Theatrhythm Dragon Quest
A rhythm game blending Dragon Quest music with role-playing mechanics.
Theatrhythm Dragon Quest is a 2015 rhythm video game developed by indieszero and sAs, and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo 3DS. It was the first rhythm game in the Dragon Quest series and the third Theatrhythm title overall. The game combines rhythm gameplay with role-playing elements, allowing players to assemble a party of four characters that act in sync with the player's beat accuracy.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- indieszero; sAs
- Publisher
- Square Enix
- Director
- Masanobu Suzui
- Producer
- Ichiro Hazama
- Composer
- Koichi Sugiyama
- Series
- Dragon Quest
- Platforms
- Nintendo 3DS
- Released
- March 26, 2015 (JP)
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Theatrhythm Dragon Quest is a rhythm game where players hit notes as they align with a trigger circle, using either the touchscreen or buttons and the Circle Pad. Note types include touch notes, slide notes, and hold notes. Songs are divided into three styles: Battle Music Stage (BMS), Field Music Stage (FMS), and Event Music Stage (EMS). In BMS, notes scroll from top to bottom and battles are shown in the background; FMS features relaxed field songs with adventure backgrounds; EMS uses original game visuals instead of chibi characters. Each song has three difficulty levels, and a Simple mode replaces slides with taps. The game incorporates role-playing elements: dozens of characters from Dragon Quest titles have attributes like level, statistics, class, and abilities. Players arrange a four-person party before songs. During gameplay, characters automatically attack enemies in BMS or march forward in FMS, with effectiveness tied to player accuracy. After songs, characters earn experience points and level up. A challenge mode requires players to develop characters and choose suitable party members to unlock tracks. Characters can change classes at Alltrades Abbey.
Development and release
Theatrhythm Dragon Quest is the first rhythm game in the Dragon Quest series and the third Theatrhythm title, following Theatrhythm Final Fantasy and Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call. Developers indieszero and sAs returned, with director Masanobu Suzui, a Dragon Quest fan, aspiring to work on Dragon Quest projects since entering the industry. The base game contains 60 songs from the first ten main Dragon Quest titles, each contributing around six tracks. The music consists of synthesized orchestral arrangements overseen by series composer Koichi Sugiyama. Additional tracks were released as free downloadable content via the Nintendo eShop, including original Family Computer soundtracks. Producer Ichirō Hazama stated that developers would monitor fan feedback for DLC song selection. The game was revealed at Jump Festa 2015 on December 10, 2014 with a playable demo. A trial version with two tracks was released on March 11, 2015. A promotional mobile app called Intro Quiz Battle ran from March 20 to April 30, 2015. The title launched in Japan on March 26, 2015, with the first DLC collection released concurrently. Three more DLC packs followed from April to May, and a final fifth DLC with four songs arrived in June 2015. Additional EMS tracks were available early through Wi-Fi at 7-Eleven or Tsutaya in April and May, and were re-released in July. Pre-order customers could download a Nintendo 3DS theme featuring chibi characters and monsters, and the console played music from Dragon Quest II when waking from sleep mode. A set of themed rubber straps was sold after release.
Reception
Reviews noted that Theatrhythm Dragon Quest followed the formula of Theatrhythm Final Fantasy while adding Dragon Quest elements like class change and first-person battle views in BMS. The gameplay mechanics were well received, with praise for three difficulty levels, free switching between touch and button controls, and Simple Mode for beginners. Challenge mode and Sugoroku mode were also praised, though Nintendo World Report found the lack of multiple modes disappointing. The track unlocking process was considered tedious compared to Curtain Call, requiring ten songs instead of four. The selected songs evoked nostalgia and exhilaration, but the music library was seen as limited. Destructoid's Joel Peterson praised Koichi Sugiyama's music as beautiful, timeless, and memorable, and expressed gladness at owning an import console to enjoy it. However, the base game's focus on arranged music rather than classic 8- or 16-bit soundtracks drew criticism for lacking nostalgia. Inside's Hidetaka Nagayoshi noted that while the arrangements sounded beautiful, the different atmosphere from the original songs could unsettle Dragon Quest fans. Visuals were praised for being smooth, colorful, and featuring cute chibified characters. A Famitsu editor commended the use of pixel art animations from original titles as strong reminiscences, but felt the chibi style clashed with the originals' atmosphere. Nintendo World Report criticized the lack of 3D support that Curtain Call had. The game sold over 76,000 copies in its first week, making it the best-selling Nintendo 3DS game that week, and 124,000 copies in 2015.
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