Today marks the 25th anniversary of the first Dragon Quest game! I just think it's something worth noting for me personally. Dragon Quest is my favorite game series, and it's actually what the title of this site is named after!

I'm currently still playing through IX; I'm about 50 hours in. It's just hard for me to explain why I enjoy Dragon Quest so much, but it largely has to do with the amount of charm it contains. I think after 25 years, for every Dragon Quest game to have so much charm is extremely impressive. Each iteration of the game feels so familiar, but also tells its own story, keeping it different. There have been no drastic changes (some minor changes of course, like 3D in VIII and multiplayer in IX). I think the fact that Yuji Horii, Koichi Sugiyama, and Akira Toriyama have remained on staff for all nine of the main games has something to do with it.

I can remember playing the first game, titled Dragon Warrior, on the Gameboy Color when I was younger. I was a bit removed from the series as I grew older, but then in 2005, I remember buying Dragon Quest VIII because it had a Final Fantasy XII demo! It was one of those times when I was much younger, and I just kind of bought games to buy them, not really knowing why. Well since then I've been able to play Dragon Quest IV, Dragon Quest V, and Dragon Quest VI. Eventually, I will get around to the ones I have missed.

Not much else other to say that that, but to go and play this wonderful series of games if possible! They're steadily becoming more accessible to the U.S. With Dragon Quest IX, and the remakes of IV, V, and VI being published on the DS within the past five years. Check them out!

Here are some really great articles around the web for the 25th anniversary: