The RPG genre is a juggernaut on the Eastern side of the vast pool. According to Statista, 24% of the thousand responders say that their preferred games are RPG titles. Games like Pokemon, Yakuza, Final Fantasy, and Shin Megami Tensei are quick to take over Japan’s public conscience. This takeover of the gaming market is all thanks to one gigantic title in Japan, with every game following its release taking inspiration from it; Dragon Quest.

The Development of Dragon Quest

Dragon Quest is a beloved RPG series that was released on May 27, 1986 in Japan. Many Japanese players hold the series dear to their hearts, as it was a groundbreaking achievement in RPG gaming. The game was developed by Enix, who faced the challenge of bringing the RPG genre to console gaming, which was unheard of at the time. Although Dungeons & Dragons were popular in Japan, it was uncertain whether the genre would work well for consoles.

Enix faced a daunting challenge in promoting their unproven new game. To attract players, they looked to two famous Japanese legends. They enlisted the talent of Akira Toriyama, creator of the popular Dragon Ball series, to design the game’s characters. Joining the team would be icon Koichi Sugiyama who would create the music for the game. Combining these star talents with the track record of Yuji Horii, who revolutionized gaming with the first visual novel game, Dragon Quest, is set to turn the gaming industry on its head.

Dragon Quest’s Massive Success

Within six months of its release, Dragon Quest sold one million copies across Japan. Given that it was released on a Tuesday, many kids skipped school and adults missed work to queue up and buy to play Dragon Quest. The frenzy around the game caused many studios to rethink their title’s release dates to the weekend, inspiring the “Dragon Quest Law” myth that would spread across the Internet. 

However, this level of success would never be replicated when the series arrived in Western markets. When Dragon Quest arrived in America it was titled “Dragon Warrior” because of a trademark dispute. It developed a niche community although it never grew any bigger as Final Fantasy would soon take over the West. Years later, Dragon Quest has yet to have a significant fanbase in the West despite Square Enix’s efforts. Even bloggers like Taylor Park Cross and James Poggione from ‘The Art of Autism’ attempt to bring attention to it in the disabled community in their article “Dragon Quest: A Look at Accessibility Throughout the Years.”

The Dragon Quest series has laid the foundation for RPG conventions that have inspired many other games. It features a vast open world for players to explore, dialogue options that can lead to multiple endings, and random battles with colorful enemies to fight. These aspects have kept fans hooked, eagerly anticipating each new sequel and spin-off. Although it has not achieved similar success outside of the country, it remains a titan and an inspiration in the Japanese gaming industry.

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Works Cited

Bashir, Umair. “Preferred video game genre in Japan 2023.” Statista, 13 February 2024, https://www.statista.com/forecasts/1410306/preferred-video-game-genre-in-japan. Accessed 16 February 2024.

King, Austin. “How Dragon Quest Inspired One Of Gaming’s Biggest Myths.” Screen Rant, 9 February 2021, https://screenrant.com/dragon-quest-law-urban-myth-japan-nintendo-how/. Accessed 16 February 2024.

Shah, Tanushri. “A Brief History of Dragon Quest.” TechRaptor, 26 May 2021, https://techraptor.net/gaming/features/history-dragon-quest. Accessed 16 February 2024.

Taylor, Cross, and James Poggione. “Dragon Quest: A Look at Accessibility Through the Years.” The Art of Autism, 11 May 2020, https://the-art-of-autism.com/dragon-quest-a-look-at-accessibility-through-the-years/. Accessed 18 March 2024.