I played all three 2D-3D remakes of the Dragon Quest series in the last several months. Regarding Dragon Quest in general, you either find it charming, or not. It is a simple RPG formula without a ton of frills and makes no apologies for being so.

I am mixed on the whole 2D – 3D style from Square that has turned up on several games ever since Triangle Strategy. Although i will say this series does it the best.

If you were to only play one of these games, my vote would have to be Dragon Quest 2. It has a charming cast, with a good size world to explore. While 3 does let you create your open party, and manage classes (which is nice, i love a good class system) It feels too generic and big. 1 was also a good time, mostly for nostalgia purposes, I think i spent 2 days on it before i had completed it though, still worth a play through.

If your a fan of Dragon Quest these are a must, be sure to play in the correct order 3, 1, 2. with 2 being the best of the set, IMO.

Played on: Nintendo Switch 2

Possibly the greatest RPG ever made.

It is interesting as i was not fond of the Divinity Original Sin games put out by the same studio, and served more or less as a pre-cursor to this title. Maybe it was the world, most likely it was that you were always on fire… i just found them frustrating to the point of being no fun.

Dropping the environmental penalties down significantly and having the story take place in the Forgotten Realms was an excellent idea, one i wish they would have stayed with for another game or so before returning to thier own IP.

I have now played through this three times. Twice single player and a third online with three buddies. Each experience has been unique.

The amount of freedom of choice granted while still telling a cohesive detailed story simply astounds me. I still have one more run in me as Dark Urge, however can safely say its the best RPG, and possibly the best game i have ever played.

Played on: PS5, and Xbox Series X