1,920
edits
Dragon Quest (universe): Difference between revisions
m
no edit summary
mNo edit summary |
|||
| (2 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown) | |||
| Line 2: | Line 2: | ||
{{ArticleIcons|ultimate=y}} | {{ArticleIcons|ultimate=y}} | ||
{{Infobox Series | {{Infobox Series | ||
|title = Dragon Quest (universe) | |title = Dragon Quest (universe) | ||
|image = [[File:Dragon Quest.png|250px]] | |image = [[File:Dragon Quest.png|250px]] | ||
|caption | |caption = [[File:DragonQuestSymbol.svg|50px|class=invert]] | ||
|developer = [[Square Enix]]<br>Chunsoft<br>Heartbeat<br>ArtePiazza<br>Level-5<br>Intelligent Systems | |developer = [[Square Enix]]<br>[[Chunsoft]]<br>[[Genius Sonority|Heartbeat]]<br>ArtePiazza<br>[[Level-5]]<br>[[Intelligent Systems]] | ||
|publisher = Square Enix (formerly Enix)<br>Nintendo | |publisher = Square Enix (formerly Enix)<br>[[Nintendo]] | ||
|distributor = | |distributor = | ||
|designer =Yuji Horii<br>Koichi Nakamura | |designer = [[Yuji Horii]]<br>Koichi Nakamura | ||
|genres = Role-playing | |genres = Role-playing | ||
|originconsole = Nintendo Entertainment System | |originconsole = Nintendo Entertainment System | ||
|firstinstallment = ''{{iw|wikipedia|Dragon Quest|video game}}'' (1986) | |firstinstallment = ''{{iw|wikipedia|Dragon Quest|video game}}'' (1986) | ||
|latestinstallment = ''{{iw|wikipedia|Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince}}'' (2023) | |latestinstallment = ''{{iw|wikipedia|Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince}}'' (2023) | ||
|interwiki = wikipedia | |interwiki = wikipedia | ||
|interwikiname = Wikipedia | |interwikiname = Wikipedia | ||
|interwikipage = Dragon Quest | |interwikipage = Dragon Quest | ||
}} | }} | ||
The '''''Dragon Quest'' universe''' ({{ja|ドラゴンクエスト|Doragon Kuesuto}}, ''Dragon Quest''), stylized in-game as '''DRAGON QUEST''', refers to the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series' collection of characters, stages, and properties hailing from the series of role-playing games originally published by Enix, now [[Square Enix]]. The player character assumes the role of a chosen [[hero]] going off on a quest to vanquish a cataclysmic evil and save the world. The franchise is widely considered the quintessential Japanese RPG series, to the point of being a cultural phenomenon in its country while having a relatively small but passionate fanbase everywhere else. The series, alongside {{uv|Final Fantasy}}, laid the foundation that would define the genre for generations to come, directly inspiring monumental titles including {{uv|Pokémon}}, {{uv|EarthBound}}, {{uv|Fire Emblem}}, and ''Shin Megami Tensei'' (including its subseries {{uv|Persona}}), and elements popularized by it can still be seen in more modern series like {{uv|Xenoblade Chronicles}} or {{uv|Kingdom Hearts}}. | The '''''Dragon Quest'' universe''' ({{ja|ドラゴンクエスト|Doragon Kuesuto}}, ''Dragon Quest''), stylized in-game as '''DRAGON QUEST''', refers to the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series' collection of characters, stages, and properties hailing from the series of role-playing games originally published by Enix, now [[Square Enix]]. The player character assumes the role of a chosen [[hero]] going off on a quest to vanquish a cataclysmic evil and save the world. The franchise is widely considered the quintessential Japanese RPG series, to the point of being a cultural phenomenon in its country while having a relatively small but passionate fanbase everywhere else. The series, alongside {{uv|Final Fantasy}}, laid the foundation that would define the genre for generations to come, directly inspiring monumental titles including {{uv|Pokémon}}, {{uv|EarthBound}}, {{uv|Fire Emblem}}, and ''Shin Megami Tensei'' (including its subseries {{uv|Persona}}), and elements popularized by it can still be seen in more modern series like {{uv|Xenoblade Chronicles}} or {{uv|Kingdom Hearts}}. | ||
| Line 22: | Line 22: | ||
In 1982, {{iw|wikipedia|Enix}} sponsored a video game programming contest in Japan which would bring much of the original ''Dragon Quest'' team together, including creator [[Yuji Horii]]. The prize was a trip to the United States and a visit to AppleFest '83 in San Francisco, where Horii discovered the ''{{iw|wikipedia|Wizardry}}'' series of American role-playing games. Fellow contest winners {{iw|wikipedia|Koichi Nakamura}} and Yukinobu Chida, working with Horii, released the Enix game ''{{iw|wikipedia|The Portopia Serial Murder Case}}'' for NEC's PC-6001 in 1983; it was an instant success which set an early standard for non-traditional, open-ended gameplay. It received a free port under Square Enix's AI technology preview 40 years after its release. This style would influence many games after its release, including Enix's own ''Dragon Quest'', but also inspired other key people in the video game industry such as [[Hideo Kojima]] and {{iw|wikipedia|Eiji