Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen: Difference between revisions

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It was originally released for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|Famicom]] on February 11, 1990 in Japan. The North American version, titled ''Dragon Warrior IV'', was released for the NES in October 1992.

==~~Gameplay~~==

==Setting==

''~~Dragon Quest~~ IV'' ~~was unique in that its story was split into five chapters. The~~ first ~~four chapters were told from~~ the ~~perspective~~ of the ~~hero's future companions, telling their stories before they meet~~ the ~~hero. The fifth chapter was~~ the ~~hero's quest. During~~ that ~~quest,~~ the ~~player meets and joins up with the companions from the earlier chapters~~. ~~Then, with~~ a ~~full cast~~, the ~~group begins their journey~~ to ~~save~~ the ~~world~~.

''IV'' is the first of the series to not be related to the [[Erdrick trilogy|lineage of Erdrick]]--the game is the first of a new trilogy revolving around the legend of a [[Zenithia trilogy|castle in the sky]] that watches over the world below. The world map is of a comparable size to that of ''III'', but has no direct parallels to the real world in regards to the shape of the continents and nature of the kingdoms.

This game introduced several new features over the first three titles. It was the first Dragon Quest game to feature a casino, which became common in later titles. In addition, there were party member artificial intelligence options, which allowed players to give strategies to their party while still directly controlling the hero character. Finally, the wagon which allowed extra characters to wait and be exchanged during battle if needed.

In the fifth chapter of the NES version of the game, the player no longer directly controls any of the previous characters; instead using the Tactics menu to deliver a loose set of instructions (Normal, Defensive, Offensive, Save MP, Use No MP, Try Out). The only character directly controlled is the Hero. All chapters except chapter 2 also contain Non-Player Characters, which travel with the player, but cannot be directly controlled. They act on their own, guided by the game's AI.

==Plot==

~~The story line of ''Dragon Quest IV'' was the first in the series to be unrelated to the events of ''Dragon Quest I'', ''II'', and ''III''.~~ The story in ''~~Dragon Quest~~ IV'' ~~revolves~~ around the ~~journey~~ of the ~~hero and his/her companions~~ and their quest to prevent the resurrection of the ruler of evil, [[Estark]]. The first four chapters of the story are about the hero's companions and their own ~~journeys~~. While they each travel with their own goals and dreams in mind, they all eventually ~~find out about~~ [[Psaro]] ~~and his plot~~ to ~~kill~~ the ~~hero and revive [[~~Estark~~]], leading them all to join forces so they can put a stop to [[Psaro]] and his plans~~.

The story in ''IV'' is a more character-focused tale centered around the lives of the chosen ones prior to and during their quest to prevent the resurrection of the ruler of evil, [[Estark]]. The first four chapters of the story are about the hero's companions and their own challenges and hardships. While they each travel with their own goals and dreams in mind, they all eventually discover the conspiracy of [[Psaro]] the Manslayer to drive the human race to extinction via Estark's hellish power.

===Prologue===

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Chapter 6 is a post-epilogue continuation of the game's storyline. Originally appearing in the PlayStation remake of ''Dragon Quest IV'', Chapter 6 offers a lengthy bonus dungeon, and the culmination of certain plot points that were left ambiguous in the original release.

==New features==

===Artificial intelligence===

In a bold move for an NES title, a significant portion of the game's memory was dedicated to an intricate artificial intelligence that controls party members during the fifth chapter. In the fifth chapter of the NES version of the game, the player no longer directly controls any of the previous characters; instead using the Tactics menu to deliver a loose set of instructions (Normal, Defensive, Offensive, Save MP, Use No MP, Try Out). The only character directly controlled is the Hero. All chapters except chapter 2 also contain Non-Player Characters, which travel with the player, but cannot be directly controlled. They act on their own, guided by the game's AI.

===Party expansion===

*Every chapter save the second includes a non-chosen party member who will assist the group temporarily during their travels together. Each is tied to a story element of the chapter and reflect that section of the story's tone.

*A [[wagon]] was implemented to transport up to eight party members at the same time, allowing for battle configurations to be rearranged to suit any encounter at will. Certain dungeons will not allow the wagon to enter the area, however.

===Collectibles===

*[[Mini medals]] are scattered throughout the world for the player to gather at their leisure, which can be exchanged for incredible equipment at the palace of the [[Medal king]].

*Items are now hidden in drawers, cabinets, and urns in addition to chests. Contents range from stat boosting seeds to common item and small sums of gold.

===[[Casino]]===

Building upon the gambling featured in the monster arenas of ''III'', the fourth game allows players to explore a large casino in the city of [[Endor]]. Redeemable tokens can be won at slot machines, poker, and monster betting, which can be spent on exclusive items and equipment.

