Dragon Quest Wiki - User contributions [en]

Dragon Quest VII

2010-07-18T05:37:52Z

67.189.122.150: /* Plot */

{{Infobox VG
|title=Dragon Quest VII: Warriors of Eden
|image= [[Image:Dq7boxart.jpg|300px]]
|caption=North American boxart
|developer=[[Heartbeat]], [[ArtePiazza]]
|publisher=[[Enix]]
|designer = [[Yūji Horii]]
|artist=[[Akira Toriyama]]
|composer=[[Kōichi Sugiyama]]
|engine=
|released= {{vgrelease|JP=August 26, 2000}}{{vgrelease|NA=November 1, 2001}}{{vgrelease|JP=March 2, 2005}} (PSOne Books re-release) {{vgrelease|JP=June 20, 2006}} (Ultimate Hits re-release)
|genre=[[Wikipedia:Console role-playing game|Role-playing game]]
|modes=[[Wikipedia:Single-player|Single-player]]
|ratings={{vgratings|ESRB=T (Teen)|CERO=A (All Ages)}}
|platforms=[[PlayStation]]
|media=2 [[Wikipedia:CD-ROM|CD-ROM]]
|requirements=
|input=
|series=''[[Dragon Quest]]''
}}
''Dragon Warrior VII'' is the seventh installment of the popular ''[[Dragon Quest (series)|Dragon Quest]]'' series of role playing games, and is the successor to [[wikipedia:1995 in video gaming|1995]]'s ''[[Dragon Quest VI]]'' for the [[Wikipedia:Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super Famicom]]. An immediate success upon release, ''Dragon Warrior VII'''s sales have totaled 4.06 million, making it the [[wikipedia:List_of_best-selling_video_games|best-selling]] PlayStation game in Japan by April 6, 2001, and is a [[wikipedia:Square_Enix_Ultimate_Hits|Square Enix Ultimate Hits]] title. It was the first main series''Dragon Quest'' title to be released outside of Japan since the release of ''[[Dragon Warrior IV]]'' in North America in [[wikipedia:1992 in video gaming|1992]], and the last ''Dragon Quest'' title to be released in North America with the ''Dragon Warrior'' name. The game was produced by [[Yuji Horii]], who has presided over the ''Dragon Quest'' series since its inception. Artwork and character designs were once again provided by [[Akira Toriyama]], the artist responsible for all previous ''Dragon Quest'' games and famous [[wikipedia:Mangaka|mangaka]].

The game follows the Hero and his friends as they discover secrets about the mysterious islands surrounding their home of Estard. Through some ancient ruins, they are transported to the pasts of various islands and must defeat evil in each new location. Game mechanics are largely unchanged from previous games in the series, although an extensive [[wikipedia:Character class|Class system]] allows players to customize their characters.

==Gameplay==
''Dragon Warrior VII'' is best known for its huge size. Without completing the game's side quests, a single game of ''Dragon Quest VII'' can take a hundred hours or more. In terms of gameplay, not much has changed from previous installments; battles are still fought in a [[wikipedia:Turn-based_strategy|turn-based] mode from a [[wikipedia:First_person_(video_game)|first person]] perspective. Although non-battle sequences are rendered in 3D, battles themselves are still portrayed two dimensionally. The ability to talk with the party characters in and outside of battles was added to this game. They offer advice about battle strategies and plot points, or simply comment on how they feel at a given moment. There are four ways and means of locomotion: feet, boat, magic carpet, and skystone. Each of these can move across different terrain.

The main flow of the game is different than the other ''Dragon Quest'' games; instead of exploring one large world, the party goes to separate continents by placing stone shards into their appropriate pedestals in Estard Fane. Once all of the missing shards are located and placed for a particular pedestal, the party is transported to the trapped location in the past. After solving whatever problems plague the location, the party then travels back to Estard, the beginning island. From there, they can travel via boat, carpet, or skystone to the modern version of the location they just saved. These saved lands appear on the main map, although the originals (from the past) can be revisited through the ruins. Like most of the other ''Dragon Quest'' games, this game has several mini-games to participate in. The Immigrant Town, similar to the one in ''Dragon Quest IV'', lets the player recruit people from various towns. They then live in the town, which changes depending on the type of people living there (e.g. several merchants will bring more stores to the town). A prominent feature in most ''Dragon Quest'' games is the casino. Poker, slot machines, and luck panel can all be played in ''Dragon Warrior VII''. The Ranking Association allows the player to compete for the highest stats, like the Beauty Competition from ''[[Dragon Quest VI]]''. The player can also catch monsters, although they are only displayed in the Monster Park, unlike in ''[[Dragon Quest V]]'', where monsters fought in the party. Blueprints are found to add new environments to the park.

===New features===
''Dragon Warrior VII'' uses a [[Wikipedia:Character_classes_from_the_Dragon_Quest_series|class system]] for learning abilities, similar to that of ''[[Dragon Quest VI]]''. Some available classes include [[Warrior]], Fighter, [[Cleric]], [[Mage]], Bard, Dancer, Jester, [[Thief]], Teen Idol, Pirate, [[Ranger]], Dragoon, [[Paladin]], Summoner, God Hand, and Hero, some of which are unlocked by mastering other classes. The game also includes monster classes, which can be unlocked by using the appropriate monster heart or mastering pre-requisite monster classes.

