Saturday, August 27, 2011

Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies NDS


Dragon Quest IX is a fantasy role-playing game. The game starts off with you playing as a Celestrian. A Celestrian is similar to an angel. You cannot be seen by humans and your job is to watch over the citizens of a town. Whenever you help a human, they give you their benevolence. You take the benevolence to the world tree, Yggdrasil, so that it can bear fruit. Once the world tree bears fruit, the Celestrians believe that they will be taken to a world beyond their own. After bringing enough benevolence to Yggdrasil the tree lights up, and something goes terribly wrong.

Controls
The controls for this game are really easy to learn. They are very basic and allow anyone to play the game. When you're not in a battle the controls are different from that of a battle.



Gameplay
Dragon Quest IX is great in terms of gameplay. There is never too much happening on screen for it to get confusing. The gameplay is very smooth and there is never any problems with frames. Your character is customizable in the beginning of the game. You can pick your hairstyle and your face. The game has two different play styles, one for exploration and another for battle. When exploring the world, the view is in third person and you can move freely through the wilderness, caves, and towns. When battling an enemy, you are locked in a position standing across the enemy. You are given some actions that you can use and throughout the game as you level up, you learn various attacks and techniques. You also get new friends along the way to help you in your battles. One of the most spectacular aspects of the game is the equipment. Everything you equip shows on your character. No item is the exact same. From the Leather Armour to the Scale Armour, nothing is the same.

Difficulty
The game isn't very difficult to play. It is however strategic at higher levels. Don't be fooled by the beginning enemies which are simple slimes. They get a lot tougher as you progress through the game. You will fight opponents who alter your status and you must be ready to counter attack at all times. Bosses can be especially tricky. They have a lot of health points and also deal a large amount of damage to you.

Length
As most role-playing games, it is pretty lengthy. You can spend a lot of time leveling up just to prepare yourself for the next boss. The story, however, is what makes you want to keep going. You get really into the story and simply can't wait to see what happens next. What would be the point of a role-playing game if it wasn't long anyway?

Graphics
The graphics are pretty good compared to other role-playing games. The game also has some cinematics which look amazing. The world itself is pretty big and not extremely detailed, but it definitely looks good. Even though some of the monsters look somewhat awkward, they are very smooth and never twitch.

Sound
The sound effects in the game are excellent and the music is fabulous. The music never gets boring and the battle themes make you want to keep on fighting enemies.

Saving
Dragon Quest IX gives you two options for saving. The first is by going to a church in a town and talking to the priest and confess your sins. Your progress will be completely saved. The second method is Quick Save. It's the last option under the Misc. heading in the menu. It lets you save directly in spot. However, once you turn the game on again, that save point will be deleted. It's good if you need to take a break, but it is highly recommended to go to a priest in town.

Replayability
The game isn't very replayable due to the fact that it's pretty long. It takes you a while to get where you are and you wouldn't want to go through it over again. Besides, if you want to make a new save, you'll have to say goodbye to your old save.

Overall Summary
The game is excellent overall. It has a lot to offer any player. It is enjoyable to play, has great music, and an amazing storyline. This is a definite buy for any fan of good storylines or role-playing games.


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