==Legacy==

===Remakes===

''Dragon Quest IV'' was remade for the [[Sony PlayStation]] on November 22, 2001 in Japan. It was developed by Heartbeat and published by Enix. The remake was developed using ''[[Dragon Quest VII]]'' 's 3D graphics engine. With this remake came new features; among them were a new chapter, a new character, a boom town reminiscent of ''VII'''s, an inter-party talk command similar to ''Dragon Quest VII'', and the ability to turn off the artificial intelligence for party members. The Enix of America Corporation originally planned to bring the remake to North America in 2002, but it was later cancelled due to Heartbeat closing its video game development operations.

''Dragon Quest IV'' was remade for the [[Sony PlayStation]] on November 22, 2001 in Japan. It was developed by Heartbeat and published by Enix. The remake was developed using ''[[Dragon Quest VII]]'' 's 3D graphics engine. With this remake came new features; among them were a new chapter, a new character, a boom town reminiscent of ''VII'''s, an [[Party chat|inter-party talk]] command similar to ''Dragon Quest VII'', and the ability to turn off the artificial intelligence for party members. The Enix of America Corporation originally planned to bring the remake to North America in 2002, but it was later cancelled due to Heartbeat closing its video game development operations.

On November 22, 2007, this Playstation remake was ported to the Nintendo DS. No significant changes were made to the game's story, gameplay, or bonus features, aside from modifying the boom town's immigration aspects to reflect the lack of memory cards in the DS hardware and the calculation method for [[Alena]]'s [[Critical Hit]]s. The [[Fungeon (Dragon Quest IV)|Fungeon]] ([[bonus dungeon]]) changed it's layout to random locations for each ~~floors~~ whereas the Playstation Version was a mix of previous areas from the game and from ''[[Dragon Quest VII]]''. This portable version was released internationally in September of 2008~~, though without~~ the ~~party chart present~~ in the ~~Japanese release~~.

On November 22, 2007, this Playstation remake was ported to the Nintendo DS. No significant changes were made to the game's story, gameplay, or bonus features, aside from modifying the boom town's immigration aspects to reflect the lack of memory cards in the DS hardware and the calculation method for [[Alena]]'s [[Critical Hit]]s. The [[Fungeon (Dragon Quest IV)|Fungeon]] ([[bonus dungeon]]) changed it's layout to random locations for each floor, whereas the Playstation Version was a mix of previous areas from the game and from ''[[Dragon Quest VII]]''. This portable version was released internationally in September of 2008. An oversight in the localization process created a bug in the programming that made it impossible to access the party chat, despite all dialogue being fully translated into English.

On April 7, 2014, the Playstation remake was ported to iOS and Android compatible devices. This version features significantly sharper graphics than before, as well as a fully orchestrated soundtrack. No significant gameplay changes were made aside from yet another tweaking of the Tsarevna's critical hit ratio, and a slight change adding a detour in the boom town ~~developement~~. The bonus dungeon layout from the DS port was retained. This version was released world wide on August 7, 2014, and most importantly restored the long-lost party chat to much critical acclaim.

On April 7, 2014, the Playstation remake was ported to iOS and Android compatible devices. This version features significantly sharper graphics than before, as well as a fully orchestrated soundtrack. No significant gameplay changes were made aside from yet another tweaking of the Tsarevna's critical hit ratio, and a slight change adding a detour in the boom town development. The bonus dungeon layout from the DS port was retained. This version was released world wide on August 7, 2014, and most importantly restored the long-lost party chat to much critical acclaim.

===Sequels===

~~''Dragon Quest IV'' is the fourth game in the ''[[Dragon Quest]]'' series. The next game in the series is~~ ''[[Dragon Quest V]]''~~, which~~ has some references to ''Dragon Quest IV'', but is mostly an independent story. ~~It continues~~ the ~~new~~ trilogy ~~started by IV~~.

''[[Dragon Quest V]]'' has some references to ''Dragon Quest IV'', but is mostly an independent story that does not heavily rely on the previous entry. The adventure of the chosen is known only by a scant few individuals, which further separates the Zenithian trilogy from it's predecessor.

==Soundtrack==

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*The first floor of the [[Imperial Pantry of Parthenia]] has a [[Thief's Key]] door blocking off the rest of the cave. To get it opened, [[Borya]] has to be recruited, which triggers a scene where Alena kicks the door down despite having the key. The NES version of the cave lacks the door and can be completed without recruiting Borya.

[[File:DQ4-DS-OVERWORLD-SCREENSHOT.jpg|250px|thumb|Exploring the world in the DS version of ''Dragon Quest IV'']]

*While still uncontrollable during combat, Healing Spells known by [[Healie]], [[Laurel]] and [[Orifiela]] can be used manually out of battle.