Characters generally stop learning character specific spells and skills around [[wikipedia:Experience_points|experience level]] 15; however, around this time in the game, players will reach Dharma Island, where they can give their characters certain classes. Each non-monster class belongs to one of three tiers (Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced), while monster classes have more tiers. Characters gain levels in classes by fighting a certain number of battles, as opposed to gaining experience points. Characters learn different spells and skills when they reach another class level and their stats are affected by what class they are. Once a character reaches the 8th and final level of a class, it is considered "mastered", if a character masters certain classes, higher tier classes will become available to them. For example, if a character masters the Mage and Cleric classes, which are both Basic, then the Intermediate class Sage will be available to them. If that character was to then master the TeenIdol class, the Advanced Summoner class would open up.

==Characters==
*[[Hero (Dragon Quest VII)|Hero]] — The Hero has no default name; as is traditional in the ''Dragon Quest'' series, the name is supplied by the player (however, he is called Arus in the official manga). The Hero is a lifelong native of the town of [[Fishbel]] on Estard Island. He is good friends with Maribel, daughter of the mayor of Fishbel, and Kiefer, prince of Estard Castle. In particular, he has a fondness for going out on impromptu "adventures" with Kiefer. It is one such adventure than begins the story of the game. In terms of gameplay, the Hero is a well-rounded character who is one of the strongest fighters in the game. He also lays claim to a variety of healing magics, and has fairly average statistical growth.

*[[Kiefer]] — Kiefer is a prince of [[Estard Island]], and the presumptive heir to the throne. Far from anticipating his elevation to kingship, however, Kiefer seems to resent his royal blood, and is a source of endless worry and frustration to his family and advisers. Kiefer, for his part, spends much of his time in search of excitement and adventure, and has found a kindred spirit in the Hero, whom he considers his closest friend. Kiefer is incredibly strong, with a high physical attack statistic and naturally high hit points. He is the most powerful character available early on in the game. On one trip to an ancient land, Kiefer falls in love, and remains behind. Upon returning to the present, the hero finds out that Kiefer became a famous guardian of the [[Dejans]], and is the biological ancestor of almost an entire culture/continent. Kiefer is also the main character of the game [[Dragon Quest Monsters: Caravan Heart]]

*[[Maribel]] — A friend of both the Hero and Kiefer, Maribel is the daughter of the mayor of Fishbel. Unlike Kiefer, who has steadfastly refused to let his social status influence how he looks upon other people, Maribel tends to be a bit condescending, even bossy. Despite this, she gets along well with her friends, and occasionally accompanies them on their adventuring, even if she sometimes has to pressure them into letting her tag along. Maribel is primarily a magic user: with low starting physical statistics, and an early lack of powerful weapons available for her use, it takes a good deal of time before she can do anything approaching the amount of physical damage inflicted by some of the other characters. On the other hand, Maribel has access to a variety of damaging attack spells relatively early on.

*[[Gabo]] — Although he appears normal, Gabo is actually a [[White Wolves|white wolf]] pup who was irrevocably turned into a boy. As such, he retains a number of obvious lupine characteristics, and can be somewhat animalistic at times. He agrees to travel with the heroes hoping to protect his family, but remains with the group out of a sense of loyalty. Gabo's specialty is in physical combat. Despite his diminutive size, he can easily become as powerful as the Hero, Melvin, and Aira through mastery of the class system.

*[[Melvin]] — A skilled paladin of generations past, Melvin fought on the side of [[God]] against the [[Orgodemir|Demon Lord]] many years ago. Melvin excelled at his work, and distinguished himself in both skill and honor. As such, Melvin was petrified in stone by God, so that, should the need arise, he could be reawakened to once again take up the fight against evil. The party finds Melvin, who joins their adventure, although his age and unfamiliarity with the present day often leave other characters somewhat befuddled. Melvin is proficient at both magic and physical combat, though his magic casting abilities are slightly superior to his physical attack skills.

*[[Aira]] — Aira is the lead ritual dancer of the Deja tribe, an ancient race of people charged with the stewardship of a temple necessary in the act of calling forth God. Raised and trained at swordsmanship, Aira is a more than capable fighter, as well. Aira is a powerful fighter and magic user. Although capable of doing both significant physical and significant magical damage, Aira stands in contrast to Melvin, in that her magic skills tend to lag slightly behind her physical statistics.

==Plot==

{{spoiler|start}}
''Dragon Warrior VII'' tells the story of a young hero, the son of a prominent fisherman in the village of Fishbel on Estard Island, the only landmass in the world, and his friends in a fantastical, medieval-like world. They set out on adventures through the world's past and learn about its history. Upon discovering different lands in the past and solving the troubles, they reappear in the game's present-day map.

The party begins their adventure when the hero and Keifer discovers a mysterious fragment of a map his father brings home from a fishing trip. Further investigations lead him to discover that the world he lives on, which seems to consist of only his small island, used to contain many continents that have somehow been sealed away. By placing found shards on pedestals in Estard's ruins, the Hero and his friends are sent to different lands in the past which the party eventually realizes. Once they solve the problems in the area's past, the landmasses appear in the present.

