DRAGON QUEST VIII App Reviews

Wow, what a great game for mobile! So much of what I loved about the original DQ8 is retained in this iteration. The graphics are beautifully stylized, the music is instantly memorable, and the characters are charming (even without their great voice overs). I would love to give this game 5 stars, but I would really like the option to play in landscape mode. I can understand why portrait mode generally makes sense for phones (although maybe not the 6+), but I see no reason why the option isnt available for iPads. Please make this happen, Square Enix

Great story and gameplay, loads of content. This was the first dragon quest game I played and its gotten me interested in exploring the rest of the series, despite them being so graphically different. Its very, very solid.

One of the best parts of this game on the PS2 was the voice acting in the cutscenes. Not including that part really ruins the experience for me. Its just not the same.

The controls, especially the camera, are very hard to use. Not intuitive or easy at all. It was bad enough that I had to just stop and delete the game after about 2 hours of play. I still gave it 2 stars instead of 1, however, because it isnt a free-to-play, freemium game and has a good premise. Seems like it had a lot of promise. Too bad.

The game speaks for itself for any previous fans, but the format threw me through a loop at first and the idea didnt make sense to me. But as I played I began to enjoy it. Keep in mind Im playing on a newly upgraded 6+. So the screen is still plenty large enough while vertical. But the format is an odd choice nonetheless. Yet it works. Its great for multitasking, has a quick-save feature, is glitch free (5 hours in nearly straight) and is a faithful, great-looking HD rendition on the go. For any Dragon Quest fan, its a must; for new fans or any JRPG fans, you owe it to yourself to hate yourself for spending so much time playing it.

After about an hour or so into the game, i see why people say its one of the best. The characters stand out, the story (so far) engages the player, and the actual mechanics for playing single handed in portrait mode work really well. I do have a couple complaints, but im not sure if theyre due to hardware restrictions or not (using iphone 4S). In large areas, framerate is around 60% (music plays just fine). And the terrain textures in waterfall cave dont seem to load 100%. Almost the whole area was pitch black, except where immediately affected by the torches. To my standards, these issues arent super important, but they did cost the full 5 star rating.

What happen? ipad air

App is stuck on loading and wont install. After a bit the app pops a notice saying retry and it starts whole whole download/install process again then rinse and repeat. I have iPad 2 iOS 9 and even set my iPad up as new device. Not internet issue as I can download and play ff7 no problem. I will give it a 5th star when I can enjoy the game. 4 stars because it is a dragon quest though.

Great game but keeps crashing after I updated to iOS 9. Always happens when transitioning to new screen and is random - I can go back in and go right past the same spot with no issues. Luckily theres quick-save and auto-save, but its still a pain.

Update 10/01/2015 Ive beaten this game twice and it is PERFECT (especially on the 6s plus) this is the BEST control scheme and presentation for an iOS RPG. Portrait mode and one hand play needs to be the standard on mobile. For first time players, the story is exceptional and once you get past the lack of voice acting (ok, I still miss that) you will be engaged until the end. This is the gold standard of JRPG. Older: I have the joy of being able to play this game for the first time. The controls are weird but I got used to them quickly. Update: the controls are super fluid once you get used to them. I wish every iOS RPG had a one handed option. The portrait mode is done well, you usually dont feel like your missing anything. Update: after an hour or so of play, you dont even miss the landscape view. Everything is there and the one handed convenience of the portrait view is unbeatable. I really would like voice acting to be included in a future update. Update: I still want voice acting :)

This is a fantastic game but the only thing it needs that the original ps2 one has is The voice overage and the orchestrated music that the ps2 has.

Awesome game. Awesome story. Awesome characters. One of the best RPGs of all time.

One of best RPGs Ive ever played. Incredibly well done. Great character development. Like reading a good novel.

I waited to finish the game to write this review (and by finish, I mean finish). On the PS2 American port, I easily clocked in 100+ hours, and was more than willing to do that again! The little thing that people miss out on is the ability to take the game on the go. Parents bothering you? Play DQVIII. Long car ride? Play DQVIII. Avoiding work? Play DQVIII. Sure, I miss some of the music and the VO that were in the American version, but getting the fully upgraded alchemy pot right away made playing the game more entertaining!

The frame-rate in DQ8 is maybe in the high 10s low 20s. Its pretty poor and needs an update. Otherwise a very good port, albeit it should probably take up more memory. The PS2 version was approx. 2.5 GBs. These apps need to take start increasing their size to allow for better textures and models. Its not helpful, its necessary.

Vertical orientation only. Joystick is also stuck the center, making it very hard to play on an iPad Pro.

I used to love console version Waited a year, fair amount of time right? Still freezes every 20 mins or so. This is unacceptable, for a free game and for a game thats priced so steep as this one. It completely butchers the game. Very angry. Do not buy this garbage.

I love this game so much but, there is one problem. It crashes often. If they are still updating the game for iOS then please, the delevoper of dragon quest, will you fix this problem?

So horrible game. Dont play this game. Extremely boring and story is awful . 3d graphic is terrible, just boring. DQ 4 and 5 were pretty good other than that just trash! Dont play this horrible game

First things first, Dragon Quest 8 is one of my favorite games so my review of this 10/10 game specifically pertains to the iOS version. Upon opening DQ8 for the first time you might be taken back with the portrait aspect it plays in. Not that you werent already aware of this, but because of an inability to comprehend why Enix came to such an awful design decision once you see it for yourself. It makes no sense to assume that anyone would want to play one of the most sprawling, content-rich and at times grinding/monotonous RPGs out there, one handed. Im aware that this port was meant to serve Japanese people who wish to play on their phones during train commutes, but this is not a game to be played on the way to the office, this is a game to be experienced at the very least in widescreen. Even the ps2 release included a 16:9 option. The lack of voice acting is something I didnt expect to bother me as much as it does. The ps2 version has it and its fantastic, but many great RPGs rely on text only dialog and get by just fine. I suppose its the old "dont know what youve got till its gone" adage ringing true here that makes this port feel lifeless. Maybe those who havent played the original wont miss out. The joystick has two size options available, too big and too small. You can choose to play with your thumb obscuring the main character or wrestle for control with him when he takes off in any direction you werent aiming for. That might only hold on the 6s plus, I havent tested this on other devices. The short of it is this port has one redeeming aspect, that being the option to play a great game on your phone. Im going to keep playing it, but mostly for what it was on ps2, not exactly for what it is on iOS.