Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
Platforms
Summary
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King is the eighth entry in the Dragon Quest franchise, created by Level-5 and released by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2. It was also made available on the Nintendo 3DS in 2015. This traditional Japanese-style role-playing game includes random battles, straightforward turn-based combat, and management of a four-member party, each assigned to a specific class. In contrast to earlier games in the series and most Japanese RPGs, it presents a seamless world with expansive environments and fully integrated towns and dungeons, rather than a world map with icon-based locations. The game also includes full camera rotation and a choice of first-person perspective. As with earlier Dragon Quest titles, the game allows interaction with numerous objects—such as lifting, carrying, and breaking barrels to uncover hidden items.
Storyline
The jester Dhoulmagus from the kingdom of Trodain pilfered a potent enchanted scepter hidden under the royal castle. With the scepter's power, Dhoulmagus reduced the castle to ruins, cursed the kingdom and its inhabitants, transformed King Trode into a troll, and turned the princess into a horse. A lone castle guard sets out with the king, the princess, a reformed thief named Yangus, and a small group of allies to track down the wicked jester and find a way to lift the curse.