After the world is restored, Orgodemir, the Demonlord, disguises himself as God and seals several of the islands away once again; this time Estard is sealed as well. The party sets out to revive the elemental spirits: Wind; Fire; Earth; and Water. Orgodemir is then revealed as the Demonlord to the world whereupon he claims to have do so to trick humanity. Orgodemir then raises his Dark Palace and with the aid of the Flying Rock, the party confronts him in a final battle.
{{spoiler|end}}

'''''For a full synopsis on events that happen in Dragon Quest VII, click on the Dragon Quest VII naviagational tool.'''''

==Development==
''Dragon Quest VII'' was designed by series creator [[Yuji Horii]] and directed by Manabu Yamana. Shintaro Majima signed on as art director, while series veterans [[Akira Toriyama]] and [[Kōichi Sugiyama]] designed the characters and composed the music respectively.

The game was officially announced in 1996 and originally planned for the [[wikipedia:Nintendo_64DD|Nintendo 64DD]]. On January 15, 1997, it was announced that development had been moved to the PlayStation. By the next day, both stock in [[Wikipedia:Sony|Sony]] and Enix rose significantly in Japan. By 2000,''Dragon Quest VII'' was predicted to be so successful in Japan that it would "create a 50 billion yen effect on the Japanese economy", said research firm DIHS. ''Dragon Quest VII'' would go on to be released on August 26, 2000 and sold 4.06 million games in Japan alone, becoming one of the highest selling games of all time.

The game was delayed numerous times before its actual release. Work on the game was extended because the development staff wanted to perfect the game due to high expectations from the fans and because the team only consisted of about 35 people. Before its release, it was ranked as the most wanted game in Japan and Square, knowing about ''Dragon Quest VII's'' release, moved its [[Final Fantasy]] game to come out on a later date. Horii stated in an interview that the team focused more on puzzle solving than the game's story. Being the first game in the series to include 3D graphics, the team was also initially reluctant to include CG movies and cinematics due to letters written to Enix by fans fearing that doing so would change the overall feeling of the series.

The English language localization of ''Dragon Warrior VII'' began directly after the game's Japanese release. Enix of America was tasked with translating over 70,000 pages of text via 20 translators and 5 copy editors. No effort was made to edit or censor the context of the Japanese script. Weeks prior to the game's US release, Enix released new information about the game's different mechanics on their website weekly to introduce players to the game. Paul Handelman, president of Enix America, commented on the game that "All the talk this month about new systems with the latest technological wizardry doesn't diminish the fact that at the end of the day, compelling game play is what it's all about, and Dragon Warrior VII provides just that." ''Dragon Warrior VII'' was released in the US on November 1, 2001 and was the last game in the series to have ''Warrior'' in its title instead of ''Quest''. In 2003, Square Enix registered the ''Dragon Quest'' trademark in the US, with the intent to retire the ''Dragon Warrior'' name. Soon after the game's release, developer Heartbeat went on hiatus. Justin Lucas, product manager of Enix America, commented on the hiatus, saying that the developer merely "worked their tails off on Dragon Warrior 7 and Dragon Warrior 4. They decided to take a sabbatical for a while and rest up", noting that it had nothing to do with the game's US sales.

The back of the ''Dragon Warrior VII'' manual in North America contained an advertisement for ''[[Dragon Warrior IV]]'', an enhanced remake for the PlayStation of a Nintendo game of the same name. The localization was subsequently cancelled, due to Heartbeat's hiatus.

==Soundtrack==
As with every ''Dragon Quest'', [[Kōichi Sugiyama]] composed the musical score and directed all the associated spinoff soundtracks. As a first for the series, the original sound version was bundled with the symphonic suite in a two-disc set called ''Dragon Quest VII: Eden no Senshitachi Symphonic Suite + OST''. The entire first disc and the opening song of the second disc consists of the symphonic suite, while the rest of the second disc is the original sound version. A disc titled ''Dragon Quest VII: Eden no Senshitachi on Piano'' was also released, and contained 27 [wikipedia:Piano|piano]]-arranged tracks. The ''Symphonic Suite'' was later reprinted by itself in 2006.

All songs written and composed by Kōichi Sugiyama. All songs written and composed by Kōichi Sugiyama. 