Aonuma}} for the {{uv|Metal Gear}} and {{uv|The Legend of Zelda}} franchises, respectively, with the former porting the game as a secret content in ''{{iw|wikipedia|Metal Gear Solid V}}''. | In 1982, {{iw|wikipedia|Enix}} sponsored a video game programming contest in Japan which would bring much of the original ''Dragon Quest'' team together, including creator [[Yuji Horii]]. The prize was a trip to the United States and a visit to AppleFest '83 in San Francisco, where Horii discovered the ''{{iw|wikipedia|Wizardry}}'' series of American role-playing games. Fellow contest winners {{iw|wikipedia|Koichi Nakamura}} and Yukinobu Chida, working with Horii, released the Enix game ''{{iw|wikipedia|The Portopia Serial Murder Case}}'' for NEC's PC-6001 in 1983; it was an instant success which set an early standard for non-traditional, open-ended gameplay. It received a free port under Square Enix's AI technology preview 40 years after its release. This style would influence many games after its release, including Enix's own ''Dragon Quest'', but also inspired other key people in the video game industry such as [[Hideo Kojima]] and {{iw|wikipedia|Eiji Aonuma}} for the {{uv|Metal Gear}} and {{uv|The Legend of Zelda}} franchises, respectively, with the former porting the game as a secret content in ''{{iw|wikipedia|Metal Gear Solid V}}''. | ||
A few years later, Horii desired to introduce the concept of role-playing games to the wider Japanese video game audience, distilling the experience to its purest form. To this end, his team began to develop an RPG that would combine elements from the American computer games ''Wizardry'' and ''{{iw|wikipedia|Ultima}}''. These series were popular among computer hobbyists in Japan, but were deemed too difficult and convoluted for the average player to enjoy. In order to make this game more accessible than the usual computer RPG of the time, it was designed to be more streamlined and fast-paced, with a greater focus on exploration, combat, and storytelling. Horii combined the full-screen map of ''Ultima'' with the battle and statistic-oriented ''Wizardry'' screens to create the core gameplay of ''Dragon Quest''. He chose the {{iw|wikipedia|Famicom}} because, unlike arcade games, players would not have to worry about spending more money upon defeat, and could continue playing from a save point. Noted {{iw|wikipedia|mangaka}} {{iw|wikipedia|Akira Toriyama}}, of ''{{iw|wikipedia|Dragon Ball}}'' fame, was commissioned to illustrate the characters and monsters, as well as the game's logo, which is well-known for its curved title with the letter "T" shaped like a sword (which served as an inspiration for other video game logo designs; for example, {{uv|Minecraft}}'s logo made by [https://minecraft.wiki/w/Markus_Toivonen Markus Toivonen]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/jnkboy/status/1352023746643685380 |title=Junkboy on Twitter |website=Twitter |date=January 27, 2021 |accessdate=January 14, 2023}}</ref>). Similarly, music composer {{iw|wikipedia|Koichi Sugiyama}}, known for advertising jingles and pop songs, was hired to compose the game's soundtrack after he sent a postcard to Enix praising their previous work. | A few years later, Horii desired to introduce the concept of role-playing games to the wider Japanese video game audience, distilling the experience to its purest form. To this end, his team began to develop an RPG that would combine elements from the American computer games ''Wizardry'' and ''{{iw|wikipedia|Ultima}}''. These series were popular among computer hobbyists in Japan, but were deemed too difficult and convoluted for the average player to enjoy. In order to make this game more accessible than the usual computer RPG of the time, it was designed to be more streamlined and fast-paced, with a greater focus on exploration, combat, and storytelling. Horii combined the full-screen map of ''Ultima'' with the battle and statistic-oriented ''Wizardry'' screens to create the core gameplay of ''Dragon Quest''. He chose the {{iw|wikipedia|Famicom}} because, unlike arcade games, players would not have to worry about spending more money upon defeat, and could continue playing from a save point. Noted late {{iw|wikipedia|mangaka}} {{iw|wikipedia|Akira Toriyama}}, of ''{{iw|wikipedia|Dragon Ball}}'' fame, was commissioned to illustrate the characters and monsters, as well as the game's logo, which is well-known for its curved title with the letter "T" shaped like a sword (which served as an inspiration for other video game logo designs; for example, {{uv|Minecraft}}'s logo made by [https://minecraft.wiki/w/Markus_Toivonen Markus Toivonen]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/jnkboy/status/1352023746643685380 |title=Junkboy on Twitter |website=Twitter |date=January 27, 2021 |accessdate=January 14, 2023}}</ref>). Similarly, music composer {{iw|wikipedia|Koichi Sugiyama}}, known for advertising jingles and pop songs, was hired to compose the game's soundtrack after he sent a postcard to Enix praising their previous work. | ||
