Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King Reviews
Dragon Quest VIII is a magnificent RPG that is an absolute highlight and showcase of the entire genre. It’s a long journey, but it’s one worth taking, especially if you’ve never played it before. I know that, after getting through this game, I need to reassess my personal favorite RPGs of all time. This game is that damn good.
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King is the crown-gem of RPGs on the 3DS, and one of the most enjoyable JRPGs of recent memory.
Dragon Quest VIII: The Journey of the Cursed King definitely sits high up on my ‘must play RPG’s’ list and is a must play for all role playing fans.
Dragon Quest VIII was without question one of the best RPGs on the PlayStation 2, and 13 years later it's one of the best RPGs on the 3DS as well. If you haven't played it before, this version offers a lot of features that make it very easy to recommend over the PS2 and mobile versions. Even if you have, there's more than enough new content to make DQVIII worth revisiting. As I said in my review in progress, this game is a classic in every sense of the word, and I'm overjoyed that it's available for a new generation to get their hands on.
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King truly stands the test of time. Having this PS2 classic on the 3DS, despite its slightly inferior presentation, is a mind boggling feat. Each new gameplay addition or tweak is smart, not taking anything away from the original vision. It helps that the basis for this version was one of the better instalments of the franchise, but Square Enix could have easily just have ported it over and be done with it. If you don’t mind the slight presentation downgrades, this is the definitive version of a modern classic.
A wonderful JRPG, although with twelve years behind him. It's still manages to shine, thanks also to the excellent work of revision by the developers.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King was already in the premiere class of RPGs with its initial release on PS2, and now Square Enix has somehow found a way to make it even better on the Nintendo 3DS in its definitive form.
Square Enix and Nintendo team up to release Dragon Quest 8: Journey of the Cursed King outside of Japan, providing gamers with a wonderful JRPG to take with them on the go.
Dragon Quest piles on the enhancements in the 3DS version, and these tiny improvements are so numerous, that Dragon quest VIII feels far less dated than an RPG over a decade old should feel.
Dragon Quest VIII is an amazing JRPG, which has become even better on 3DS thanks to great new features. As a result, we got one of the most beautiful and well-designed JRPGs on the platform, where all aspects work competently, allowing you to enjoy the atmosphere of a fabulous adventure with a company of bright and very memorable characters.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Dragon Quest VIII is something special. It tells a lovely story with memorable characters in a captivatingly colourful style, features fun combat and a beautiful world to explore, and — most importantly — sparks a true sense of adventure and wonder throughout. This isn't just one of the best RPGs on the 3DS, it's one of the best RPGs full stop — and one of the best Dragon Quests to dive into for the uninitiated. Perfectly paced, well written and superbly scored, it's a trip worth taking for any RPG fan, and the updates in this 3DS remake — from faster battles and on-field enemies to a fantastic photography mode — make it a worthwhile return journey for veterans. A true classic.
As it stands, Dragon Quest 8 on 3DS is the best version of this game right now with fantastic new content and improvements. If you’ve never played it before, and you like RPGs then you owe it to yourself to give this one a go.
Dragon Quest VIII: The Journey of The Curse King reaches the 3DS after several versions in other formats and this is most likely the best version of the game so far. Showing the best of what can be done in RPGs, Dragon Quest VIII is already a strong candidate to the title of game of the year on the 3DS and there's virtually no aspect in which this title does not excel. A true masterpiece, that can be enjoyed by RPG fans and non-fans alike.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
If you're a JRPG fan, you should be playing this game.
New characters and gameplay enhancements make a great game even better.
Dragon Quest VIII Journey of The Cursed King was an amazing JRPG back in 2006 and it stood the test of time brilliantly, thanks to the great work by the developers. There's much here to be loved by both the newcomers and the old fans, as we're talking about one of the best Japanese role playing games of all time, all considered.
Review in Italian | Read full review
What makes Dragon Quest so special is that each game manages to straddle a line between nostalgia for simple, elegant combat mechanics, and the modern game design world, where it can poke fun at itself and laugh along with players. Dragon Quest VIII isn’t the perfect port in coming to the 3DS. It is, however, very close to the perfect classical JRPG.
Even with its handful of changes, or regretful omissions, Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King on 3DS is a grandiose adventure that manages to evolve the series in terms of technical achievement and presentation, story-telling and overall convenience. It takes advantage of the enhancements of technology to help make this adventure a joy to work through, unlike some older RPGs can be nowadays. It is a definite pleasure, while still delivering the classic feel of a Dragon Quest title that most of its devoted fans, more so in Japan than anywhere else, expect to find with every new release that the series has seen to this day. Lack of orchestrated soundtrack or minimal censorship should definitely not put anyone off this historical masterpiece, even on the humble and ageing 3DS hardware. This, along with perhaps Ever Oasis, might be the last major RPG release for the system, as it probably sees its last year of relevance in 2017, and it could not hope to go out with a bigger bang than with this impressive port.
This is the Dragon Quest experience that you have been waiting for, woven around a captivating tale and a wondrous world in which to tell it. This becomes another unmissable addition to the impressive RPG library that the Nintendo 3DS has built, kicking the year off with a jubilant fanfare.
Dragon Quest VIII was one of the finest JRPGs upon its initial release and it manages to retain that lofty status through this 3DS edition. Its adherence to the traditional rules of the genre is where it pulls its strength from, the familiarity of the template allowing the design team to worry about making sure each element is as good as it can possibly can be.