==Reception==
{|class="wikitable infobox" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="padding-right: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 80%; float: right; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0.5em 1em; width: 23em; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center"
!colspan="2" style="font-size: 120%"|Reception
|-
!colspan="2" style="font-size: 120%; background: #d1dbdf"|Aggregate scores
|-
!Aggregator
!Score
|-
|[[wikipedia:GameRankings|GameRankings]]
|81%
|-
|[[wikipedia:Metacritic|Metacritic]]
|78 out of 100
|-
|[[wikipedia:MobyGames|MobyGames]]
|77 out of 100
|-
|[[wikipedia:TopTenReviews|TopTenReviews]]
|3.20 of 4
|-
!colspan="2" style="font-size: 120%; background: #d1dbdf"|Review scores
|-
!Publication
!Score
|-
|''[[wikipedia:Famitsu|Famitsu]]''
|38 out of 40
|-
|''[[wikipedia:Game_Informer|Game Informer]]''
|6.75 out of 10
|-
|''[[wikipedia:GamePro|GamePro]]''
|4 out of 5
|-
|[[wikipedia:GameSpot|GameSpot]]
|7.7 out of 10
|-
|[[wikipedia:IGN|IGN]]
|8.7 out of 10
|-
|''[[wikipedia:Official_U.S._PlayStation_Magazine|Official PlayStation Magazine (US)]]''
|4.5 out of 5
|}''Dragon Warrior VII'' was very well-received in Japan both commercially and critically. It was the best-selling PlayStation game of [[wikipedia:2000_in_video_gaming|2000]] in the region at 3.78 million copies sold. As most of the units were sold mere weeks after the game's release, the game established itself for having the largest annual shipment of any independently sold game for the original PlayStation. Worldwide, sales of the game have surpassed 4.1 million units as of February 2004. ''Dragon Warrior VII'' won the grand prize in Digital (Interactive) Art Division at the 4th [[wikipedia:Japan_Media_Arts_Festival|Japan Media Arts Festival] in 2000, where the game was praised for being "...engaging without depending on a high degree of realism..." and "...well refined and artfully executed." The game also won four awards from the 5th Japan Entertainment Software Awards by the [[wikipedia:Computer_Entertainment_Supplier|Association Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association] (CESA), including Best Prize, Scenario Prize, Sales Prize, and Popularity Prize. In 2006, the readers of ''[[wikipedia:Famitsu|Famitsu]'' magazine voted ''Dragon Warrior VII'' the 9th best video game of all time.

Sales of the North American version of ''Dragon Warrior VII'' reached about 200,000 copies according to The Magic Box, which was not nearly as stellar as its Japanese counterpart. Enix of America still expressed their satisfaction with the sales figures. ''Dragon Warrior VII'' met with mostly good reviews from North American critics. [[wikipedia:IGN|IGN]] noted that all "100+ hours" of the game are enjoyable despite the dated visuals and clunky presentation. ''[[wikipedia:GamePro|GamePro]]'' questioned whether the game's package was nostalgic or just awful, but still gave it a decent score and called it a great game overall. GameZone.com praised the game's concept and nostalgia factor and cited it as "what role-playing games were meant to be." They also noted the game's high difficulty, which, instead of making the game frustrating, they say, "make it that much more of an accomplishment when you complete a quest." IGN described the game's class system as "one of the best class systems seen outside a strategy RPG."

Other critics were not as pleased with ''Dragon Warrior VII''. GameShark.com described the first two hours of the game as "some of the most boring hours you will ever play in a video game." XenGamers.com also pointed out that in order to play the game, the player needs "the patience of a rock". [[wikipedia:Game_Informer|Game Informer]] even went as far as to say that "four million Japanese can be wrong", referring to the game's immense popularity in Japan.

Because of the game's delay in being developed, its release was after the [[Sony PlayStation 2|Playstation 2's]] release, which created some negative feedback, particularly about the game's graphics. IGN commented on this, calling the game "a game that makes only a bare minimum of concessions to advancing technology, but more than makes up for this with its deep gameplay, massive quest, and sheer variety." Gamespot called the graphics "not good" and warned readers that if the "most rewarding things" they "got out of Final Fantasy VII were the full-motion video interludes, you definitely won't be wowed by anything you see in Dragon Warrior VII."

==Related media==
The [[wikipedia:Manga|manga]] adaptation of ''Dragon Quest VII'' was published by Enix's ''[[wikipedia:Gangan Comics|Monthly Gangan]]'' in Japan. It was illustrated by [[wikipedia:Kamui_Fujiwara|Kamui Fujiwara]], who also worked on another franchise-related manga, ''[[wikipedia:Dragon_Quest_Retsuden:_Roto_no_Monsho|Dragon Quest Retsuden: Roto no Monshō]]''. Fourteen volumes were released between 2001 and 2006, though the series is currently on hiatus.

In this adaptation, the hero is given the name "Arus". The manga follows the game story while adding in new characters and more detailed relationships, as the original hero was silent and a personality needed to be added for the comic version.

==References==
{{Wikipedia}}
{{Wikipedia-ja}}

{{DQVII}}
{{Dragon Quest series}}
[[Category:Main series games]]
[[Category:Articles on Wikipedia]]
[[Category:Dragon Quest VII]]

