Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King

 PlayStation 2
User Score
8.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 389 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 339 out of 389
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 389
  3. Negative: 33 out of 389
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. artificeprime
    Nov 4, 2017
    7
    A good lengthy story but mediocre gameplay.

    I think that Dragon Quest 8 will appeal to a very specific group of people. It does a few things really well but it feels like a game out of the past. That can either be seen as a good thing or a bad thing. Personally I enjoyed the story but I found the gameplay to be very boring and repetitive. I love long RPGs and this game is certainly    A good lengthy story but mediocre gameplay.

    I think that Dragon Quest 8 will appeal to a very specific group of people. It does a few things really well but it feels like a game out of the past. That can either be seen as a good thing or a bad thing. Personally I enjoyed the story but I found the gameplay to be very boring and repetitive. I love long RPGs and this game is certainly that. The main quest is very long and there are lots of secrets. The problem that I have is when you get late in the game pretty much the only way to level up is by hunting metal slimes and they are extremely boring to fight against. Another problem I have is that there are very few combat abilities. Even late in the game I was still using basic attacks. Compared to games like Tales or Symphonia, Final Fantasy X, and Shadow Hearts: Covenant, all games that came out before, the battle system in Dragon Quest 8 feels extremely basic and boring. Outside of combat the gameplay is nothing special. There aren't really any puzzles to solve and exploration is hindered by annoying random encounters. The crafting system is quite good though and can be very rewarding as it gets you many of the best weapons in the game. The monster area was also a highlight.

    The story is probably the best part about the game although it is fairly simple compared to most Final Fantasy games but it is full of fun interactions. I was interested enough that I always wanted to know what would happen next and it is a very long story. The characters are quirky and enjoyable enough to watch although they aren't particularly deep. The protagonist is silent but the game does a great job of making him appealing by having Yangus communicate for him. Their relationship is surprisingly quite fun to watch and is an interesting way to present a silent hero.

    The visual design is clean and cartoony, it looks good enough but there are many older games that look better. The visuals fit the game fine and have aged pretty well but it is average looking for the most part.

    Sound design is quite good, the soundtrack is orchestrated and has some really appealing songs. The voice acting is a mixed bag, most of the accents sound pretty unnatural but for its time I think the voice work is pretty decent and the game gives you the option to disable it so it deserves some credit for that. The environments also have really nice atmospheric sound effects that create a sense of immersion.

    Overall, I think Dragon Quest 8 is good but it is held back by repetitive somewhat boring gameplay. Nothing about the combat stands out as exceptional when compared to other RPGs. The story is enjoyable with a lot to offer but it isn't as deep or complex as it could have been. The characters are quirky and mostly likable but they lacked the depth that I would have liked to see in such a lengthy Quest. It has a big world with lots of locations to explore but many of the areas look very similar and exploration gets repetitive. If you really like old school RPGs this game is probably great for you if not it is not likely to win you over to the genre.