@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 It was originally released for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|Famicom]] on February 11, 1990 in Japan. The North American version, titled ''Dragon Warrior IV'', was released for the NES in October 1992.
-==Gameplay==
+==Setting==
-''Dragon Quest IV'' was unique in that its story was split into five chapters. The first four chapters were told from the perspective of the hero's future companions, telling their stories before they meet the hero. The fifth chapter was the hero's quest. During that quest, the player meets and joins up with the companions from the earlier chapters. Then, with a full cast, the group begins their journey to save the world.
+''IV'' is the first of the series to not be related to the [[Erdrick trilogy|lineage of Erdrick]]--the game is the first of a new trilogy revolving around the legend of a [[Zenithia trilogy|castle in the sky]] that watches over the world below. The world map is of a comparable size to that of ''III'', but has no direct parallels to the real world in regards to the shape of the continents and nature of the kingdoms.
-This game introduced several new features over the first three titles. It was the first Dragon Quest game to feature a casino, which became common in later titles. In addition, there were party member artificial intelligence options, which allowed players to give strategies to their party while still directly controlling the hero character. Finally, the wagon which allowed extra characters to wait and be exchanged during battle if needed.
-In the fifth chapter of the NES version of the game, the player no longer directly controls any of the previous characters; instead using the Tactics menu to deliver a loose set of instructions (Normal, Defensive, Offensive, Save MP, Use No MP, Try Out). The only character directly controlled is the Hero. All chapters except chapter 2 also contain Non-Player Characters, which travel with the player, but cannot be directly controlled. They act on their own, guided by the game's AI.
 ==Plot==
-The story line of ''Dragon Quest IV'' was the first in the series to be unrelated to the events of ''Dragon Quest I'', ''II'', and ''III''. The story in ''Dragon Quest IV'' revolves around the  journey of the hero and his/her companions and their quest to prevent the resurrection of the ruler of evil, [[Estark]].  The first four chapters of the story are about the hero's companions and their own journeys.  While they each travel with their own goals and dreams in mind, they all eventually find out about [[Psaro]] and his plot to kill the hero and revive [[Estark]], leading them all to join forces so they can put a stop to [[Psaro]] and his plans.
+The story in ''IV'' is a more character-focused tale centered around the lives of the chosen ones prior to and during their quest to prevent the resurrection of the ruler of evil, [[Estark]]. The first four chapters of the story are about the hero's companions and their own challenges and hardships. While they each travel with their own goals and dreams in mind, they all eventually discover the conspiracy of [[Psaro]] the Manslayer to drive the human race to extinction via Estark's hellish power.
 ===Prologue===
@@ Line 70: / Line 67: @@
 Chapter 6 is a post-epilogue continuation of the game's storyline. Originally appearing in the PlayStation remake of ''Dragon Quest IV'', Chapter 6 offers a lengthy bonus dungeon, and the culmination of certain plot points that were left ambiguous  in the original release.
+==New features==
+===Artificial intelligence===
+In a bold move for an NES title, a significant portion of the game's memory was dedicated to an intricate artificial intelligence that controls party members during the fifth chapter. In the fifth chapter of the NES version of the game, the player no longer directly controls any of the previous characters; instead using the Tactics menu to deliver a loose set of instructions (Normal, Defensive, Offensive, Save MP, Use No MP, Try Out). The only character directly controlled is the Hero. All chapters except chapter 2 also contain Non-Player Characters, which travel with the player, but cannot be directly controlled. They act on their own, guided by the game's AI.
+===Party expansion===
+*Every chapter save the second includes a non-chosen party member who will assist the group temporarily during their travels together. Each is tied to a story element of the chapter and reflect that section of the story's tone.
+*A [[wagon]] was implemented to transport up to eight party members at the same time, allowing for battle configurations to be rearranged to suit any encounter at will. Certain dungeons will not allow the wagon to enter the area, however.
+===Collectibles===
+*[[Mini medals]] are scattered throughout the world for the player to gather at their leisure, which can be exchanged for incredible equipment at the palace of the [[Medal king]].
+*Items are now hidden in drawers, cabinets, and urns in addition to chests. Contents range from stat boosting seeds to common item and small sums of gold.
+===[[Casino]]===
+Building upon the gambling featured in the monster arenas of ''III'', the fourth game allows players to explore a large casino in the city of [[Endor]]. Redeemable tokens can be won at slot machines, poker, and monster betting, which can be spent on exclusive items and equipment.
 ==Legacy==