Dragon Quest V

2010-07-18T05:27:46Z

67.189.122.150: /* Plot */

{{Infobox VG
| type = Main series games
| title =Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride
| image = [[File:DQVDS_boxart.jpg|300px]]
| caption = Japanese boxart
| developer = [[Chunsoft]] [[ArtePiazza]], [[Matrix Software]] (PS2) [[ArtePiazza]], [[Cattle Call]] (NDS)
| publisher = [[Enix|Enix Corporation]] (SFC) [[Square Enix]] (PS2, NDS)
| designer = [[Yūji Horii]]
| artist = [[Akira Toriyama]]
| composer = [[Koichi Sugiyama]]
| engine =
|released='''Super Famicom''' {{vgrelease|JP=September 27, 1992}}'''PlayStation 2''' {{vgrelease|JP=March 25, 2004}}'''Nintendo DS''' {{vgrelease|JP=July 17, 2008|NA=February 17, 2009|EU=February 20, 2009|AUS=February 19 2009}}
| genre = [[Wikipedia:Console role-playing game|Console role-playing game]]
| modes = [[Wikipedia:Single player|Single player]]
| ratings = {{vgratings|CERO=A (PS2, NDS)|ESRB=E10+ (NDS)|PEGI=12+ (NDS)}}
| platforms = [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super Famicom]], [[PlayStation 2]], [[Nintendo DS]]
| media = 16-[[Wikipedia:megabit|megabit]] [[Wikipedia:ROM cartridge|cartridge]] (SFC) [[Wikipedia:DVD|DVD]] (PS2) [[Nintendo DS#Media specifications|Nintendo DS Game Card]]
| requirements =
| input =
|series = ''[[Dragon Quest]]''
}}
'''''Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride''''', (ドラゴンクエストV 天空の花嫁, Doragon Kuesuto Faibu: Tenkū no Hanayome) is the fifth installment in the ''[[Dragon Quest]]'' series. It was the first ''Dragon Quest'' title to be released for the Nintendo [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super Famicom]]. It was later re-released for the Playstation 2 and Nintendo DS, the latter being the first time it was released outside of Japan.

Along with ''[[Dragon Quest VI]]'', the original Super Famicon release never reached North America. In the absence of an official translation, several [[fan translation]]s exist for the Super Famicom version, as well as the PS2 version.

Dragon Quest V was the first game in the series in which certain monsters from random encounters may offer to join the player's party. This concept was an inspiration for the ''[[Wikipedia:Pokémon|Pokémon]]'' video game series which debuted several years after Dragon Quest V's release. Later, the same concept would spawn the ''[[Dragon Quest Monsters]]'' series.

==Gameplay==
Dragon Quest V follows in the footsteps of [[Dragon Quest IV]] by having unique divisions between segments of the game. Rather than using chapters, the game follows the life of the [[Hero (Dragon Quest V)|hero]] from childhood to adulthood to parenthood. This divides the game into 3 separate eras. It retains all of the typical elements of a Dragon Quest RPG with respect to enemies, levels, equipment, etc.

===Monster recruitment===
:''See main article, [[Monster recruitment in Dragon Quest V]]''
The largest gameplay addition was the inclusion of a monster recruitment system. Under this system, certain monsters may elect to join the player's party after being defeated in battle. These monsters then behave as typical player characters who can level up, use equipment, and receive orders/tactics in battle. Only specific monsters may be recruited and many have very low probability of joining the player's party. This new feature adds a great deal of replay value as it greatly increases the possible party configurations a player can use.

===Knick-knacks===
Throughout the game, many special items called knick-knacks may be collected by the player. These items can be displayed in a special museum; NPCs will be attracted to the museum once it has exhibits. The museum curator sometimes offers gold in exchange for the special product exhibits. Some special products will be upgraded by certain plot events. Knick-knacks are unrelated to the overall plot of the game and exist only as a sidequest.

===Vehicles===
There are multiple vehicles in the game used for traveling to various locations. In addition to the typical [[Ship|ship]] vehicle, there are several additional vehicles.
* Magic carpet: It can travel on grass, water, and shoals, and will suppress wandering monster encounters due to its high speed. It can be carried as an item, allowing it to be used anywhere where there is a sufficient region of grass to take off. However, it cannot travel through forests, so a line of forest inside a line of water (or vice versa) remains an impassible barrier.
* The [[Zenithia|Sky Castle]]: It can fly over any terrain; but it cannot reach or pass the high mountain on the central continent where the Great Temple is located. It can only land or take off from grass (and only large areas of grass, due to its size). The Return spell will not relocate the castle, although it is itself a valid Return target.
* The [[Master Dragon]]: The Master Dragon can also fly over any terrain, and moreover can reach the Great Temple on the mountain. He may be called with the "Bell of the Dragon"  item, given by the dragon towards the end of the game. Like the carpet and Castle, the Master Dragon can only drop or pick up the party from grassy locations. He cannot reach the Dark World, so the Bell will have no effect there.

===Other new features===
* In this game it is possible to use katakana and numbers to name characters; earlier games had only allowed the use of hiragana. Also, message windows can now display kanji.
* Search, Talk, and Open commands can now be issued by a single button press, bypassing the menu.
* Combat screens now have background images, as in the first game. The images actually depend on the local terrain. Also, attacking a monster or casting an offensive spell will produce a matching animation.
* The original SNES version only allows 3 active party members instead of 4; a 5-person wagon is still available, however.
* The shop interface now shows what stat changes will occur when a weapon is equipped, and can equip purchased items automatically.
* Characters can now move a half-block tile at a time rather than only a full block.
* There is now a separate Defense stat, determining a character's base defense; in earlier games the base defense was calculated from other statistics.
* Boomerangs and whips, for the first time, can attack multiple enemies.
* Some traditional spells had their effects slightly altered.
* Pots, barrels, and similar objects can now be Searched, and will often contain useful items.

