A perfect balance of novel and antique concepts blend in this classic masterpiece.
First things first. The story of the game begins slightly after a fascinating series of events. A mischievous and malicious jester, Dhoulmagus has stolen a magical staff from it's hiding place, the castle of King Trode. King Trode is turned into a toad-like creature and his daughter, Medea, into a horse. The game begins in a forest clearing with the protagonist (you) who is the kings subsidiary and protector and a gruff but friendly man named Yangus. Along the way, you meet a colorful cast of interesting and entertaining characters and the story unravels into a fairytale-esque adventure of epic scale. The tale is well told and creative, even though the concept has been used repeatedly. New facts come to light and it weaves together with other smaller nuances to create an interactive and enchanting story.
The overall gameplay is simple. You walk around the vast world, with the ubiquitous random battles and in between, you'll find little villages to big towns. The battle system is completely turn-based and controlled by simple-to-use menus. Each character has a variety of options to choose from, from magic attacks to healing magic to offense-oriented attacks. Items you hold in battle are determined before battle, which adds a bit of strategy in preparing for the struggles. To add even more variety, there is a day-night cycle and different monsters appear at night. There are also many side-quests that only occur at night so strolling at night can be worth while.
The monsters themselves are no slouches. If you want a challenge, Dragon Quest VIII is a game for you. The first monsters aren't too difficult but when you venture further into the game, the enemies become increasingly difficult. This pales compared to the bosses, however. Even the first boss is incredibly difficult and both persistence and skill is needed to best these beasts. There are a couple of noticable thresholds in the game that need you to grind a bit, i.e. fighting for the sake of fighting. This can be annoying at times but the battles themselves are so fresh and entertaining that it is only an afterthought.
The whole game is set in a cel-shaded universe and looks incredibly smooth and crisp. The animations are fluid, the characters act as they are supposed to act in and out of battle and the environments vary from the extremely colorful to the eerily sterile. Going cel-shaded is always risky, as it is a rather unconventional artistic direction and is not liked by all. Furthermore, this is the first completely 3D Dragon Quest, so this is like the transition from FFVI to FFVII. However, Dragon Quest VIII makes it work with gusto. It's hard to imagine Dragon Quest would have even worked with any other graphics.
The soundtrack of the game is extraordinary. It is all played by an orchestra, violins, cellos and the like. It fits the environment and feel of the game perfectly and gives the game a feel of grandeur and beauty. The battle music is tense and exciting, the town music is calm and relaxing and at night, the music shifts to a slow melody. The voice acting is also well done and fits the characters perfectly.
The game is very long, clocking over 60 hours for the normal player. Taking into account the myriad of side-quests and other stuff you can do, it can reach 80+ hours. As for replayability, you may not start a new game for some time but the game is so entertaining, you'll be returning to the game before you know it.
Dragon Quest VIII is an amazing game that will never lose its charm or accessibility to any gamer looking for a lasting, rewarding experience. It definitely warrants a buy and even today, it shouldn't be hard to find. If you don't have it already, buying it is almost a necessity.
-Calvinsora