video game reviews

August 2, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

‘Dragon Quest IX’

Grade: A-

Publisher: Nintendo, for DS

Age rating: E

“Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies” is a herald of change for the long-running RPG series.

For starters, this installment leaves behind its console roots for the DS.

There have been “Dragon Quest” spinoffs and remakes on Nintendo’s hand-held juggernaut before, but this is the first time a numbered entry in the series hasn’t been on a home console.

Other firsts include a multiplayer mode (not over the Internet, unfortunately), downloadable quests and other WiFi features, and enemies that can be seen wandering around the game’s world, instead of being encountered randomly.

Though much has changed in “Dragon Quest IX,” much remains familiar: One of the first battles is against a smiley-faced blue Slime; the plot does little more than drive the game’s exploration and battling; the main character is a silent participant in the adventure.

Actually, the whole party of protagonists is mute. None of the player-created party members, even the hero, can really be called characters they are ciphers with swords (or whips, or staves). Nearly all the narrative heavy lifting is done by the game’s well-written cast of unplayable characters.

Aside from the main plot, involving a heavenly disaster and its fallout, players can take on numerous optional quests from those in need and delve into hidden grottos with the use of tradable treasure maps.

The heroes are so interchangeable because of the multiplayer mode, which allows up to four players to explore together or independently in the same world, and to team up at will when a battle occurs.

Players can also have up to four fighters in their party in the solo game, with room for several more in reserve. Each fighter can switch between several vocations basic options include Warrior, Minstrel, Priest, Mage, Martial Artist and Thief. More advanced vocations become available later in the game.

—Justin Hoeger, The Sacramento Bee

Each vocation offers skills divided into two trees: spells and skills. Spells are learned at certain levels and are unique to each vocation, so a party member who has learned to cast Heal as a Minstrel won’t be able to use that spell if he or she takes on the Warrior vocation.

Skills, however, are mostly tied to equipment categories (swords, daggers, shields, etc.), with a unique skill for each vocation, as well. The abilities earned by increasing skills do carry over between vocations.

Vocations gain levels, spells and skill points independently of each other, and many vocations share some skill sets if a Minstrel invests points in the Swords skills, those points carry over to the Warrior along with any learned abilities.

The game looks great and has excellent attention to detail most equipment is visible on the fighter wearing it, and there are many, many different pieces of equipment to wear. These warriors may not talk, but there’s no mistaking one for another when they’re kitted out.

—Justin Hoeger, The Sacramento Bee