 [[File:DQIV_Group.png|right|thumb|The characters of ''Dragon Quest IV''. From left to right: [[Kiryl]], [[Ragnar]], [[Alena]], the [[Hero (Dragon Quest IV)|Hero]] (male and female), [[Borya]], [[Maya]], [[Meena]], and [[Torneko]]. |380px]]
 ===Remakes===
-''Dragon Quest IV'' was remade for the [[Sony PlayStation]] on November 22, 2001 in Japan. It was developed by Heartbeat and published by Enix. The remake was developed using ''[[Dragon Quest VII]]'' 's 3D graphics engine. With this remake came new features; among them were a new chapter, a new character, a boom town reminiscent of ''VII'''s, an inter-party talk command similar to ''Dragon Quest VII'', and the ability to turn off the artificial intelligence for party members. The Enix of America Corporation originally planned to bring the remake to North America in 2002, but it was later cancelled due to Heartbeat closing its video game development operations.
+''Dragon Quest IV'' was remade for the [[Sony PlayStation]] on November 22, 2001 in Japan. It was developed by Heartbeat and published by Enix. The remake was developed using ''[[Dragon Quest VII]]'' 's 3D graphics engine. With this remake came new features; among them were a new chapter, a new character, a boom town reminiscent of ''VII'''s, an [[Party chat|inter-party talk]] command similar to ''Dragon Quest VII'', and the ability to turn off the artificial intelligence for party members. The Enix of America Corporation originally planned to bring the remake to North America in 2002, but it was later cancelled due to Heartbeat closing its video game development operations.
-On November 22, 2007, this Playstation remake was ported to the Nintendo DS. No significant changes were made to the game's story, gameplay, or bonus features, aside from modifying the boom town's immigration aspects to reflect the lack of memory cards in the DS hardware and the calculation method for [[Alena]]'s [[Critical Hit]]s.  The [[Fungeon (Dragon Quest IV)|Fungeon]] ([[bonus dungeon]]) changed it's layout to random locations for each floors whereas the Playstation Version was a mix of previous areas from the game and from ''[[Dragon Quest VII]]''.  This portable version was released internationally in September of 2008, though without the party chart present in the Japanese release.
+On November 22, 2007, this Playstation remake was ported to the Nintendo DS. No significant changes were made to the game's story, gameplay, or bonus features, aside from modifying the boom town's immigration aspects to reflect the lack of memory cards in the DS hardware and the calculation method for [[Alena]]'s [[Critical Hit]]s. The [[Fungeon (Dragon Quest IV)|Fungeon]] ([[bonus dungeon]]) changed it's layout to random locations for each floor, whereas the Playstation Version was a mix of previous areas from the game and from ''[[Dragon Quest VII]]''.  This portable version was released internationally in September of 2008. An oversight in the localization process created a bug in the programming that made it impossible to access the party chat, despite all dialogue being fully translated into English.
-On April 7, 2014, the Playstation remake was ported to iOS and Android compatible devices. This version features significantly sharper graphics than before, as well as a fully orchestrated soundtrack. No significant gameplay changes were made aside from yet another tweaking of the Tsarevna's critical hit ratio, and a slight change adding a detour in the boom town developement.  The bonus dungeon layout from the DS port was retained.  This version was released world wide on August 7, 2014, and most importantly restored the long-lost party chat to much critical acclaim.
+On April 7, 2014, the Playstation remake was ported to iOS and Android compatible devices. This version features significantly sharper graphics than before, as well as a fully orchestrated soundtrack. No significant gameplay changes were made aside from yet another tweaking of the Tsarevna's critical hit ratio, and a slight change adding a detour in the boom town development.  The bonus dungeon layout from the DS port was retained.  This version was released world wide on August 7, 2014, and most importantly restored the long-lost party chat to much critical acclaim.
 ===Sequels===
-''Dragon Quest IV'' is the fourth game in the ''[[Dragon Quest]]'' series. The next game in the series is ''[[Dragon Quest V]]'', which has some references to ''Dragon Quest IV'', but is mostly an independent story. It continues the new trilogy started by IV.
+''[[Dragon Quest V]]'' has some references to ''Dragon Quest IV'', but is mostly an independent story that does not heavily rely on the previous entry. The adventure of the chosen is known only by a scant few individuals, which further separates the Zenithian trilogy from it's predecessor.
 ==Soundtrack==
@@ Line 112: / Line 126: @@
 *The first floor of the [[Imperial Pantry of Parthenia]] has a [[Thief's Key]] door blocking off the rest of the cave. To get it opened, [[Borya]] has to be recruited, which triggers a scene where Alena kicks the door down despite having the key. The NES version of the cave lacks the door and can be completed without recruiting Borya.
 [[File:DQ4-DS-OVERWORLD-SCREENSHOT.jpg|250px|thumb|Exploring the world in the DS version of ''Dragon Quest IV'']]
 *While still uncontrollable during combat, Healing Spells known by [[Healie]], [[Laurel]] and [[Orifiela]] can be used manually out of battle.