Life is the wildest roller coaster we ever board. We get on it, go through hills and valleys and turns that make you think everything will go horribly wrong, twists and turns that break us, leaving us with little hope to grasp onto. But we can’t give up. When given the worst we must forge our path onwards, trudge along to the finish line and find solace. We don’t know where this road will take us, but to give into despair would leave us with nothing but the biles of hate and sorrow.

What I just said may come off as pretentious, but that’s the overall theme I get from Dragon Quest 5, the story of life riddled with ups and downs. Ever since I first played it two years ago it has been clogging up my mind whenever I think of the series, especially now that I am playing Sentinels of the Starry Skies, for very good reason. It’s a game that in some ways is very similar to my favorite game of all time, Mother 3, but unlike that game which mixes in its ties of family with biting socio political commentary this game is fully intent on one aspect: companionship.

Keep in mind, it has been a while since I last played this game, so I may get some facts wrong, but this is how I remember it, which in its own way is a form of appreciating art.

Despite being a silent protagonist, Madason has a lot going in his favor to make him a compelling character. Starting off in his childhood, you’re put in a few scripted battles with your father Pankraz, an absolute beast who tears up enemies and protects you. One thing I love is that he is not just the typical tough guy dad, but a genuine caring person. Whenever you get hurt in the beginning of the game he casts healing magic on you, which invokes a stronger feeling than him just using a potion instead. To me at least, the ability to use healing magic shows a softer side to show that Pankraz isn’t just a badass in the toxic masculinity sense but rather a character full of compassion for those around him, a lesson which can be seen in Madason as soon as you take control of him, being the first spell he learns while only 6 years old.

His presence is missed as you take on your first missions, with the mansion being one of the toughest points in the game so early on. Normally I would get mad at the need to grind this early on, but to me it plays into the ludonarrative of you being a kid stumbling out, tripping over and getting a few scrapes like we all do when we try to do stuff on our own. Even then, there is this relative safety to everything so far. Unlike later in the game or in other Dragon Quests you don’t literally die when you run out of hp, just getting knocked out. Even just minor text changes like this can change the tone of what is going on, and makes it feel like you can always bounce back stronger. The game balances this feeling of uneasiness due to your frailty yet comfort knowing nothing bad will happen if you fail during the first generation. That is until Prince Harry gets kidnapped.

On your trek to save your snobbish playmate you encounter Bishop Ladja, the main antagonist on your escape. His power completely wipes you out, but luckily Pankraz is here to save the day, right? If only that were the case…

Pankraz is given an ultimatum, surrender himself to Ladja or watch his son and Harry die. Unable to see harm come to his kin, he takes the former option as the dark lord’s henchmen clobber your father. In one of the most genius decisions of all time you see this happen from Pankraz’s perspective in a scripted battle as he defends himself from the onslaught. He’s so powerful that it takes minutes to wear him down, making each hit more painful on your soul than the last. Eventually he goes down, and on his last legs gets incinerated by Ladja. That safety net you could always depend on is now a smoldering pile. It’s heart wrenching and is one of my favorite moments in gaming history just for how much you get out of so little.

After that traumatic incident you and Harry get sent to work as slaves for the next 10 years. Harry, an insufferable member of the bourgeois has been considerably humbled, and rightfully so. His actions led not only him down this path, but Madason and his late father. After you escape your captivity and return him to the throne he is considerably nicer, seeing you as a true friend and owing his life to you, but with that settled, what is there left to do?

Eventually you find that Pankraz was searching for the legendary hero, having stashed the legendary sword in your now dilapidated hometown. Madason tries to put it on but…the sword rejects him. He isn’t the main hero, which while itself is a nice subversion, allows Madason’s progression to go into another arc. He must venture into the world to find this legendary hero, and as a nomadic sage imbue his wisdom onto them. When it seemed like little meaning was left in his life after losing Pankraz is renewed by his posthumous presence. Alone, Madason sets off into the world to learn anything he can, leading into this game’s new mechanic: Monster companions.

