I am reviewing the recent 1/31 patch which includes the post-game content.

I would like to begin by stating, as other reviewers have, that I am a huge Dragon Warrior/Quest series fan, having played many of the games in the series. I have a very soft spot in my heart for this franchise, as Dragon Warrior 1 was one of the first turn-based console RPGs I ever played.

Executive summary: If you are a fan of the series, I think you will enjoy this game. If you strongly dislike the series for any reason, you are probably looking at the wrong game as it is unlikely you will enjoy it.

Some specifics

Story: just a little disjointed having been drawn from 2 or 3 offerings from the series - (let's see, main protagonist's first motivation from here, major story arc from here, first fetch quest from here) - but overall the flavor of the story was the tried and true DQ formula of "The world is in danger, you must rise up from being a lowly 12 HP level 1 character and somehow save it against incredible odds!" There is a very clear parallel to DQ7 in the story in that the major mode of story resolution is the time travel and 'save the past' theme. Score: 4/5

Music: mostly pulled from DQ 7 (I LOVE the shrine music, I could listen to that all day), but occasionally some older 8-bit/midi music finds its way in, which was a little annoying to the senses. Staying consistent in terms of fidelity always helps the experience feel more smooth and seamless. Score: 3.5/5

Basic Gameplay: really comes down to if you like DQ. The author makes great use of the classic style of play found in the series. VERY level-grind intensive. Many of the battles, especially bosses/sub-bosses come down to "are you a high enough level/have you learned skill " - but again this is very classic DQ, and as such I cannot fault it significantly. Score 4.5/5

Events/Features: the author does a very impressive job with RPGMaker events and triggers to make for some very interesting puzzles and game experiences. A bit CPU-intensive at times (escape from Wyubori Volcano comes to mind), I tried on 2 of my systems, one of them couldn't quite keep up with all the events on screen and lagged noticeably at times, on the newer system, it was flawless. The items inspired from other games (Alchemy, Monster Breeding, Herb Creation, for example) are executed beautifully, and add immense depth and value to the game. Score: 5/5

Replay Value: The author has engineered this game so that you cannot possibly get everything on a single playthrough. Some of the different monsters can only be obtained by making different choices in the game, and you can only choose one in a few cases. Some items are the same, in that you only get 1 of them and they can be used to make other more powerful items but you have to choose which one you want more, and there are tradeoffs to every choice, some less obvious than others. Some very challenging post-game content has been added to the latest build that gives the player some more opportunity to buff up the characters and max their levels, and get some great rewards while doing so. Score: 5/5

If this was a commercial game I could not rate it as highly, but this is a fan game, and a wonderful homage to some of the great moments and triumphs of the series, in my opinion. As well, for the author to spend so much personal time on constantly tweaking and perfecting a labor of love is highly praiseworthy in and of itself. As if all this was not enough, the author has written several FAQs that make playing much easier if you get stuck, or are wondering "Hmm, how do I get the parts to make that sword?", and is very responsive to people asking for help.

Overall Score: 4.5/5