DRAGON QUEST II 9+

So last time I reviewed this I wrote an extensive explanation of how this was Not Worth It. Well good news is, Square updated the game with a bug fix, which has now removed the crashing issue (which for clarification had it so battles with multiple of one enemy type upon defeat would cause a crash). Now I can write a proper review hurray! As a completable game it is reasonably worth it and much like an expanded edition of the first, which is responsive and does what it can for the original. As a remake (on the app store no less) I would objectively give it five stars but as it went so long without a big fix I give it four. Not that that matters much besides for the cover. Stars aside and to the real point, now that the game functions properly I can say it is a worthwhile game! Why are my reviews always so long

When my Dragon Warrior I & II cartridge for my Game Boy stopped working shortly after finishing the first game, I was glad that I could play the second on my phone. This is a great game.
The game itself is a classic. Although, among the DQ games its considered to be one of the worst, I found it quite enjoyable. The story is much more involved than the first one and the additional party members add to the experience.
This version of the game is probably the best. The game is generally criticized for its difficulty, but with this version a lot of that has been fixed; the ‘hidden’ treasures sparkle, the prince and princess are pretty useful, there’s a world map, etc. I also liked the updated sprites and the additional save options.
The one thing that I didn’t really like was the controls. Coming from the Game Boy, it took me a while to get used to the touch screen controls, but once I did, I did. And to be fair, there aren’t really any better options on a phone.
Overall, it’s a great game, well worth the $5 imo

After beating DQ1, I kept thinking “how on earth did 8 year old me figure all this out?” Answer: it took me 6 months and a notebook where I wrote down clues and mapped the caves and dungeons. I recall as a child starting DQ2 but don’t remember why I didn’t play it after a couple weeks.

DQ2 difficulty level has to be 100X that of DQ1. The world is 4X as big, you need a boat, the dungeons are nearly impossible to figure out without a guide/walkthrough, there are 147,000 villagers to talk to and decipher their Ye Olde English clues. DQ1 had a handful of items you needed to acquire in order to complete objectives. I can’t even guess how many were in DQ2. You gain 2 characters, each with their own rules on what armor and weaponry they can don. Do you sell items back to the shops or try them on your partner first? So much thinking involved.

It’s a slow go getting started and I bow my head in shame that I resorted to a walkthrough and auto save scrumming. Nonetheless, by the end I was addicted and neglected my wifely duties to beat this game. Wasn’t the biggest fan of Atlas. His power was very random and it didn’t seem fair that he killed my full HP level 36 Princess in one swipe.

But what the original game lacked is more than made up for in this version. It plays flawlessly, there are no ads or hidden fees. Very enjoyable RPG.