After defeating certain types of enemies, one may ask to join your group. Each essentially works as a full party member, though some more useful and fleshed out than others. While I think it is a fun system, I think these monsters add another depth to the growth of Madason. All alone, these are the few companions he has left as he embarks on this journey. They aren’t even silent either, they can converse with Madason through this game’s party chat function. Some speak like normal, others are indecipherable, but they all have their own personalities tailored to them. The fact this is the game that introduced monster companions is a perfect fit, as getting to know former baddies helps Madason grow more and more caring. It’s implied he stays with them for a good while. Resources I’ve found have said this second generation of the game takes around 4 years, so it’s easy to say that at least 1 or 2 years is spent just with these monsters on your side. A true nomad who gathers the world to find answers, gaining knowledge of the people and places shown.

Eventually Madason reaches the town Monstroferrato, where all the commotion about a man named Rodrigo Briscoletti who will marry his daughter Nera off to whoever could venture out to find the sacred rings of fire and water. Madason accepts the offer as he also has the zenithian shield, the counterpiece to his zenithian sword he is supposed to give the legendary hero, and along the way encounter Bianca. I did not mention her as this review is bloated enough, but she was at the very beginning of the game exploring with Madason as a child for a bit. Madason finds her at her hometown and she tags along with him, only to find out that what he’s going after is an arranged marriage. You can clearly tell she’s disappointed in this news, that her childhood friend is going to get married to someone he doesn’t know, but still helps him out anyways, hoping to at least be able to see him off.

When you return the rings to Briscoletti, he notices Bianca as a friend of yours, and being the generous man he is, allows Madason to marry her if he so chooses her, along with receiving the zenithian shield no matter which spouse he gets. Also in the remake you can choose Debora I guess? She seems like a joke addition due to her completely prissy and unpleasant personality, primarily serving to be a physically attacking wife if you so choose. Regardless of who you choose, Madason spends the night celebrating with the entire city, King Harry even shows up to congratulate him, a nice touch to let you know how much he sees him as his friend.

I shouldn’t have to state how big of a deal the marriage scene in this game is. For something so early of its time it’s completely cinematic, taken even further by the still limited sprites of the DS remake. It feels like something that would be commonplace today but was pioneered way back then, just like how Dragon Quest as a series kept finding new ways to innovate with each passing game. You don’t get a new party member, rather Madason gets someone who will always be there with him, something he desperately needs after all he’s been through, and even though the wedding is honestly forced onto him and there is not a strong connection between who he picks initially, the bond he grows with his wife (sans Debora) is visible as the game goes on, especially with party chat.

I want to take a detour to mention party chat, a feature dragon quest has where you can get the opinions of your partners. Nearly every location and event has its own text now that you have your wife with you lets you see her insight, how she grows attached to you and your journey. It works as a great way to organically build bonds without needing to shove a cutscene in your face every 20 seconds, and starting now the use of it skyrockets past where it was before.

Madason’s wife really does add a lot to the feel of the second half of the second generation. While monster companions are cool, there is this unrivaled feeling of having another human party member with you. It feels permanent if that makes sense. Most monsters are disposable and get outclassed, and don’t have enough character to stand on their own. What they offer to the ludonarrative is great, giving Madason company he can count on, but with the first real party member being his wife of all people drives home this game’s themes of family and connections.

Also if anyone cares I picked Nera because she’s blue and has a really pretty pink bow and is the most mage coded of the three.

Eventually you make it to palace Gotha, which I forgot to mention (I’m sorry) that Pankraz was the former king of before he left on his pilgrimage. Being his heir, everyone celebrates upon his arrival, until his wife faints. She’s been keeping this a secret from Madason, but she’s having twins. The palace has even more reason to celebrate, and eventually Madason is able to see two bundles of joy, in the same room where you could see Pankraz see his child born at the very beginning of the game. A boy and a girl, with the option to name both. Like Madason, I will be referring to them by their official names, Parry and Madchen.

