Which is better? Dragon Quest III or DQ IV

Dragon Quest III and IV are two of my favorite games on the NES. They’re very good RPGs, and they do something a little different from the other games on the console. These are fairly important games in the Dragon Quest series.

The third game brings the first trilogy of games to an end. It is a prequel to the first game, which doesn’t become apparent until the end of the game. There is a fun twist to the game’s story that the developers set up quite well. It also has a few improvements to the core gameplay.

Dragon Quest IV is the start of a second trilogy of games. Two of which weren’t initially released outside of Japan, but eventually made their way to North America. The fourth game has five chapters to it, unless you play one of the remakes. It is a unique RPG on the NES.

This should be fun! I always like comparing two games that I enjoy. Talking about a game that I don’t particularly like can be a little frustrating, especially when I have to come up with things that it does better. Let’s get into both of these games and see what they have to offer.

Game Descriptions/Overviews

There were a few differences between these games. The changes made from the third to the fourth game can be seen as improvements, or you can view them as experiments. Dragon Quest IV is the start of a new trilogy, so they probably wanted it to stand out a bit more.

Dragon Quest III is a high fantasy game that acts as a prequel to the first game in the series. It takes place in the same world, but adds something to the lore or the series. There is an overworld, and the legendary hero was born there before descending to the world of the first game. The game also expands the party to four characters, and has you create three party members to join you on your journey.

Dragon Quest IV is a high fantasy game that is told in five chapters, if you’re playing the NES version of the game. Each character has a main character or characters. You don’t spend much time with each one, but there is more character development than in the other Dragon Quest games.

These were just brief overviews of these games. There is more to them than what I’ve put here, and I’ll try to get into as much of it as I can. Both games are quite good, but they have some issues that have cropped up in other retro RPGs. Let’s get into the main differences between these games.

Main Differences 

The changes made between the third and fourth games weren’t as extreme as with the other games in the series. These two are closer together and only have some minor differences. The fourth game does represent a new direction for the series, and there were some style shifts. Let’s go over some of the more significant differences.

The two games tell their stories in very different ways. Dragon Quest III is a little more straightforward. While it does have a false ending, that isn’t anything outside of the norm when it comes to storytelling in an RPG. Dragon Quest IV tells its story in five chapters, which is a little different. Each chapter has its own protagonist, and they come together at the end of the game.

Dragon Quest IV is the start of a new story. This means it doesn’t have to tie into the first games in the series, and it can tell a different story. The third game is a prequel to the first game, but the player doesn’t know that until the end.

The player has more freedom to customize their party in the third game. Dragon Quest III has the player create three characters to fill out their party. You have several classes to pick from, and can make more characters than you can use at once. Dragon Quest IV has present characters, and you can’t really do your own thing like in the third game.

These are a few of the major things that I think are different between these games. There are probably more, but I can’t think of them at this time. If I think of any, then I’ll revise this section. Let’s get into the core concepts in these games and see how different they are.

Comparing Core Mechanics (Combat, Story, Visuals, etc)

These games share many of the same core concepts that you’ll find in many console RPGs. Because these games were made by the same company and are in the same series, they have more similarities than normal. The changes that were made reflect a desire to improve on the base formula from the first game in the series.

The combat isn’t too different in these games. Both are turn based RPGs where you give commands to a party of characters. Where they differ is in how the parties are put together. The fourth game has a revolving door of characters, with a different focus in each chapter. Dragon Quest III has the player use the same group for most of the game. You can also select what class your other three characters are going to be.

These games tell their stories in different ways. Dragon Quest III starts out like the other two games, until you defeat the initial big bad guy. That is when the real villain shows up, and the second part of the game begins. Dragon Quest IV tells its story across five chapters, and there is a different main character in each chapter. It is also starting something new, and not trying to tie into the other games.

The Dragon Quest series didn’t change its visuals too much from game to game on the NES. There were new enemies in each game; they got more cinematic, and the combat screen devolved into a boring black screen. When you look at these two games, you can see that the fourth game has more cinema scenes, and the sprites look a little better.

Both games bring something different to the table. These games are quite a bit of fun, and are closer to what I expect to see from a retro RPG. Let’s get into what each game does better than the other.

What Does Dragon Quest IV do Better?

There are several things that I think are better in Dragon Quest IV. It has better characters, the story is told in a unique way, and I like the variety in the gameplay. If I think of other things, I’ll add them at the end.

The fourth game has better characters. There are more of them, and none are interchangeable characters that the player creates. With more main characters and better character development, the fourth game’s story becomes a little more enjoyable for me.