While ''{{iw|wikipedia|Dragon Quest|video game}}'' was in development, many doubted that a fantasy series with swords and sorcery would become popular in Japan, as the more predominant fantasy genre at the time was science fiction; however, the game became an overnight sensation upon its release in 1986, thanks to advertising in the ''Weekly Shonen Jump'' magazine, which ran Toriyama's ''Dragon Ball'' at the time. This ultimately led to ''Dragon Quest'' becoming a game that took the Japanese media by storm, and opened the door for a wider variety of genres for both Nintendo's console and the gaming industry as a whole. The team immediately began work on a sequel, and the ''Dragon Quest'' series quickly became a booming franchise spanning multiple forms of media like spin-off games, novels, manga, anime, live music performances, and even a feature-length film. | While ''{{iw|wikipedia|Dragon Quest|video game}}'' was in development, many doubted that a fantasy series with swords and sorcery would become popular in Japan, as the more predominant fantasy genre at the time was science fiction; however, the game became an overnight sensation upon its release in 1986, thanks to advertising in the ''Weekly Shonen Jump'' magazine, which ran Toriyama's ''Dragon Ball'' at the time. This ultimately led to ''Dragon Quest'' becoming a game that took the Japanese media by storm, and opened the door for a wider variety of genres for both Nintendo's console and the gaming industry as a whole. The team immediately began work on a sequel, and the ''Dragon Quest'' series quickly became a booming franchise spanning multiple forms of media like spin-off games, novels, manga, anime, live music performances, and even a feature-length film. | ||
| Line 28: | Line 28: | ||
Despite its overwhelming success in Japan, ''Dragon Quest'' was not released internationally until 1989, when Nintendo released it in North America (under the name ''Dragon Warrior'', due to copyright conflicts with a pen-and-paper RPG of the same name). The first RPG to be released for the Nintendo Entertainment System, this version features improved graphics and a battery save feature instead of the password system of the original version. In late 1990, the official ''Nintendo Power'' magazine included free copies of the game as a subscription bonus, a move which proved highly successful; the magazine attracted thousands of subscribers and ensured the game's success, as well as earning a dedicated fanbase for future entries. Although it lags behind {{uv|Final Fantasy}} in international sales, the series gradually began to grow in popularity upon the release of ''{{iw|wikipedia|Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King}}'', which marked an increase in sales outside of Japan as well as the drop of the title ''Dragon Warrior'' due to the trademark for the pen and paper game finally expiring and Square Enix taking advantage of this by registering the trademark in the USA. The best-selling game in the series worldwide is ''{{iw|wikipedia|Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age}}'', in part due to its main [[Hero]] appearing as a fighter in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''. | Despite its overwhelming success in Japan, ''Dragon Quest'' was not released internationally until 1989, when Nintendo released it in North America (under the name ''Dragon Warrior'', due to copyright conflicts with a pen-and-paper RPG of the same name). The first RPG to be released for the Nintendo Entertainment System, this version features improved graphics and a battery save feature instead of the password system of the original version. In late 1990, the official ''Nintendo Power'' magazine included free copies of the game as a subscription bonus, a move which proved highly successful; the magazine attracted thousands of subscribers and ensured the game's success, as well as earning a dedicated fanbase for future entries. Although it lags behind {{uv|Final Fantasy}} in international sales, the series gradually began to grow in popularity upon the release of ''{{iw|wikipedia|Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King}}'', which marked an increase in sales outside of Japan as well as the drop of the title ''Dragon Warrior'' due to the trademark for the pen and paper game finally expiring and Square Enix taking advantage of this by registering the trademark in the USA. The best-selling game in the series worldwide is ''{{iw|wikipedia|Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age}}'', in part due to its main [[Hero]] appearing as a fighter in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''. | ||
