Dragon Quest

Toriyama's RPG series

Dragon Quest is a Japanese role-playing video game series created by Enix (now Square Enix), launched in 1986.

The franchise established many conventions of the genre—turn-based combat, medieval fantasy settings, level grinding—and remains massively popular in Japan, where new releases are cultural events.

The games feature distinctive artwork by Akira Toriyama and orchestral scores.

I spent my whole summer playing Dragon Quest XI.

PrincessRoyal female title
hero's journeyUniversal story pattern
RPGExplosive launcher or fantasy genre
turn-basedPlayers alternate actions
slimeThick wet gunk

SNES · legendary · role-playing game · fantasy · ancient ruins · adventure · party members · turn-based combat · random encounters · magic spells · world map · puff-puff · soundtrack · dungeon crawling · level progression · monster taming · alchemy · save point

Opposites

JRPG franchise rivalry

Dragon QuestFinal Fantasy

Japanese role-playing game series

Kingdom Hearts · Fire Emblem

gameplay philosophy

Dragon QuestDevil May Cry

Action game franchise

Dark Souls · Metroid · Call of Duty · Mario · Street Fighter

aesthetic and tonal approach

Dragon QuestDark Souls

Brutal fantasy action game

Silent Hill · Resident Evil · The Witcher · Final Fantasy VII · Diablo

Family

dragon, quest, dragons, quests, quested, questing, draconian, draconic, inquest

Familiarity: Top 1,000,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Concrete · Positive · Rated G