Disclaimer for every game released before the fifth generation of consoles: the ideal way of critiquing a videogame would be to do itDisclaimer for every game released before the fifth generation of consoles: the ideal way of critiquing a videogame would be to do it contextually to the time period in which it was released. But since I was born in 1999, with the sixth generation of games being my first, I lack the full perspective and knowledge of previous generations that one would need to critique an older game fairly, and have no other choice but to review this product with modern games' standards in mind.
The leap in quality between DQ1 and DQ2 is more than impressive. DQ2 is everything that a sequel should aim to be, improving upon every single aspect of its predecessor: story, level design and combat. The world map is twice as big as the map of DQ1, but it's not simply a matter of space: it's how that space is used that made tremendous strides. DQ2's map is filled with towns, natural obstacles to somehow get across, secret dungeons, hidden pathways, so many more interesting geographical puzzles that require the player to figure out how to reach a certain place that is, for example, seemingly surrounded by mountains on all sides. The entire map is filled with so much more content and later on even new means of traversal that change the way the player looks at the landscape. Traversing the world map is not a simple matter of walking and getting stronger like it was, for the most part, in the previous game, it's an engaging journey that requires careful observation and memory to always find a way to reach that next objective. Even the Key system of the previous game was immensely improved upon with different types of key to find throughout the game, with a much smoother sense of progression as a result. So, the beautiful feel of exploration that made the previous chapter so special is still here, even heightened thanks to a map that is not just bigger but also much more fun to explore. Even towns and their citizens now have more life to them than they did in DQ1. Maybe a character mentions a loved one who vanished, only for you to find that person days later in another town, suffering amnesia. These small stories don't add anything the plot but they give the world so much charm, and DQ2 is full of these little dramas that make the beating heart of this fictional little planet.
The Combat also got a huge upgrade.
Not anymore a one man army, now the player needs to toggle between three different warriors with different skills, stats and equipment, and in the same way enemies will now almost always attack in groups. This, predictably, completely changes the perspective on battles, adding so many layers of depth based on which enemy will strike first and the order in which your own party will strike, crafting your entire strategy around it. To take advantage of this new Combat, new types of spells that target groups of enemies were also introduced. Let's be clear: the Combat is still quite rough and extremely bare bones compared to modern standards, with endgame fights consisting in mindless spamming of the same overpowered spell that targets all enemies, but it is still an extremely impressive step forward from the last game.
Another improvement, albeit small, is Dungeons. Not anymore just hallways and dark labyrinths, they're now spiced up with things such as illusory walls and other booby traps that ask players to use their memory. It's small but a step in the right direction.
Overall, we can say that DQ2 is a terrific sequel, but the truth is that there were some serious missteps. Some mistakes that even the first game wasn't guilty of. Most notably, and most frustratingly, the enemy encounter rate is suddenly stupidly high. In some Dungeons, you won't be able to walk for more than four seconds without triggering an encounter, making them a real pain to go through. But the real pain comes in the last area of the game where a sudden, brutal difficulty spike forces the player to put their adventure to a halt to mindlessly grind levels for a couple of hours.
Last, but definitely not least, DQ2 introduces something horribly stupid and nonsensical that still plagues JRPGs to this day: instant death spells. Some enemies can simply cast a spell that, if you're unlucky, hits and you just die. Simple as that. A mechanic completely based on luck that can end your game in a matter of seconds. I don't know what sadistic part of the human brain drives developers to still implement instant death spells in JRPGs today.
Or, in other words: aside from an excessively high encounter rate and some minor dubious design choices, Dragon Quest II greatly surpasses its prequel in almost every single aspect. Even so, Dungeons and Combat are still extremely subpar for today's standards. Just like with DQ1, the only thing that never lost its charm is the exploration: that sense of pure adventure that comes from journeying this huge world, uncovering its mysteries on your own to eventually reach the evil lord's lair.… Expand