===Combat system===
Dragon Quest V features a more advanced party AI than Dragon Quest IV. There is a "learn" strategy, which improves much faster than its counterpart in the previous game. It is also possible, unlike in the previous game, to set PCs to command mode, allowing them to be controlled individually as in the first three games rather than being automated.

Also, the mechanism for replacing characters with reinforcements from the wagon was changed. It no longer takes a turn for a character to be swapped with one in the wagon, and it is possible to replace all characters at once. This significantly changes battle strategy, especially against major bosses.

For the first time, any character who is targetting an already-dead monster will have their target automatically transferred to one of the other monsters (selected at random). In earlier games, the action was simply cancelled.

===Chimera wings and the Zoom spell===
The Chimera wing item will transport the party to the last town they visited, as in the earliest games of the series; but the [[Zoom]] spell will take them to the town of their choice as in the later games. The Zoom spell can only be acquired at a certain stage of the plot (in the first half of the second era); it cannot be acquired by leveling, and monsters with this spell will not appear until the plot event occurs. This marks the first time in the series that spell acquisition has been tied to plot events.

==Characters==
{{spoiler|start}}
The Hero is, in the early chapters of the game, a six-year-old boy who travels all around the world along with his father, [[Pankraz]]. After the death of Papas, the Hero is a slave forced to undergo hard labor in the building of a temple. Ten years after, he finally escapes from there, and he starts a journey to find his mother, Martha, who is said to have died soon after the Hero was born. She came from Elhaven and hence had the power to tame monsters.

Pankraz is the father of the Hero. Though he was once the king of [[Gotha]], he left his homeland to search of the Legendary Hero and his wife. His attendant, [[Sancho]], goes with him on his journey and resides in [[Whealbrook]] early in the game.

[[Bianca]] is a daughter of the innkeepers of [[Roundbeck]] and the childhood friend of the Hero. After growing up, she moves to a small village for recuperation of her father, and is one of the women whom the player can choose to marry the Hero.

[[Nera]] is a daughter of Ludman , who recently got back from a religious house. She is the second choice for becoming the Hero's bride. Her father, [[Ludman]] (ルドマン ''Rudoman'') is a wealthy man living in [[Salabona]] (サラボナ ''Sarabona''). He seeks his daughter's bridegroom, but will only accept a man who is able to pass his trial. [[Andy]] (アンディ ''Andi'') a friend of Flora's, also desires to marry her.

==Plot==
''Dragon Quest V'' begins with a brief scene of the Hero's birth in which the player gives the Hero a name. After that scene, the Hero finds himself in a room onboard a ship with his father, Pankraz. After the ship stops at [[Vista Port|Littlehaven]] (ビスタ ''Bisuta''), they leave the ship for Whealbrook, where Pankraz's friend Sancho lives. Upon arrival, the Hero meets Bianca. After exploring the cave behind Whealbrook, he and Pankraz accompany Bianca to her town Roundbeck. Upon arrival at that town, Bianca and the Hero explore the haunted castle [[Lenoire|Uptaten Towers]] (レヌール ''Renūru''), where they obtain a mysterious [[Golden Orb]]. Afterwards Pankraz and the Hero return to Whealbrook, along with a pet tiger named [[Saber]] (ボロンゴ ''Borongo''), a monster that was saved from bullying by the Hero and Bianca.

The next day, the Hero notices a man in the town who looks very similar to him. That man asks the Hero to show him the Golden Orb and, after returning it, asks him to take care of his father Pankraz. Elsewhere in town, he finds the spirit of [[Bella|Honey]], who asks him to return with her to her country, the snow-covered land of [[Faerie|Fairy Lae]]. Upon arriving there, the two defeat the [[Queen of Ice|Winter Queen]] to allow Spring to return to the land. After accomplishing this feat, the Hero, Pankraz, and Saber travel to the eastern kingdom of [[Reinhart|Coburg]] (ラインハット ''Rainhatto''), where the Hero befriends [[Prince Henry|Prince Harry]] (ヘンリー ''Henrī''). However, Harry is kidnapped, forcing the Hero and Pankraz to rescue him. Once the Hero finds Harry in a nearby hideout, they are attacked by a duo of powerful monsters, in which Pankraz defeats, but then a third entity appears and threatens the Hero's life, forcing Pankraz to give in. In the process, Pankraz is killed by powerful monsters, the Golden Orb is destroyed, and the Hero and Harry are sold into slavery.

The story continues ten years later, and the player finds that the Hero and Harry have grown up working on a giant temple. They get into a scuffle with the guards after seeing a girl named [[Maria]] (マリア ''Maria'') being whipped; the three of them are released from the temple and sent drifting to the [[casino]] town of Fortuna (オラクルベリー ''Orakuruberī'') by Maria's brother. Here the Hero and Henry discover that Whealbrook has been destroyed by the armies of the [[Queen of Reinhart|Queen of Coburg]], who has been acting as regent for Harry's brother [[Prince Dale|Wilbur]]. Upon paying a visit to his homeland, Harry discovers that his mother has been replaced by a monster. After unmasking the fake queen using the [[mirror of Ra]] and defeating the monster, Harry and Maria marry and become advisors to the king.

