Which is better? Final Fantasy II or Dragon Quest

Final Fantasy II and Dragon Quest are very different games. One of them is very basic, and the other is more experimental. Both games have some good things in them, but they aren’t the RPGs that I would hold up as being great games.

Dragon Quest was great for the time it was released. There weren’t many RPGs on the home console at the time, and because of its age, the game has quite a few archaic gameplay elements. I do like the simplicity of the game, but it doesn’t stack up well against other games in this genre.

Final Fantasy II is one of those games that gets unfairly trashed on the internet. It is much better than some people portray it as. This game has quite a few things that didn’t work, and some gameplay elements that are good but needed to be refined. It also has a great story!

This one was rather difficult. Anytime I compare a game to Dragon Quest, things get complicated. It always feels like I’m bashing that game, which isn’t my intention. Let’s see what each of these games has to offer.

Game Descriptions/Overviews

There are a handful of similarities between these games. They have similar plots and settings. Aside from that, they’re very different types of games.

Final Fantasy II is a high fantasy game that has a few steampunk elements in it. You control a party of four characters, one of which rotates over the course of the game. In this game, you get defeated right off the bat, and one of your party members is missing. From there, you join a rebellion and fight against an evil Empire that wants to take over the world.

Dragon Quest has a very simple plot. You play as the hero; there are no other party members, and you have to defeat the dragonlord. There are no twists to the plot, and everything drives you to the end. It is perfectly fine for what it is.

These are just brief descriptions. Dragon Quest’s plot is so thin that there really isn’t too much more to it than that. Final Fantasy II has more going on because the development team took more chances and had a little more experience when that game was made.

Main Differences 

There are a lot of differences between these games. Many of them are because Dragon Quest is one of the first console RPGs. They have differences in their gameplay, story, and settings.

The biggest differences between these games are in the gameplay. Their leveling systems are different, the party systems aren’t similar, and the combat is different. In just about every way, Final Fantasy II is more complex than Dragon Quest. Sometimes being more complex is a benefit, and other times it is a detriment.

Final Fantasy II has a more complex story. This all has to do with it being a little older and having a more experienced team working on the game. Dragon Quest was something new on the NES, and the story being basic reflects that.

The settings aren’t too different because these are both high fantasy games. Final Fantasy II does have a larger world for you to explore, and there are a few steampunk elements in it. There are really only a few minor things that separate their settings.

There are many more differences between these games that I could get into. I’ll try to expand on some of the things I’ve overlooked in the other sections. Comparing anything to the first Dragon Quest is tough because it is so basic. Let’s get into what I think each game does better than the other.

What Does Final Fantasy II do Better?

There are quite a few things that Final Fantasy II does better than Dragon Quest. It has a better story, unique gameplay, more playable characters, and it is a little funnier. There are more things that I could get into here, but I want to keep this brief.

Final Fantasy II has a more complex story, and it takes a few twists. You spend much of the game without one of the main characters, because he’s joined the evil emperor, and temporarily becomes the big bad guy. It also has more interesting side quests.

It has some game mechanics that are really unique and quite good. The password/keyword system in this game is something really cool, and I love how it works. Occasionally, a highlighted word will pop up in the text, and you learn it. Then you can use this word on NPCs to advance the game’s plot or read new dialogue. It is a very cool idea, and I wish Square had refined it in another game.

There are more playable characters in this game. Not only do you have the four main characters, but there is also a rotating cast of secondary characters who join your party for brief periods. There are also some funny moments that I’m not sure were supposed to be funny. That is something that I can’t say about Dragon Quest.

There are a lot of things in Final Fantasy II that I wish were in a better game. For every great thing that I like about the game, there is something that I think is just annoying. Let’s get into what Dragon Quest does better.

What Does Dragon Quest do Better?

This was much harder than I thought. Finding things that Dragon Quest does better than other RPGs is always difficult. I do like the graphics and the leveling system more than what is offered in Final Fantasy II. If I think of anything else, I’ll add it in.

