and Empyrea were absolutely angelic. The Ascantha segment with Ishmahri, the maid Emma, King Pavan, and Queen Sasha also had incredible voice work.

Battles no longer take place solely from the first person viewpoint in DQ8. The camera switches angles throughout each fight, so you see all the action. The gameplay mechanics themselves remain faithful to the series traditions. Battles are still turn-based, as you grind through enemies to level up your characters and unlock new abilities. There is no more class system from the previous two entries. Instead, you distribute skill points into specific weapon categories to unlock new spells and attacks. Psyching up is a cool new option to build your tension for a few turns and unleash a more powerful attack. And you can also use the alchemy pot to cook and forge new items and gear.

The story of DQ8 begins with a hero soldier traveling with a toad king and horse princess who are pursuing the jester magician Dhoulmagus who cursed their kingdom. Along the way, you meet others who have had loved ones murdered by Dhoulmagus, and they join you in your quest to find and stop the evil jester. The story of DQ8 starts small, but eventually expands its horizons into something greater. There are many truly majestic moments throughout the journey. Opening the door to the Moonshadow realm to have Ishmahri bring old memories back to life, speaking to Princess Medea momentarily when she drinks from the Mystical Spring, traveling to the World of Darkness to meet the great bird Empyrea, and Jessica having visions of her late brother — these scenes are dreamlike and completely mesmerizing.

The size of the world and scope of the story may not feel quite as gargantuan as the previous entry, Dragon Warrior 7, but DQ8 weaves a grand adventure of its own that connects brilliantly by the end…provided you play through the postgame content after the initial end screen and beat the final boss a second time. The postgame stretch in the Dragovian section is a critical cornerstone to the main narrative, allotting essential backstory for the lead protagonist. Many subtle details from previous NPC dialogue finally connected and made the whole story feel so much more complete by the second ending, and it was immensely satisfying.

A big reason why the Dragon Quest series resonates so much with me is its themes of family and connected generations, and DQ8 keeps those themes at the center of its narrative. Learning about these endearing characters’ pasts and relationships, and watching them grow together made me care deeply about each and every one of them. DQ8’s main party cast is not very big, but each member is written and developed extraordinarily well. I loved watching the drama unfold between Angelo and his half brother. Hearing about Jessica and her family was touching. King Trode and Yangus provided good comic relief. And I was dying to see what would happen between the Hero and Princess Medea by the end. I will never forget this cast of characters and their time together. I rate Dragon Quest VIII a 9.5 out of ten.