Afterward, the Hero will travel to the western continent, where he will meet up with Saber once more, and travel to the town of [[Salabona|Mostroferrato]], where the wealthy nobleman Mr. Briscoletti and his daughters Nera and [[Debora]] live. He sends the hero on a quest to retrieve two magic rings of [[Ring of Fire|fire]] and [[Ring of Water|water]] as a test of his worthiness as a suitor for Nera. The Hero is able to accomplish this task only with the aid of Bianca, who he meets in a nearby village. Afterwards, Mr. Briscoletti offers the Hero the chance to marry Nera, but it is also possible for him to marry Bianca or, more surprisingly, Debora instead.

After the marriage, the Hero takes his bride through a great mountain path that leads to his homeland of Gotha. Upon their arrival, Sancho is shocked to see the Hero and Bianca (or one of the Bricoletti sisters), and immediately takes them to see the current King of Gotha--[[Ojiron|Albert]], the younger brother of Pankraz. The Hero must undergo a [[Royal trial|Rite of Passage]] before he can assume the throne, while his wife, now revealed to be pregnant, rests. During the coronation celebration, the Hero's wife is kidnapped, but the newly born twins are safely hidden.

The Hero rushes to save his wife, but upon defeating the powerful monsters who kidnapped her, both the Hero and his bride are cursed and turned into stone; they remain this way for eight long years.

The Hero is found by his two children and Sancho in the garden of a wealthy man's estate, and is revived and taken back to Gotha castle. They still have not found Bianca, Nera or Debora, but they have a lead on the whereabouts of the Hero's mother: she was from the town of [[Lofty peak]] on the continent north of Gotha. The Hero goes there, finds more information, and procures a [[magic carpet]]. Travelling the world to collect the [[Legendary Armaments|legendary "Heavenly" or "Celestial" armaments]] for the Legendary Hero, it is discovered that the [[Hero's son (Dragon Quest V)|Hero's son]] is indeed the [[Legendary Hero]] sought by Pankraz almost twenty years ago.

During this stage of the journey, the Hero avenges Papas by killing Slon and restores the [[Zenith Dragon]], as well as his [[Zenithia|flying castle]], to their proper homes in the sky. To accomplish this, the Hero has to enter a time warp to retrieve the Golden Orb from his child self. The Hero, older and wiser, attempts to talk Pankraz out of going to Coburg to his demise, but he does not heed the warning.

After returning to the temple the Hero helped build as a slave, the [[Zenithian armor]] is found, as well as the statue of his wife. After the final source of evil is eradicated from the world, the party is told that Martha remains in Nadiria, and that the final source of evil, Grandmaster [[Nimzo]] (ミルドラース ''Mirudorāsu''), is lying in wait for the Legendary Hero. The Hero, his wife, and their children agree not to leave Martha in the demon world, so together they travel there via a portal near Lofty Peak, and reach Mt. Zugzwang.

Martha is found inside, but dies shortly after meeting the Hero and his family. The party continues on to confront and destroy the lord of evil, Nimzo. They return to Gotha, and have a joyful party. As the family celebrates, Pankraz and Martha watch their son and his family from the heavens, happy and content with their progeny.

After beating the game, players can gain access to the [[bonus dungeon]]. ''Dragon Quest V'' was the first Dragon Quest game to have a bonus dungeon (although the remakes of ''Dragon Quest III'' and ''IV'' added bonus dungeons later).
{{spoiler|end}}

===Setting===
''Dragon Quest V'' is set years after the Zenithian Hero defeated [[Necrosaro|Psaro]] on its previous installment, ''[[Dragon Quest IV]]''. The game starts at Littlehaven, with the Hero leaving to go to Whealbrook. Like all other Dragon Quest games, this one takes place in a medieval world, with no real modern technology, such as cars or electricity. Characters fight with [[swords]], clubs, and magic instead of guns or other weapons.

The layout of the world is similar to the layout in Dragon Quest IV, but with a new set of locations, and considerable geographic alteration. The [[Tower of Heaven]] and [[Castle Zenithia]] are the only surviving locations from the previous game, and they have fallen into ruin and are no longer connected. The overworld has different monster encounter tables for each of the three eras.

The quest takes the Hero and his party to many exotic locations, such as a [[fairy village (Dragon Quest V)|fairy village]], a [[Ice Mansion|mansion made of ice]], several caves, and a volcano. The party eventually makes its way to the castle [[Zenithia]], which is a castle in each game of the [[Zenithia trilogy]]. Like a few other Dragon Quest games, the final enemies reside in a [[dark world]], separate from the main map.

==Legacy==
===PS2 remake===
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 April 2004, the game has sold over 1.5 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. The remake was developed by former ''Dragon Quest VII'' art directors, [[Artepiazza]]. It features 3D graphics that are similar to ''Dragon Quest VII'', but it utilizes the extra PlayStation 2 graphical capabilities. The Hero and his companions have to fight more monsters in the PlayStation 2 remake than they did in the Super Famicom original, but the character limit on the party has been increased from three to four. Also, there were only 40 monsters available to the player's party in the Super Famicom version of ''Dragon Quest V'' due to [[Read-only memory|ROM]] limitations. The PlayStation 2 remake, however, does not suffer from this restriction. The music is performed by the [[NHK Symphony]].

