[Dragon Quest II] What Evolved? A Thorough Analysis of Difficulty and Freedom!

Hello, I'm Shigekun, who grew up with games.

Introduction

This time, we will take a deep dive into "Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line," released in 1987, while exploring questions like "How was it different from the first game?" and "Why is it called 'super difficult'?" to understand this step of evolution in Dragon Quest history!

■ Introduction of the 3-Person Party System 〜 Toward an Adventure Where You Are Not Alone 〜

While the "lonely solo journey" was a feature of Dragon Quest I, a party system of up to three members was adopted in Dragon Quest II.

• Hero (Prince of Midenhall):
  ⇨ Warrior type skilled in physical attacks

• Prince of Cannock:
  ⇨ Versatile type who can also use healing and support magic

• Princess of Moonbrooke:
  ⇨ Mage specialized in attack and support magic

This balance was exquisite, and the range of tactics expanded all at once.
• Putting enemies to sleep with magic
• Dividing roles between attackers and healers
• Annihilation battles using area-of-effect magic

These RPG-like strategies appeared in Dragon Quest for the first time.

■ The Freedom That Expanded the World All at Once

Another major evolution of Dragon Quest II is "freedom."
Dragon Quest I was a linear path where what you needed to do was clear, but in Dragon Quest II, the things you could do increased all at once.

• Traveling freely across the vast sea by ship
• Visiting countries in any order (to some extent)
• An "exploration RPG" where gathering information is key
In other words, it became possible for each player to have a different adventure experience.

The "pleasure of getting lost" truly began with this work.

■ Is the High Difficulty Due to Immature Balancing?

Many of the reasons why people say "Dragon Quest II is difficult" lie in the difficulty design of the final stages.

What is particularly talked about is...

• Cave to Rhone:
  ⇨ Complex traps and an encounter hell

• Rhone Plateau:
  ⇨ All common enemies are boss-level

• Final Boss Malroth:
  ⇨ Unreasonable instant-death Heal

These elements are the reason it is labeled as the "first super-difficult RPG."

But on the flip side, it can be said that it was a work that demanded a "serious challenge" from the player.

■ The Scenario and Presentation Also Evolved!

In Dragon Quest 2, the story also gained more depth.

• A shocking opening where Moonbrooke Castle is attacked and the princess is turned into a dog

• An easy-to-empathize-with introduction where you travel to find your companions

• Multiple countries and cultures appear, making you feel the vastness of the world

Also, the ending was moving, and
the form of "ending the journey as a king of a nation" made the conclusion of the adventure feel very solid.

■ Summary: Dragon Quest 2 is an unfinished masterpiece!

It is certainly rough around the edges in terms of balance.
But Dragon Quest 2 was a challenging work that greatly evolved the "Dragon Quest-ness."
• Strategic party combat
• High level of exploration and freedom
• A world view and presentation with increased gravitas

All of these became the touchstone for increasing the perfection of the next work, Dragon Quest 3.

How did you feel about it?

"I have memories of quitting because Dragon Quest 2 was too difficult"
"I can't forget the sense of accomplishment when I made it through Rhone!"
"I messed up the Resurrection Spell... (Original Dragon Quest 2)"
"Sword of Destruction + Falcon Sword is the best!? (Original Dragon Quest 2)"
"Yuuteimiyaoukimukou... (Resurrection Spell)"

If you have such memories, please let me know in the comments or by clicking 'Like'.

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