The way this game tells its story is more enjoyable to me. I like that there is a different focus in each chapter, and how they all come together at the end. It is a fun way of telling a story, there are some interesting things about it, and a few chapters that I absolutely love!

The fourth game has more variety in its gameplay. Much of this has to do with the different chapters in this game. The player is given a few interesting things to do, like being a merchant for a little while and raising money to finish a tunnel. This is a nice change of place from what other games ask you to do.

These were the things that really stood out to me. I’m sure that I missed something, or that there are things that others would’ve included. If you have anything, just leave it in the comment section. Let’s get into what Dragon Quest III does better.

What Does Dragon Quest III do Better?

Dragon Quest III has some things that I really like. A few of them are better than what is in the fourth game. I like the creativity that the player is given to form their party, the false ending, and a few of the side quests are a little more fun.

Having a bunch of possible character classes to customize your party is fun. I like the creativity that this offers the player. You don’t have to go along with what is suggested to you, and you can create a bunch of possible characters to mess around with. That is probably my favorite thing about this game!

I like the false ending in this game. This is something that isn’t done in many console RPGs from this period. It is worked into the story quite well, and it leads to a few plot points that tie back into the first game in the series.

Because the game lets the player create a bunch of characters, there are a couple of classes that aren’t as useful as others. One of these classes ties into a quest you can do, which is pretty fun. You have to use a merchant to help build a town. It is a fun idea, and I like how the developers work this in.

I’m sure that I’ve overlooked something. These were the things that stood out to me when I went to back to play this game. Let’s get into which game is better and which I would rather play.

Which is Better Overall and Why? 

Dragon Quest IV is the better game. This was very close, and the deciding factor was really that I had more fun with this game. It has a better story, I like the characters more, and I like that this is the start of something new.

I really like this game’s story more. It is told in a cool way, and they all come together in the end. The main plot does have some seeds planted for the villain, which is nice. It is a nice break from the storyline in the previous games.

The game has more characters, and they each get some time to shine. While we don’t spend much time with them, they’ve been developed quite well. Each of them has a story, and they come to some kind of a conclusion before being merged into the main plot.

I simply had more fun with this game. The gameplay is a little better, I like the graphics, and the gameplay is solid. There is something about having a section where you play as a merchant that I find appealing. This is the most cinematic of the four NES games, and those scenes add a lot to the game.

These are the reasons that I chose this game over Dragon Quest III. It is overall the better game, and I have more fun playing this than I did with any other game in the series. Granted, I haven’t played all of them yet, but this is my favorite so far. Let’s get into which game I would rather revisit.

Which Would I Rather Play?

Dragon Quest III is the game I would like to go back and play. After writing about both games, I’ve found that I really want to play the third game again. It has a fun story, I like the party system, and it wraps up the first trilogy quite nicely.

I really enjoyed how this game is a prequel to the first game. It is done quite well, and I enjoy how everything works together. The false ending adds a lot to the story and makes this one of the more interesting retro RPGs on the NES.

Having so many options to form your party is nice. There are a few classes that I haven’t really explored, which means I have a great reason to revisit this game. I’m curious to see how the gameplay changes when I use some of the less-than-traditional characters.

This game brings an end to the first trilogy of Dragon Quest games. It is a lot of fun to see how this game builds on the story from the first couple of games. I really enjoyed that you don’t really know this is a prequel until the false ending, when you go to the world from the previous two games.

These are just some of the reasons why I would like to play this game again. This section can always be a little weird. Much of what goes into it is based on personal preference, and there are a handful of subjective things in here. At times, I feel like this section is a consolation prize for when I like both games, but one is only a little better.

Conclusion 

This was about as difficult as I thought it would be. Both games are a lot of fun, and I enjoyed my time with them. They both have something different, and they show that the developers made a lot of improvements from game to game. It really feels like Enix was keeping a close eye on what Sega was doing with Phantasy Star and then putting their own spin on it.

Dragon Quest III has a lot of similarities with Final Fantasy and Phantasy Star II. It has a defined main character, and then a group of interchangeable characters that you can customize. I also enjoy the false ending. It is one of the better plot points in any retro RPG.

Dragon Quest IV is one of my favorite NES games. It has a great story, the cinema scenes are nice, and I enjoy the way things are told. It is a fun game that starts a trilogy of games. This is something that I really enjoy about the series.

It will be fun to see how Dragon Quest IV stacks up to other RPGs on the NES, Genesis, and SNES. There are quite a few fun match ups with the other game in this series that I’m looking forward to. At the end of the day, these are both great games.

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