Another new feature in the remake is the "[[Yuuji's Specialty Museum]]," where the player has to collect local specialties from all around the world, return the items back to a character named "[[Yuuji]]," and receive rewards for them. The ''Dragon Quest V'' remake is the third ''Dragon Quest'' release in the Square Enix name (after ''[[Kenshin Dragon Quest: Yomigaerishi Densetsu no Ken|Kenshin Dragon Quest]]'' and ''[[Slime Morimori Dragon Quest]]''). Lastly, a ''[[Dragon Quest VIII]]'' preview video disc is included in the Japanese release of ''Dragon Quest V'' remake.

A [[fan translation]] of the PS2 version is currently being worked on by Kojiro Translations.

The engine of the PS2 remake is similar to the one used in [[Dragon Quest VII]]. Like [[Dragon Quest VII]], there is a pseudo-3D view replacing the original bird's eye view. The graphics are updated accordingly. There is also a preview of [[Dragon Quest VIII]] bundled with the remake.

* The “Bag” is available from the start of the game; so the [[Vault]] is replaced with a [[Bank]].
* There are now 10 possible names for the Baby Panther, instead of 4.
* The Monster Depository can now store 200 monsters instead of 50.
* Monster companions can now have their names changed.
* One can talk to companions while traveling in the overworld.
* Pots, barrels, and similar objects can now be picked up and thrown.
* The AI modes are updated to match the ones used in [[Dragon Quest VII]].
* The "Paralysis" status effect will now wear off after several turns.
* Items now sell for 50% of their purchase price, instead of 75%.
* Some new spells and specialty attacks have been added.
* The first-level fire spell, [[HYADO]] or [[Blaze]], can now be cast by the hero's daughter; in the previous game there was no way to obtain it.
* 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.
* Stat gains on level-up are now randomized.
* There are now 70 potential species of monster companion, instead of 40.
* Bosses are much more powerful.
* Some town and dungeon maps are redesigned.
* There are now [[Sugoroku]] boards as in [[Dragon Quest III]].
* 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.
* Save games now display a picture of the party's surroundings as a reminder.
* The marriage system is different than in the original.
* [[Gema]] now plays a more significant role in the plot.

===DS remake===
A ''Dragon Quest V'' remake for the [[Nintendo DS]] was announced in late 2007 by Square Enix and is currently in development by ArtePiazza. The game uses the same engine as the DS remake of ''Dragon Quest IV''.

On April 23, 2008, it was reported that [[Square Enix]] has applied for the trademark "Hand of the Heavenly Bride" at the [[United States Patent and Trademark Office]]. It was confirmed to be in reference to ''Dragon Quest V'' by a listing from Nintendo of third-party titles for Nintendo platforms. On the following day, Square Enix sent out a press release saying that the game will be released in Europe under the name ''Dragon Quest: The Hand of the Heavenly Bride''.

==Reception==
Like the other games in the series, ''Dragon Quest V'' was very popular in Japan.In 2006, the Japanese gaming magazine [[Famitsu]] had readers vote on the top one hundred games of all time, ''Dragon Quest V'' coming in at 11 and the PS2 remake at number 40. In particular, the way the story is divided by different periods of time has been praised, as it is something that has not appeared in many video games. ''Dragon Quest V'' has also been acknowledged as Yuji Horii's favourite in the series.

==Soundtrack==
[[Koichi Sugiyama]] composed the music and directed all the associated spinoffs. A compilation of ''Dragon Quest V's'' music was put on the album ''Dragon Quest V ~Bride of the Heavens~ Symphonic Suite'', was released in 1992 and then again in 2000. The first version features an extra disc with the original soundtrack as well as the symphonic one. Here is the tracklisting of the Symphonic Suite:

# [[Overture]] (1:59)
# Castle Trumpeter (2:21)
# Melody in an Ancient Town ~ Toward the Horizon ~ Casino ~ Lively Town ~ Melody in an Ancient Town (7:50)
# Magic Carpet ~ The Ocean (7:39)
# Melody of Love (3:00)
# Monsters in the Dungeon ~ Tower of Death ~ Dark World ~ Monsters in the Dungeon (6:20)
# Violent Enemies ~ Almighty Boss Devil Is Challenged (5:44)
# Noble Requiem ~ Saint (5:53)
# Satan (4:52)
# Heaven (2:57)
# Bridal Waltz (3:39)

==Related media==
''Dragon Quest Tenkuu Monogatari'' (Tale of the Air) is a twelve-volume manga series based on ''Dragon Quest V'' by [[Chino Yukimiya]], which ran in 1997, and again in 2001. The story follows Sora and Ten, the two children from ''Dragon Quest V''.

==See also==
[[List of Monsters in Dragon Quest V]]

==References==
{{wikipedia|Dragon Quest V}}
{{wikipedia-ja|ドラゴンクエストV 天空の花嫁}}

{{DQV}}
{{Dragon Quest series}}
[[Category:Main series games]]
[[Category:Articles on Wikipedia]]
[[Category:Dragon Quest V]]