Dragon Quest IX

How a JRPG grind taught us the value of mortality

- Jon Bailes

Dragon Quest IX is a matter of life and death. In its structures it marks the passing and rebirth of a genre, or the realisation that the many ancient traditions enshrined in the series’ past must be remade in new forms. In its stories it wants to explore the effects and value of human finitude – and also the eternal role of the traditional JRPG hero.

Modern sensibilities are at the forefront of the game’s design. Random battles are replaced by visible monsters roaming the field, sidequests are clearly signposted and tracked, and combat is swift and accessible. Then there’s the wireless co-op play, whose introduction cannot but make aspects of the old formula obsolete. It all creates a sense of freshness, whether joining another player’s adventure, accessing regular DLC updates of quests and rare items, or simply going solo through the main quest. And surprisingly these changes serve to expand, rather than dilute, the narrative scope of the game.

The clearest risk Dragon Quest IX takes in realising its structural adjustment is to sacrifice the notion of the classic JRPG party. In accommodating the option for players to take their personalised avatars into each other’s worlds, there’s no room for the usual cast of misfit personalities and their accompanying backstories. Instead, the gang that goes into turn-based battle is made up of human players or hired help, neither of which can be written into the story. Even the user-defined main character has to remain an empty cipher, and is less substantial than a typical silent protagonist.