    I give Dragon Quest 8 - 71%

    Gameplay – 5
    Story – 8
    World - 7
    Characters – 7
    Visual Style – 6
    Sound Design – 8
    Uniqueness/Ideas – 7
    Length/Amount of Content – 9
    Immersion – 7
    X-Factor - 7    … Expand
  2. Arshad_S
    Jun 12, 2011
    6
    Tedious, lame story line, obvious expectations from people you need stuff from ie you have to go out of your way to get a lame item. Unlike the final fantasy series with a balanced level up period, dq8 presses for long level up time or be owned by our nasty sea ocean monsters. The dialogue seems to be read out, majority characters lack emotion in their voice and lack personality. game getsTedious, lame story line, obvious expectations from people you need stuff from ie you have to go out of your way to get a lame item. Unlike the final fantasy series with a balanced level up period, dq8 presses for long level up time or be owned by our nasty sea ocean monsters. The dialogue seems to be read out, majority characters lack emotion in their voice and lack personality. game gets unfairly difficult in a short distance in certain areas which calls for a night at the inn. If a good lvl up is wanted you have to prepare yourself almost a few days of playing ( if you are playing 8 hours a day) to start gaining levels at a good pace due to the building of items that can give you some hope of not starting at a save point again or losing your gold. I dont think anybody would want to spend a day just leveling up. it gets really really boring. Some items are almost completey unused by the hero since he got its effects built in his spell list... lame! Resurrecting a character is more %&$% $&^# rather than a phew. The battle system was abit different with funny monsters and a few unique status effects which i liked. The area design and layout of towns and the surrounding nature was good to look at. Other than that not much positives. just another rpg with the same turn based system. Its nowhere near close to even ffx nor as gripping but it does manage to keep you interested.... that is if you dont get pissed at the level up time you spend then its ok. Not a complete fail and worth the buy at a bargain price.… Expand
  3. UnknownUnknown
    Dec 21, 2007
    6
    Gameplay delivers a nice classical feel and thats a good thing although in my opinion it could have been better. It also has colorful and amazing graphics that pleases the eyes. However it also has many shortcomings. The story is extremely dull in contrast to its world and its characters are very shallow and boring. The music isn't bad, but not particularly great either.
  4. AnonymousMC
    Jan 27, 2009
    7
    Story:
    The story is almost nonexistant in the beginning of the game and takes too long to reveal itself, and when it does, it remains just an average story. Although there are only 4 party members, each member is as shallow as if the party had 12 members.
    Gameplay: Dragon Quest VIII's gameplay is very old school which isn't a bad thing but i would've liked some twist to    Story:
    The story is almost nonexistant in the beginning of the game and takes too long to reveal itself, and when it does, it remains just an average story. Although there are only 4 party members, each member is as shallow as if the party had 12 members.
    Gameplay:
    Dragon Quest VIII's gameplay is very old school which isn't a bad thing but i would've liked some twist to it. The saying, "if it ain't broke don't fix it," remains true here. So if you're tired of the same old thing look elsewhere. This game is also very tedious. You can only save at churches which are only in towns. Going back to town just to save wastes a lot of time. Make sure you won't have anything to do later while playing this game or else you'll have to backtrack a lot.
    Graphics:
    The graphics are beautiful, vibrant and pleasing to the eye. So even if the difficult and tedious battles piss you off, you can at least enjoy the view. The character designs were also done by the same person who drew Dragon Ball. If that kind of art isn't your style then you may have a problem.
    Music:
    Like the graphics, the music ids actually pretty good. However, most of the better tracks are either underused or overused to the point where it gets annoying (I'm looking at you overworld theme).
    Overall this game is somewhat fun but it doesn't really bring anything new to the table. Think of it as an enhanced remake of preivous RPGs. Same battle system, with better production values.    … Expand
  5. JohnnyK.
    Nov 16, 2005
    7
    A strong RPG that is only superficially compelling, DQ8 doesn't do alot to RPGs that hasn't already been done so much as it synthesizes the formula. It's a mostly engaging experience all the way through, but, with so many RPGs that are catering to more specialized crowds, DQ8 will probably appeal more to the standard player than it will the progressive RPG enthusiast.
  6. AlienSpaceBats
    Feb 3, 2014
    7
    Deceptively simple in appearance, (an old-school RPG for old-school's sake) Dragon Quest is an unforgiving beast. There are save points only in towns, throws random battles around like confetti and demands that the player grind a level or two before moving from one quest location to the next. Can be cruelly unfair, frustrating, and annoying, but also rewarding.
  7. firstevil87
    Mar 15, 2012
    7
    Dragon quest 8 is an ambitious game, Audio/video is incredible, but the gameplay... It feels like it's a game from the early 90's with modern graphic. You can save only in churches, and I mean, only! This means that you have to explore whole dungeons, and the more you go forward the more you are afraid to die and do it all over again. This would have not been an issue if combat was fasterDragon quest 8 is an ambitious game, Audio/video is incredible, but the gameplay... It feels like it's a game from the early 90's with modern graphic. You can save only in churches, and I mean, only! This means that you have to explore whole dungeons, and the more you go forward the more you are afraid to die and do it all over again. This would have not been an issue if combat was faster paced, instead we can spend lots of minutes for the lesser battles, and the reward is... well few money and who-knows-how-much exp.
    Yes because if you want to know how close you are to leveling, you have to go back to a church and ask to a priest. when I wanted to grind I had to take pen and paper and calculate the exp after every battle. Not exactly user friendly.    … Expand
  8. Von_Fred54
    Jun 21, 2015
    7
    Giant luscious world to roam around in. Memorable locations to visit. Lovable character artwork by Akira Toriyama... Painfully slow story development...

    Every fight nearly K.O.s your entire party, takes 10 minutes to win and then requires a trip all the way back into town to heal at the inn and save at the church... heal at the inn, save at the church... heal at the inn... There    Giant luscious world to roam around in. Memorable locations to visit. Lovable character artwork by Akira Toriyama... Painfully slow story development...

    Every fight nearly K.O.s your entire party, takes 10 minutes to win and then requires a trip all the way back into town to heal at the inn and save at the church... heal at the inn, save at the church... heal at the inn...

    There should have been vehicles available (and early on too). Dragons and Pegasi to fly around on. Horses and lions and/or other creatures to tame, train, level-up and ride on. Build vehicles, piece by piece from gathered material in your alchemy pot !!! ANYTHING !!!    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

7
#7 Best PS2 Game of 2005
10
#10 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2005
5
#5 Most Shared PS2 Game of 2005

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 63 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 59 out of 63
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 63
  3. Negative: 0 out of 63
  1. games(TM)
    90
    For the first time in the series’ beleaguered overseas history, the game is going to hook westerners long enough to draw them in past the insane difficulty and into one of the most rewarding, player-loving games of the last decade. [JPN Import; Feb 2005, p.86]
  2. RPG Fan
    93
    Dragon Quest VIII may not revolutionize the console RPG genre, but it has done one thing that all the older RPGs have strived to be: it has become the greatest classic RPG experience of all time. [JPN Import]
    Read full review
  3. Weekly Famitsu
    98
    10 / 9 / 10 / 10 - 39 platinum [Dec 2004]
See all critic reviews »