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jp's Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride (DS)
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| [September 13, 2019 10:27:55 AM]
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Finished!
The end was looking a bit dire - like I'd need to grind a lot in order to take down the final baddy. Fortunately(?) I was able to "cheese it" a little - I realized that I had an item that healed everybody and that if I spam used it, I'd be able to save all the magic points I really needed for the protection spells...and so, YAY!
Looking at my shelf, it seems like I've played the Zenithia trilogy (IV, V, and VI) which are apparently the better ones. That's good. As I've mentioned before, these are some of the more enjoyable JRPGs I've played. Weirdly, I've completely lost track of when they released originally. In my mind they're all SNES era games (they're not) and this last one definitely had 3D graphics and such...
One of the things I've enjoyed the most is how the game plays against convention rarely. But it does so in moments that really help heighten the novelty/experience. So, there are a few cut-scene moments that go "3D"...one notable one is a giant monster that awakens and walks towards Monstroferrato - you kill it to get a key. It was a cool moment that really played well into the "this monster is huge".
Anyways, now on to other games!
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| [September 8, 2019 12:02:02 PM]
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I'm getting close to the end now and...it's getting a bit long. Mostly because I've felt the need to spend an hour or two grinding just to get my level up. Also, I had forgotten how the DQ games tend to be pretty clear in the beginning about where to go/what to do and then, as they open up (you increasingly gain access to new modes of transport - I can now fly around on a dragon!), it becomes easier to get lost and not know where to go next or what to do. So, I've "wasted" some time on that as well...
However, the story continues to be as charming as expected...
"Hero" ends up getting married and having two kids - but then the mother is kidnapped and hero goes off to rescue her. But, along the way both of them get turned into stone statues? Or something like that - I might be mis-remembering the order of things. Anyways, he eventually comes back and the kids have grown up a little, so now you adventure with your kids! I've since rescued wife and now I'm heading out to rescue Hero's mom, whom his dad Pankraz had been looking for all along.
Other than the grinding, there have been a few more "annoyances" - there's quite a few moments where you chat to people and have to choose a response. However, it seems that most times it either doesn't matter what you respond or (this is worse), you're forced into a particular response. It seems to heavy-handed in light of the perceived attempt at branching a little bit. I've been surprised by it, to be honest.
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| [August 18, 2019 10:24:59 PM]
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I've decided (realized?) that I really enjoy the Dragon Quest games. A LOT more than the Final Fantasy. I don't know what it is, but I think it's a combination of the art (which is childish/for children/safe/unpretentious), its sense of humor, and then the way the game's story unfolds in interesting ways.
I'm about 10 hours in on this one...maybe a third of the way through, and...
a. You start as a really young child (5?) and you follow your Dad around. He often leaves you alone and you do some exploring (getting a bit stronger). You have a friend, Bianca. And your Dad has been on some sort of quest... You also, later on, gain a pet saber-toothed cat (named Saber). A funny thing...when you read books on bookshelves it sometimes tells you what a book is about followed by a message that you don't know that because you're too young to read! When you wander around outside, your Dad really kicks butt in the encounters and if you're wounded - he heals you at the end of each fight! (takes care of you!)
Apparently your Dad (and you?) are some sort of reincarnation of some past King? There's something like that going on just based on a cut-scene...but this is just me speculating.
b. You later go on an adventure with your Dad and there's a big bad guy - he's too tough! He kills your Dad and takes you (and another guy) prisoner! 10 years later.... you're a prisoner, and you escape, and you make your way back to your village but it's all destroyed! (time passed!) Bianca is nowhere to be found... NPCs you met earlier are surprised to see you and tell you what your Dad was doing...and you decide to take up his quest. The other prisoner is a prince, and he was really nasty, but your years in slavery together have "taught him a lesson".
(There's a bunch of missions, so I'm just highlighting the stuff I thought was cool)
c. So now I head off on my own - and things are going fine until they aren't. I can now (when they randomly decide) recruit monsters to my party! This was actually the worst part of the game so far because the random monsters are too tough for me to solo, and my monster party mate really sucks and gets one-shot all the time. So I grind, and grind, and grind (heading into villages to resurrect, heal, etc.) I do this for a while until more monsters have joined and they're levelled up enough to not die immediately...
Continuing the story...
...oh, there's a village that needs help! There's a monster that comes out at night and wrecks things. So, I help out and IT'S MY OLD PAL SABER! He only stops fighting when you show him a ribbon that Bianca gave me.
Keep on adventuring and I visit a new town...and Bianca's Dad is here...and so is Bianca! Everyone is super excited and Bianca joins the party because she wants to adventure (and I think she wants to marry me...) Her Dad is older now, and sick, and might die.
Currently, I've just obtained two rings (fire and water) in order to marry this woman (forced by her dad) to get a shield I need. Bianca isn't happy...and neither is the woman...but I don't know how it will work out.
I wonder who the heavenly bride is?
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jp's Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride (DS)
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Current Status: Finished playing
GameLog started on: Sunday 4 August, 2019
GameLog closed on: Friday 13 September, 2019 |
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This is the only GameLog for Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride. |
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