Apparently, this is a bad game.

The buzz around the internet is Dragon Quest II isn't as good as the first one. I don't see it.

It's true that the combination of the three mute characters doesn't equal one, and the final bosses a less fleshed out, but the gameplay and charm are there. I have a headache, so let's get down to brass tax.


What does Dragon Quest II do that sucks?
The characters and bosses. We have five instead of two, but all of them are way more boring. Three silent protagonists, an antagonist with no personality, and a precursor to Necron. Had DQI not done more with less a year ago, I could overlook this. But it did, so I can't say, "that's how it was."

...Yeah, that's the only problem I have with the game.

Everything else is so great!

I don't like how Malroth appears from nowhere, but I dig the twist. And, at least in the SNES version, it's foreshadowed. That makes the plot better.

While there are still too many pallet swamps, there are more monsters, tile sets, and stuff to look at. There's snow!

And this helps with dungeon design. Lava once was a cool mechanic. It's not all cave mazes anymore. There are several types of tower mazes, and the world map is so large that it can feel like a mini dungeon.

Despite being three boring people, they each bring something new to the table. Both our spell casters learn new spells that DQI didn't, and they're usable. That's called growth!

Dragon Quest II is still a product of its time, but I can see the modern framework showing up. I could go into detail, but it's a clear sequel to the predecessor. Doing so will just rehash old news, so I'll finish this now.


Plot: downgrade. While the twist works well enough, the bland characters still make it worse.

Gameplay: new spells, new fun. Buffs, debuffs, more spell types, and more healing give the sequel way more depth.

Art: more of the same. But there is an emphasis on more. It has snow!

Sound: rehash. The music is new, but I like how a few old tracks stay around. It's just as good as DQI.

Charm: good enough. It's not as great as before, as there are no choices. But I enjoyed the previews of future stuff with the warp gates. And the ship and expanded world was probably mind blowing thirty years ago.

I think Dragon Quest II is better than Dragon Quest I. The massive world, additional gameplay, and new artwork give this entry into the franchise a 38/50. Three more points than DQI. But I hear Dragon Quest III is even better!