The Dragon Quest games have a bright and colorful graphical style. I like the way this game’s battle screens look, and I love the enemy sprites. When I look at how both of these games originally looked, Dragon Quest has the graphics that I find more interesting.

Dragon Quest has a much more straightforward leveling system. It makes so much more sense to just fight monsters, gain experience, and eventually gain a level. I like this approach when compared to what Final Fantasy II attempts to do.

When I looked at the two magic systems, I enjoyed Dragon Quest’s more. I like learning new spells by leveling up. It makes this a little more rewarding than grinding for money. Both systems are fine, I just like the way Dragon Quest does it better than Final Fantasy II.

Those are the things that I could come up with. It is always difficult to come up with things that Dragon Quest does better than other RPGs. I always feel like I’m beating up on this game whenever I compare it to something. Let’s get into which is better and which I would rather play.

Which is Better Overall and Why? 

Final Fantasy II is the better game. The story, combat, and some of the game mechanics are better. I’m leaving out the graphics because of the versions of this game I was playing.

This game has more going on in its story. It takes you on more of a journey, you learn more about the characters, and there are a few twists in the plot. I also love that it starts with a bang by having an unwinnable battle right off the bat. It was a little shocking to me when I first played it.

Having four characters makes the battles more complex and strategic. You also have to deal with more enemies and multiple types. By doing this, things are a little more strategic. The magic system is also more complicated because you can spread the spells out a bit more.

I really like the keyword system in this game! There isn’t anything like it in other RPGs from this time, as far as I know. It makes things more interesting.

There are a lot of good things in this game. It is better than what the internet says. It is like Final Fantasy Mystic Quest in that way. I like the game, even if it isn’t as good as the other games in the series. Let’s get into which game I would rather play.

Which Would I Rather Play?

This was a little difficult. Neither game is something that I think about when trying to decide on a game to revisit. When I look at both of them, Final Fantasy II is the one I would choose. It was closer than I thought, and I really had to nitpick these games.

Final Fantasy II has better gameplay overall. There are fewer archaic game design features, and the experimental features are mostly good. I like how the magic system is set up, and I enjoy the keyword system.

Having a party of characters is much more fun than a solo protagonist. Because one character is off being evil for most of the game, you get a bunch of side characters. This is very cool because it helps to expand the game’s world. It also adds some fun moments where you get to learn more about a few of the characters in the game.

There are some stupid moments in the game that I enjoy. Like when one of your characters decides that he can talk to beavers. I don’t remember this being mentioned at any point before it is used to advance the plot, and I love it because of how dumb it is. When your fourth character rejoins your party, everyone just gets over him trying to kill them and take over the world. It happens fast, and I got a good laugh out of it.

Those are the things that I really liked about the game, and why it is the one I want to revisit it. This is also the newer game for me. I’ve only beaten it once, and it is more accessible to me than Dragon Quest is.

Conclusion 

Comparing anything to Dragon Quest makes me feel like I’m needlessly picking on the game. It isn’t a bad game; it simply doesn’t stack up well with the other games in the genre. Final Fantasy II is a strange one. It has a horrific reputation because of the internet and the more vocal people who hate it.

Much of the mechanics in Dragon Quest are archaic. It has a lot of things worked into it from the tabletop games, and I don’t think they translate that well to a video game. This happens with a few games like this, and maybe if I played more tabletop RPGs, I might enjoy this more.

Final Fantasy II has a number of experiments in it. Square did this with each entry in the series. They tried something new in each installment, and some stuck around while others were abandoned. I don’t know of any game mechanics that were carried over from II into another entry.

This was challenging to say the least. There wasn’t much I could say about Dragon Quest that hasn’t already been said. Maybe I’ll have more to say in the next one.

If you liked this post, check out some of the others in this series. Such as Final Fantasy II vs Dragon Quest II or Final Fantasy II vs Phantasy Star.