 Welcome back folks, recently I've been asked a recurrent question from new fans of the Dragon Quest series. What order should I play the Dragon Quest games in and which versions should I play? With 30 years worth of titles and remakes, I can see why some may not be sure where to start, so I'll clear it up. In my opinion, playing the games in numerical order from 1 to 11 is the best way. By playing the games in order release, you can see how the series evolved over time and have a stronger appreciation for the games. Some Dragon Quest games are standalone entries that do not require previous experience, however they all benefit from it. Every Dragon Quest game is a product of its time and reflects that as they each have some unique aspect about them that differentiates themselves from the others, and I'll get to that shortly. For those of you who are anticipating Dragon Quest XI S on the Nintendo Switch or looking forward to the PS4 and PC version and haven't played them yet, I'd recommend at least finishing the first three Dragon Quest games, DQ1, DQ2, and DQ3. The reason I say this is because Dragon Quest XI, while it is a very standalone entry, has an incredible amount of throwbacks and references to the first three Dragon Quest games that you could only understand if you finished the first three games. It is a game made for long-time Dragon Quest fans, and in order to get the full experience in my opinion, it is very important to play the original trilogy. Dragon Quest I, II, and III share a connected story, and they serve as staples of the RPG genre, being referred to as the Erdrick trilogy by Western fans. DQ1 originally released in 1986 for the Famicom, and later on the NES as Dragon Warrior, with a noticeable improvement in graphics and an added save feature making it the better version. Its sequel Dragon Quest II released on the NES the year after and boasted a huge and mysterious open world. While the first game had you play as one hero, the Scion of Erdrick, the sequel has you play as his three descendants, so it features the first party system in the series and requires a ton of investigative work as you travel the world. These two games will end up being remastered for the Super Famicom as a double pack with both games on one cartridge, however we never got this version in the West. We eventually did get the Game Boy version, which included both games on a cartridge for the Nintendo Game Boy. This version of both games is nearly identical apart from a graphical overhaul and a more simplified interface. The original version of all the NES Dragon Warrior games had a menu system that required you to go into a small menu to perform specific actions, while the Game Boy version mapped everything to the A button making it much more convenient. The only downside I would say the Game Boy version has is a script not being quite as good, with the old style English dialogue being replaced by a more simplistic writing, and many names and spells are using the Japanese words, which makes some inconsistencies with the rest of the franchise. The only other version of the first two games that we've gotten in the West are the mobile ports of DQ1 and 2, which are once again remade, this time with a brand new script that retains the old English writing style. The first two games don't take that long to complete. I estimate Dragon Quest 1 taking about 10 hours and Dragon Quest 2 taking about 20. Overall, the mobile ports on Android and iOS are a great and convenient way to play them, though all versions of 1 and 2 are nearly identical to one another. Dragon Quest 3 is the last game in the Urge of Trilogy and widely regarded as the best. It is here where the bulk of old school references in Dragon Quest 11.2 and this marks an important entry in the series with a new party system featuring different jobs and custom characters making for a personal adventure. Dragon Quest 3 released on the NES and was later remade on the Super Famicom. We eventually got a Game Boy Color version of the game based on the Super Famicom version with a simplified menu system and it even added a bonus dungeon and new classes not in the original game. All remakes of Dragon Quest 3 add more to the game so they are definitely a good way to play them with the only downside being the simplified script in the Game Boy version. Dragon Quest 3 was recently brought over to mobile devices like its predecessors and this time it utilizes the assets from the Super Famicom version we never got. It's a very good way to play the game. Although the mobile port lacks the monster medals and ice cave exclusive to the Game Boy Color version and has no moving enemy sprites like in the Super Famicom version it does have a new script that is consistent with the current Dragon Quest games and is still a very good way to experience it. Dragon Quest 4, 5, and 6 have a loosely connected story and make up the Xenithian Trilogy. They have almost nothing to do with the Urge of Trilogy and can be somewhat standalone. They each have a unique aspect to them with Dragon Quest 4 being about training a large cast of characters across several chapters, Dragon Quest 5 being much more story oriented, and Dragon Quest 6 introducing an innovative party system giving it a lot of replay value. These differences give them all value and make each one worth playing through as they are all sizeable RPGs. Dragon Quest 4 originally came locally as Dragon Warrior 4 for the NES and was later drastically remade on the Playstation in Japan. We wouldn't get this remake until later on the Nintendo DS which was graphically an improvement over the original. However, the localization team did not finish the companion dialogue. The Nintendo DS remake was later ported to mobile devices, this time with a companion dialogue completed, making the mobile version on iOS and Android a single best version to play. Luckily, Dragon Quest 5 and 6 did not have this issue regarding the companion dialogue and they were released in a complete state at the time. Dragon Quest 5 and 6 were super Famicom games that the West did not see for a long time due to NX of America having issues at the time. Dragon Quest 5 was later remade on the PS2 in Japan and once again remade on the Nintendo DS with this being the West's first chance to play it. Dragon Quest 5 is largely considered one of the best RPGs of all time and the upcoming animated Dragon Quest film, Dragon Quest To Your Story, is based on the events in this game. The DS remakes of 5 and 6 are identical to the mobile versions so you could choose either version to get the full experience. The mobile ports have a very good control scheme