Easily the most charming RPG ever created.
The storyline is pretty straightforward and begins like this: Dhoulmagus, an evil wizard, steals a legendary scepter from the castle of Trodain and puts a curse on the same castle an turns king Trode into a frog like creature and the princess into a horse. You, the hero of the game and a royal guardsman, are the only inhabitant of the castle that is not affected by the curse. You follow king Trode and Medea to retrieve the scepter and put an end to Dhoulmagus' curse. You will also get help from a former thief named Yangus that has a heart as big as his belly. Later on a young sorceress named Jessica will join your team. Her brother has been killed by the same evil wizard, and she is determined to revenge her brother's death. Lastly Angelo will join your team. He is a young templar more interested in drinking and charming the ladies than the noble precepts of his Order. And of course there is little Munchie, the Heroe's pet mouse/hamster. Only four of these characters are playable, the Hero, Yangus, Jessica and Angelo.
The story is told in a simple and straightforward way, but it is a very charming journey you will embark on.
Gameplay: There is a lot of random turn based battles. The battles were surprisingly challenging. It will force to do some heavy leveling up, which can be a bit frustrating, but the battles require you to think about your strategy, this makes the battles more enjoyable. The characters have their sets of skills, Yangus relies on physical attacks, Jessica is the spellcaster, Angelo is a fighter and the main healer and Hero has great physical strength but is also a fairly good healer and will also learn a couple of offensive spells. There is also a lot of exploring, both on the world map and in the dungeons. After a while you will be able to create items with an alchemy pot and there is also a lot of customizing on the characters to be done.
Graphics: The graphics are beautiful. The backgrounds all look good, but it is the characters that really stand out. Beautifully cel shaded 3d models really does justice to Akira Toriyamas adorable design. There are no cg cut scenes in the game, but the in game graphics do an incredible job presenting the story with the help of some amazing camera direction.
Sound: The soundtrack is beautifully composed and helps bring the game to life. All the tracks are orchestrated and sound great. The voice acting is also splendid. The only gripe I have with the voices is that they sound a bit tinny at times, which can get a bit annoying, but is only a minor problem.
Value: This is one huge game. You can easily spend 100+ hours on this quest. There are also several unlockable dungeons, monsters and items. The item creation and casinos will also keep you occupied for a long time.
Dragon Quest VIII may not be an epic cinematic experience, but rather takes you back to the basics of storytelling. The lighthearted story is about friendship and defeating evil, and is told in such a fun and lovely way that you can't be helped being charmed by this adorable game.