Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies (Nintendo DS) Review

Rather than putting players in charge of a particular character from the minds of the developer themselves, Dragon Quest IX gives DS owners the chance to take control of their own specifically designed hero/heroine in order to travel across the world, helping those around who are in need of guidance and support. The reason behind this is that Dragon Quest IX’s protagonist hails from high up above, in the heavens, a place called the Observatory where numerous guardian angels watch over us mere mortal folk who dwell on the Earth below. Each and every one of the holy beings are eagerly awaiting the day when sacred fyggs blossom on the Great World Tree (Yggdrasil), which thus heralds the advent of when these Celestrians can commence the final leg of their long journey to the upper realms via the Starflight Express train to be with The Almighty One. To ripen the fyggs, though, a blue crystal representing the goodwill of the mortals they assist with tasks and pleas for help, called ‘benevolessence,’ is required.

As is normally the case in stories of this nature, all does not go to plan, and soon the young Celestrian tumbles from his lofty residence and awakens in a land fraught with danger, without wings and seen by humankind as one of their own. So begins a journey ripe with adventure, where the story is portrayed by a luscious mix of wonderfully animated 2D hand-drawn sequences in places, and stunning 3D characters and locations elsewhere. Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies is a technical masterpiece, showing exactly how well Level-5 has mastered the humble Nintendo DS hardware, pushing the system even further than Square Enix previously did with Final Fantasy IV and Bandai Namco did with Tales of Innocence. The game is also helped along the way by the ever-resourceful folk at TOSE, who worked hard with the developers to craft a soundtrack perfectly fitting of the Dragon Quest universe; recreating classic themes and lavishing the engrossing ride with plenty of memorable new tunes.

Originally the plan for Dragon Quest IX was to transform it from its origins to make it into an Action RPG, similar to something like The Legend of Zelda or Secret of Mana. However, due to outrage from the enormous fan-base at such a proposal, Sentinels of the Starry Skies was delayed in order to morph it back into the traditional turn-based adventure that the series’ exceptional reputation has been built upon. Therefore, players are once more faced with something akin to Final Fantasy, whereby the character (and team-mates once three others have either been recruited or created from scratch - giving the option of having random people joining your troop, or those from your imagination) wander around the over-world, ravaged wastelands, underground caverns, and so on, encountering enemies and being thrown into battle where each side must take turns to attack/defend/use items/use magic. The premise is basic, yet the execution is masterful in its actual simplicity.

Whilst the basic structure of in-game fighting remains unaltered for the most part (choosing ‘Fight,’ ‘Spell,’ ‘Item,’ Special Ability,’ for example), random encounters, other than a brief section of the game, are a thing of the past, with enemies appearing around the player, just as in the Tales of series of RPGs, meaning that there is no forced battling until bosses are met. Whilst traversing areas, enemies will eventually spot you when in their eye line and then make tracks to engage a fight, or even run away scared if your level is considerably higher than theirs. What needs to be remembered in this scenario, though, is that to avoid partaking in too many battles can be extremely costly further down the line, since Dragon Quest IX involves plenty of level grinding in order to build up a strong group of fighters, as well as access some of the new vocations you may wish to choose (Sage, Paladin, and so on, all of which can only be changed deep into the journey) so that new skills can be accessed. The advantage of no random encounters, however, is that whenever tracking back and forth from area to area is required, it does not become anywhere near as tiresome as in RPG outings from yesteryear due to being able to dodge most monsters and not having to desperately struggle to hang on for dear life as you scramble back to an inn to rest, or church to save your progress.

Generally, throughout the Biblical-related story, the aim is to save mankind, protect the Almighty, and restore your character's halo and wings so he/she can rise once more to the Observatory and make it up to the Realm of the Almighty. This involves heading from town to town, talking to the village folk, mayors, holy people and general travellers, in the hope of finding not only the sacred fruit of the Fygg Tree, Yggdrasil, but also bringing peace and happiness to all nations, thus awakening the Almighty himself. Achieving this goal is no easy task and numerous monsters must be destroyed, sacred items recovered, and lost souls reclaimed from the dark depths of a world filled with treachery, doubt, deceipt, and wickedness. Are you up to the challenge of redeeming the masses and dragging them towards the path of righteousness? If so, then get be sure to get a damn strong weapon and some mighty armour, as well as plenty of gold for upgrading your kit the further you progress, for Dragon Quest IX offers one heck of a monumental challenge!

On top of all the challenges faced along the way, players should keep in mind the job system employed in Sentinels of the Starry Skies since it is a large part of the fun, along with the extra quests. Your characters are able to eventually change their class, or ‘vocation as it is called here, with there being six main vocations on offer. The primary ones are Warrior (skilled with weapons), Mage (expert with spells), Priest (specialises in healing), Martial Artist (lean, lithe and focused), Thief (steals items and finds treasure), and Minstrel (a flamboyant fighter). Each one carries with it a different set of spells and skills that can be learned as your levels build up, experience is gained, and skill points are accrued during the numerous battles over time. Making the best use of a vocation on a team-member can be the difference between victory and loss in some major battles, so choices should be made wisely.

Square Enix and Level-5 have attempted to make Dragon Quest IX as customisable as possible in order to draw in a new crowd to the already burgeoning fan-base found in Japan, and it this aspect, paired with the drop-in/drop-out four-player mode, that Nintendo has been using for the advertising drive in the US and Europe. Right from the start of the adventure players are given the opportunity to create the lead character, choosing their gender, hairstyle, skin colour, facial expressions and even body shape before naming them. Then, whilst on the journey, players will come across a multitude of different items, weapons and accessories that can be equipped (over 1,000 in total). These do not only have an effect on any statistical characteristics, but actually alter the physical appearance of the on-screen character(s), helping to make the experience all the more realistic. The resultant combinations that are possible may seem comical at times, or even lead to the false arrogance that your team is invincible. However, always take heed of the fact that judging a book by its cover is not ideal in every circumstance and although your team may look fierce, their attire may not necessarily be the most suitable for battle, which is why the top-screen’s statistical breakdown must be checked each time your equipment is changed or updated.

Another major part of Dragon Quest IX’s longevity and extra appeal, other than the wealth of character customisation available and four-player shenanigans, is the whole host of side-quests that Level-5 and Square Enix have included to lure players back to the adventure time and time again. The first 120 of these can be accessed right from the very start, with your warrior meeting certain people (normally hidden out of plain sight, such as remote corridors of castles or in the depths of a well) with blue speech bubbles above their head. They will converse as normal at first, before eventually posing the question of whether or not you choose to take on the responsibility of the task they bequeathed unto you. Additionally, if the standard amount of supplementary missions does not satiate your desire for questing, there are plenty of others to sink your teeth into thanks to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, where a further 64 can be downloaded as extra content over time. For each objective successfully completed, a reward is offered up, sometimes in the form of mere items, whilst others can be more important, such as the unlocking of new vocations and pieces of useful equipment. The developer's and creator Yuji Horii's aim was not simply to make a run-of-the-mill ninth entry, but to ensure that Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies was by far one of the most well-rounded RPG experiences on any system, something that has definitely been achieved.