for mobile devices only requiring one hand to comfortably play and they feature a simple menu system. They are a convenient way to play the games if you do not have a DS. Dragon Quest 7 came out in North America late into the original PlayStation's lifetime and was the first title the West received in nearly a decade. The original version Dragon Warrior 7 boasts a massive script that was the biggest at its time and is still a highly influential RPG. This version is only available on the PlayStation, however we did get an enhanced remake on the 3DS years later. Given the game a new script new 3D character models putting enemies on the field that you can see and trimming down the very long introduction. Other than that the game is very close to the original. I think the 3DS version is a great way to play the game however the 2 hour intro section from the original included some very fun puzzles that I do miss. Overall DQ7 is a very long game that can take over 100 hours to beat so it is best played over the course of a long period of time. Dragon Quest 8 came out in 2005 in the West for the PlayStation 2 and the version we got had added features that were not present in the Japanese version. The English version of Dragon Quest 8 has full voice acting as well as the orchestra version of the entire soundtrack making it a very great way to experience Dragon Quest 8. We will later get both a mobile port and a 3DS port of the game. The mobile port on iOS and Android leaves a bit to be desired. This version of the game retains the same graphics as the PS2 version. However shadows are no longer as prominent voice acting has been completely removed and the game is now using a midi soundtrack rather than the symphonic score we had before. The only positive I can find in the mobile port is the ability to make battles more automated in the menu. However this version is not as nice as the original. If you don't have a PS2 or a 3DS however it still plays fine and is a decent although not definitive way to play the game. The 3DS port that came out much later has a lot of great things going for it. To start off you may notice that the graphics are not nearly as nice as the PS2 version with textures appearing a bit more saturated and a lack of shadows. However taking into consideration the 3DS's power I think this is quite an impressive game compared to other titles on the system. The 3DS version has enough benefits and changes to the game that make it nearly the definitive version of the game. Listing them off the 3DS version of DQ8 has monsters out on the field that you can see entirely new party members to join you a much much faster battle system compared to the very slow and drawn out battles of the PS2 version new voices for certain NPCs more stat tweaking new weapons and finally several entirely new story sequences and two bonus dungeons. The 3DS version unfortunately does not have the symphonic soundtrack from the PS2 version however even with these few drawbacks this version still has so much bonus content that it cannot help but recommend it to anyone who owns the 3DS plus I hear there's a special mod that restores the original soundtrack which makes the game much more enjoyable. If you don't have a 3DS the PS2 version happens to look very great running through PC emulator on high settings. DQ9 this is a very popular entry in the series that featured a handmade adventure similar to DQ3. In DQ9 you can customize your character and party members entirely making for a fun adventure and there was even different classes. It was only ever released on the Nintendo DS it has never gotten a remake or a rerelease at the time of this video so there isn't much to talk about in terms of choosing a version. The game was well known for its multiplayer and social elements unfortunately Nintendo servers are down for the DS so this aspect of the game isn't playable however it is still a very good game and well worth picking up on the DS. We never got Dragon Quest X. DQ10 is an MMO that launched on the Wii in 2012 soon afterwards later versions were brought over to the Wii U, PC, mobile devices, 3DS, PS4 and Nintendo Switch. It is currently very popular in Japan with many active players. At the moment there is no English version of the game whatsoever. Recently the IP ban for the game was lifted so if you would like to play the game in Japanese you can import it but there is still a monthly subscription fee you have to pay. The all-in-one package of the game featuring all four version updates is available for Wii U, PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch. DQ11 is the latest entry in the long-running series nearly 30 years after release of DQ1 on the NES. Like I mentioned earlier it is a good entry point for newcomers however there are certain story elements you would appreciate more after finishing the first three games which don't take too long to beat I would recommend playing those on mobile devices first so you don't miss anything. DQ11 came out in Japan on the PS4 and 3DS simultaneously. The two versions follow the exact same story however the 3DS version obviously has simplified graphics. What made the 3DS version unique is the fact that you could optionally choose a 16-bit version of the game that looks like DQ3 on the Super Famcom allowing for a completely unique way to play. About a year later we got DQ11 in the west for PS4 and a brand new PC version on Steam. We did not get a 3DS version unfortunately. The Steam version of DQ11 allows for higher resolution and frame rates than its PS4 counterpart and there's a growing mod community making it an excellent way to play the game. This fall Nintendo is bringing over Dragon Quest XI to the Nintendo Switch with a simultaneous release of Dragon Quest XI S Definitive Edition. This version of the game has a new soundtrack straight from the game Symphonic Suite replacing the old MIDI soundtrack from the regular version of the game. Even more exciting are new features including new mounts, the 16-bit version from the 3DS release, voice drama DLC, new story arcs for the various party members and alternative marriage options. This version of the game is looking to be as its name suggests the definitive release of Dragon Quest XI and I am very excited for it. Hope you found the video helpful. Just wanted to quickly thank the community for helping the channel get to 3,000 subscribers recently. Exactly a year ago I was at around 90 subscribers and now we've gotten much further than that. I did not expect to get here as fast as I did and I just want to thank my viewers for helping me out. Look forward to more content soon. See you next time.