For later titles, many of the original team members retain their role in the series; Horii serves the role of scenario director, while Toriyama and Sugiyama continue to provide character design and music, respectively. Subsequent ''Dragon Quest'' games build on the formula introduced by the original. For ''{{iw|wikipedia|Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line}}'', the developers introduced a party system with the player controlling three characters, another idea inspired by ''Wizardry''; this would go on to become a standard gameplay element in the ''Dragon Quest'' series. ''{{iw|wikipedia|Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation}}'' introduced a class system, allowing characters to specialize in certain roles, while ''{{iw|wikipedia|Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen}}'' introduced chapter-based progression and computer-controlled allies. ''Dragon Quest VIII'', the first main game in the series to be released in [[PAL]] regions and the first to drop the ''Dragon Warrior'' title overseas, was also the first fully 3D rendered game in the series, and it included the ability to control the camera at any angle on the overworld. Though Koichi Sugiyama was seen as a controversial figure for decades, notably for denying {{iw|wikipedia|World War II}} war crimes and mocking the {{iw|wikipedia|LGBT}} community, he kept contributing new tracks for the franchise until the upcoming game, ''{{iw|wikipedia|Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate}}'', through orchestral arrangements of the series' soundtrack. Titled "Symphonic Suite", they were performed in {{iw|wikipedia|Tokyo}} or {{iw|wikipedia|London}} and were either offered in albums or played exclusively in the Japanese release of a ''Dragon Quest'' game. Otherwise, they were re-arranged in a {{iw|wikipedia|MIDI}} Synthesizer for western release of the mainline series, spin-offs, and crossovers including ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''. There were cases where the orchestral and synthesized arrangements were available in opposite regions, like in the PlayStation 2 release of ''Dragon Quest VIII'', or the former available in both regions, like in ''{{iw|mdfw|Torneko: The Last Hope}}''. ''Dragon Quest XII'' | For later titles, many of the original team members retain their role in the series; Horii serves the role of scenario director, while Toriyama and Sugiyama continue to provide character design and music, respectively. Subsequent ''Dragon Quest'' games build on the formula introduced by the original. For ''{{iw|wikipedia|Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line}}'', the developers introduced a party system with the player controlling three characters, another idea inspired by ''Wizardry''; this would go on to become a standard gameplay element in the ''Dragon Quest'' series. ''{{iw|wikipedia|Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation}}'' introduced a class system, allowing characters to specialize in certain roles, while ''{{iw|wikipedia|Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen}}'' introduced chapter-based progression and computer-controlled allies. ''Dragon Quest VIII'', the first main game in the series to be released in [[PAL]] regions and the first to drop the ''Dragon Warrior'' title overseas, was also the first fully 3D rendered game in the series, and it included the ability to control the camera at any angle on the overworld. Though Koichi Sugiyama was seen as a controversial figure for decades, notably for denying {{iw|wikipedia|World War II}} war crimes and mocking the {{iw|wikipedia|LGBT}} community, he kept contributing new tracks for the franchise until the upcoming game, ''{{iw|wikipedia|Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate}}'', through orchestral arrangements of the series' soundtrack. Titled "Symphonic Suite", they were performed in {{iw|wikipedia|Tokyo}} or {{iw|wikipedia|London}} and were either offered in albums or played exclusively in the Japanese release of a ''Dragon Quest'' game. Otherwise, they were re-arranged in a {{iw|wikipedia|MIDI}} Synthesizer for western release of the mainline series, spin-offs, and crossovers including ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''. There were cases where the orchestral and synthesized arrangements were available in opposite regions, like in the PlayStation 2 release of ''Dragon Quest VIII'', or the former available in both regions, like in ''{{iw|mdfw|Torneko: The Last Hope}}''. ''Dragon Quest XII'' will be Sugiyama and Toriyama's last contributions to the franchise, as they passed away on September 30, 2021, and March 1, 2024 respectively. | ||
The ''Dragon Quest'' franchise, owing to its widespread success, has spawned many spin-off series based upon its characters and settings, some of which have become franchises in their own right. | The ''Dragon Quest'' franchise, owing to its widespread success, has spawned many spin-off series based upon its characters and settings, some of which have become franchises in their own right. | ||