tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9185146376391497299.post8355300298549699942..comments2023-05-29T08:40:48.961-07:00Comments on The Twin Gaming Critics: Dragon Quest 4: ChaptersAdam Schlothanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05363743313600723523noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9185146376391497299.post-69717288297239583042011-11-20T04:57:51.077-08:002011-11-20T04:57:51.077-08:00I have not played Dragon Quest IV (or any Dragon Q...I have not played Dragon Quest IV (or any Dragon Quest game for that matter), but a chapter-based story progression isn't exactly a new idea. Going back at least as far as Betrayal at Krondor in 1993, some RPGs have used it. I do agree that it's a great method of storytelling (as evidenced by that classic, which is still the greatest CRPG ever made), and more games should use it. As you mentioned, it exposes the player to more characters, and it feels less arbitrary than most RPGs that let the player pick which characters to use almost throughout, only to be forced into using a character that is unlikable, terrible in combat or both. Usually, the game just announces that certain characters are mandatory in certain areas. Some reason or other is given, but it's often not very convincing. A chapter-based system avoids that problem by giving a real story-driven reason for why certain characters are being used and others are not (typically, it's that the characters are in different geographic locations). A chapter-based system also has the advantage of breaking up the game into segments, which gives the player intermediate goals that still advance the main plot. This keeps the player from being overwhelmed by the sheer size and scale of some RPGs.John Galehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08262512055345358976noreply@blogger.com