Highway to Heaven

While RPG series like Final Fantasy is trying to invent themselves anew with each new part to Dragon Quest remains adamantly faithful for over twenty years.
The first Dragon Quest was conceived as an attempt to put "Western" computer role-playing games for Japanese consoles. As in the classic Ultima games hike the heroes about overworld map and be involved in combat, will be changed for the in-inspired by the Wizardry series closeup view.
Also DQIX changes this formula from only slightly, but is so high quality "retro" that makes the whole enormous fun.

The theme of DQIX are guardian angels who gather in their areas of responsibility, the gratitude of the people to bring with it a sacred tree to flourish. If this succeeds, you will be promised by a prophecy, will bring a Himmelszug the realm of the Almighty. At the beginning of the game, the prophecy seems to be fulfilled, however, there is a serious incident which deprived the hero of his angels forces and throws in mortal remains to the earth. Here you now gathered a party of up to four characters to be, with which one must try the backgrounds to the failure of the journey to discover paradise.
The heroes of the DQ series are since its beginnings largely silent and devoid of personality, but what makes it easier to identify with them. One can relative easily imagine yourself to be this person, precisely because it has no strong traits. DQIX goes even one step further, as well as the companion of the hero can be the beginning of the game to create freely. Thanks to the very powerful for a DS game 3D engine, the appearance of the party members can be combined very flexibly in a modular system. In addition, motivated, that the majority of the applied equipment is an integral part of the look of the characters and not only "invisible" effect as in previous parts of the game mechanics. Overall, the figures even somewhat childlike and cuddly fall out as many Dragon Quest games previously. One can like it or not, but is ultimately probably the small screen of the DS owed. The profession, that is, the "class" of the heroes, one may choose freely, where the selection also magnified by the existence of optional class quests later.

Having been inserted into the first hours of play in the mechanics, the game goes on familiar way on. We toured a large overworld map with relative freedom of movement and is always involved in fights with the designed by manga artist Akira Toriyama and highly iconic Dragon Quest monsters. Pleasantly fall here to the change that the beasts are time ever to be seen on the overworld map and you can avoid many fights; a useful feature, which was acquired from the spin-off Dragon Quest Monsters Joker.
As in Dragon Quest 8 heroes and monsters are fully animated in 3D and beautifully set running the battle commands around enough to give the scene. Here is a small step back is also gone further because rather than merely standing in row against and loszudreschen succession, the heroes and enemies run time messed up on the battlefield. Tactically Although this has no effect, makes the fights but visually still a bit more dynamic.

The majority of the first half of the field consists of doing different story quests. These little stories are sometimes funny, sometimes touching, or even a bit cheesy and not always related directly to the "major problem" of the story up to the collection of sacred fruits. Nevertheless, the adventure aspect and individualizing the hero party continues very consistent. Everywhere there are better or "upbeat" Equipment to find and discover new monsters. A system modeled on online role playing alchemy system allows the players more or less rare ingredients for even more powerful weapons and armor to find and there is an unusual for a console RPG variety of optional side quests.
Important in DQIX is also the multiplayer aspect that comes thanks to the connectivity of the DS for the first time in a part of the main series to fruition. One can make the hero party with three human players and jointly head out. In this case, each player is allowed to move freely in the world and his other teammates come when required by calling function in fighting to help. However, in order to maintain game balance, the human helper can assist only the Host in his world and not deal with important items still dusting rare items or to advance their own story. Experience points and money will be preserved each. A pity that the multiplayer mode only works on the local data exchange and not on the Internet.
In addition, there is a special online store to be reached in the game and in which one (not "real" money or DS Points) can buy new equipment and quests for play money. A social feature is the data exchange is in standby mode, which allows you to invite other players into the game heroes linchpin of the game, the inn. While these heroes can not play, but can be equipped by their "owners" with guest gifts. These guest gifts including treasure maps that lead to special dungeons. These randomly generated like in Diablo dungeons have nothing to do with the story and have no appreciable puzzles, the game experience can but extend considerably, as they contain strong monsters, more powerful bosses and special rewards. Particularly rare treasure maps lead while the so-called "legacy bosses" - all the main opponents of all past Dragon Quest games, which can be partially overcome only at the highest character level. A special incentive for true hardcore gamers.
Unfortunately, it is relatively difficult in Germany to make such chance acquaintances. While in Japan, the Dragon Quest series is an integral part of popular culture and are borne in large cities en masse DS consoles around, you have clearly targeted search for DQ fans who use this mode z. B. the city walk in this country already.

Conclusion:
Dragon Quest IX is based on the excellent game balance its predecessor and is divided perfectly into the decades-long tradition of the series.
Although the game easy to control (and difficult to master completely) is, does not like all the players. Who Role Play 2 were bored before cinematically staged Action songs like Mass Effect, which is also the leisurely DQIX with its round fights and more than 50 hours of play have little joy to the finals. However, those who have always been the DQ series and Japanese-RPGs liked and still likes to play retro games, which is the right place for DQIX. The game feels like a classic in the best sense of the 80s or 90s on.
Thanks to the permanently integrated into the gameplay multiplayer and online options and the pleasantly understated progress in presentation and combat system occurs DQIX not on the spot. It builds its strengths systematically, without becoming a completely different game. If you want to create only the main game, can do so without difficulty alone or with others, but beyond DQIX offers more optional add-on content than any other game in the series to date and can also tie up far more than 100 hours.
Newly the perfect handheld RPG.