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Dragon Quest VIII finds itself in the Google Play Store, and it ain’t cheap

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dragon quest 8 banner

Gamers will want to give this $20 download a consideration. Yes, I said $20. That big bill will now get you one of the most beloved RPGs on your Android phone or tablet. I’m talking about Dragon Quest 8, a classic RPG from the PS2 era that is as unforgettable as anything can be.

Dragon Quest 8 follows the story of a royal family that was turned into farm animals and plant life via the spell of a court jester who was having far too much trouble for his own good. You play the protagonist — the lone guard who, for whatever reason, was unaffected by the spell — to help restore some normalcy to the kingdom.

The game features beautiful cel-shaded graphics, an epic soundtrack, and turn-based gameplay so good that it’ll make you wonder why Japanese RPGs have been on a decline in recent years. For $20 you’re getting access to the full experience as it was when it first launched on PS2, so there are no microtransactions, ads or other cash grab antics to deal with.

If ever there was a time that you complained about microtransactions and the lack of good, solid one-time purchase experiences, then this is your chance to show Square Enix and other developers that we enjoy a no-frill gaming experience for an upfront cost. Head to Google Play if you’re ballsy enough to spend the 20 bills.

Quentyn Kennemer
The "Google Phone" sounded too awesome to pass up, so I bought a G1. The rest is history. And yes, I know my name isn't Wilson.

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16 Comments

  1. OMG!!!!!! This will be the first App over $10 that I will buy…and I get Paid tonight…watch out now!!!!!!!

  2. For $20 that top had better go a bit lower from time to time…

    I’m all about paying out right, but $20 is steep.

    1. I purchased this for the PS2 back in the day for $40.

      A full fledged JRPG with HD graphics for $20… higher than most casual games, but this ain’t casual. I’ll bite.

      1. Yeah, but RPG game play on mobile is usually clunky at best. There were a few that I tried that looked promising and the controls quickly turned me off. At least with the freemium model, you’re not investing in something you’re not sure you like (did I just compliment freemium? Ugh).

  3. I played the first NES versions as a kid. Does it require a connection to play after downloading?

  4. Putting those Google Play giftcards to good use! :D

    1. Good Idea!! I still have one laying around from Xmas….. just gotta find it…hmmm….

  5. “Ballsy” You gamers are spoiled! Back in the day we had to special order the Japanese Super Famicom cartridge from an importer for $120 and Super Famicom to SNES adapter to play Dragon Quest. It was all in Japanese and we had no internet to do the translation. OK. now I feel really old!

    1. I am with you there, i played 5 and 6 originally that way. Brings back memories of getting lost and having no clue where to go next.

  6. The game seems to be lagging a bit in the linked video. Hopefully they were able to optimize more prior to releasing it.

  7. This is an 80 hour game (or it was on PS2) , so you’re not being ripped off for $20.

    1. 80 hours? I put in well over 150 hours. This game is well worth its money, possible even more, even though it is a decade old (Original Japanese version was released in April of 2004).

      1. Yeah, 80’s just the baseline. If you’re going for the Real Ending…. I was definitely north of 100 as well though it’s been so long I forget the actual.

  8. Wow, I’m surprised people aren’t complaining too much about it being $20, and not $0.99. Maybe people are realizing that it takes money to make all these apps they use daily, and the developers need to pay the rent somehow.

    1. You do realize that this is a ported game by a large game company and not a indie developer? Pretty sure the people that work at Square-ENIX that are struggling to pay rent are never going to see a dime from this game.

  9. Man, if they can put this on then where is Final Fantasy IX!?! Not really mad, but I would love to see it on Android. I would even pay $20 for a 14 year old game too.

    I loved this game on the PS2, it was worth the $50 back then and it is definitely worth the $20 now. Just wish it had controller support. My controller is getting tired of just playing Bard’s Tale and emulators.

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