To date, all the 8- and 16-bit entries in the Dragon Quest series have been remade several times. The first three games are practically as pervasive as Tetris here in Japan, the fourth has appeared on PS1 and DS, and the fifth even got a PS2 remake in 3D before appearing as Hand of the Heavenly Bride earlier this year. Of all the pre-Sony Dragon Quests, only the sixth game -- which will be called Realms of Reverie when it makes its way to America, presumably next year -- has yet to be remade.
As a result, it's easily the least-known entry of the series in the West, never having made its way out of Japan in any official format. In Japan, though, it remains many gamers' favorite chapter, sometimes edging out even the sublime Dragon Quest V in fan polls.
Dragon Quest VI is a traditional turn-based RPG which features random battles and a character class system that the Hero and his party members acquire new skills and spells. The Hero travels around the world gathering a party throughout his adventure. To progress in the story, the party must defeat specific boss monsters or trigger specific flags. In order to defeat the bosses, the player must spend time training the party by gaining experience points from battles to advance in character and class levels.
From the review:
"I'd love to sit here and write this review for Dragon Quest VI in the full knowledge that I'm a hypocrite, that rose tinted spectacles cloud my judgement and it would certainly be an easier piece to put together if that were so. The admiration and enjoyment I've derived from this most firm standing of titles comes not from a place of sentimentality, but one of an appreciation of the pursuit of perfection. Though DQ has never had its revolutionary moment of change, such as the aforementioned FFXII, it has continually refined and sharpened exactly what makes JRPG's appealing. "
GameDynamo - "Finally released in the United States for the first time (only a 16 year delay!), Dragon Quest VI comes to us on the DS with all the greatness that makes the Dragon Quest series hard not to love (for JRPGers, that is)."