All is lovely until suddenly your partner vanishes. Abducted by Ladja, you journey to defeat him, only for you and your wife to be turned to stone. Two sleazy auctioneers stumble across your statue forms, and take you to their show. You are forced to watch Madason get auctioned off in a scene that’s as bleak and painful as when Pankraz gave his life to you. The same feeling of being unable to fight back rears its head again, and eventually you get taken in. A family who has their own kid places you down in their front yard, watching as a child grows up before your eyes, except he isn’t yours. For eight years Madason is forced into this purgatory, only saved by his children finding him after so long. Parry and Madchen revert their father back to his normal state, and while seeing them as full on 3rd graders is cute, there’s a feeling of emptiness in not having been there for them. While Pankraz was only there for your developmental phases, Madason failed to be there for his kids, a two sides of the same coin shaped irony, both caused by the same villain.

Parry gleefully lets you know that he’s actually the legendary hero Madason had been tracking down the entire second generation. His initial quest solved, Madason now must teach Parry and Madchen all that he had learned during his travels so they can save their mother and the world.

Eventually near the end of the game Madason’s wife is found and rescued, and as a family it's up to all of them to stop Ladja. I made this part short because holy fuck have you read everything so far this is like page 4 in google docs atm and I don’t even know what to put here right now.


Now that everyone is back as one big family, I can now finally talk about what I’ve been wanting to discuss since the beginning; Madason, his growth from childhood to fatherhood, and the family he was graciously given. Madason works great as a protagonist because instead of being the chosen one who saves the world, he is tasked with being the mentor to the hero that will. All of the second generation is stuff he will teach that hero when he finds them, and as his journey continues, so does life. He gets married, has children, and forms bonds with his family and others, with his son being the legendary hero being the cherry on top. He is a nomadic sage whose purpose in life is to bestow his wisdom onto others, and that reflects both in his design and his strengths as a unit. Instead of a typical swordsman like most Dragon Quest protagonists, Madason wonders the world with cloth and a staff. The compassion imprinted on him from Pankraz lives on with his ability to befriend anyone, even monsters. Even without speaking you get a sense of how caring he is to those around him and his family.

As a dad and as a member of the party he serves as their healer and fighter, almost paladin like. He has the strength to defend his wife and kids, but will not hesitate to make sure they’re okay every step of the way, just like his father before him. His main element is wind, the element of the traveler. His job is to provide a firm and caring hand to those around him wherever he goes, passing on his experience to those in need. His wife is the element of fire, which has different meanings depending on who he is with. For Bianca, it’s her passionate go-getter attitude and willingness to never give up. For Debora, it’s her domineering and feisty personality. For Nera, it’s the warmth and comfort that fire can bring to those in need. For all three of them, fire is the element of life. Like the great sun above us giving us that spark everyday, Madason’s wife not only brings into the world two bundles of joy but is the main star of the game’s title piece. Further symbolizing their love is the rings they share. Madason is the only one to be able to equip the ring of fire, and his wife the ring of water. Each one protects against the element they represent, casting fire and wind magic when used in battle. They represent that the two will always have each other when it seems like they are lost, something that drives the third generation’s plot even further, with Madason still holding on to that relic of his wife.

Parry harbingers the element of light. Manifesting as lightning like in every Dragon Quest, each hero is considered holy in their game’s universe, and thus can cast bolts to smite foes. While it may seem like Parry does not have a personality to go off of, his party chat conversations show him as a spunky and curious boy ready to adventure, both pure like light and energetic like lightning. Madchen was the hardest one to get. She uses ice, a reflection of her being more serious and down to earth than her brother. While she may not be the legendary hero, she still tries her best to support him every day. Like the water that makes ice, she gives life by restoring the states of her parents and by making sure her brother is ready to save the world.

Rarely any game allows you to play as a full family, especially one you get to see formed throughout the entire game. Dragon Quest 5 has one of the most unique and ambitious stories of any JRPG, one that makes you feel for the characters in ways that should not be possible for games of its era. Another innovative masterpiece that pioneers what gaming could be like from this series.

This was a really long review, but this is a game that even if it is not my favorite has some aspects that should make it an all timer of mine, and I wanted to give praise to those. Nearly every key moment resonates with me on a deep level and the reason it’s so long is because I have so much to say. Honestly the only things keeping it held back are the fact that the game is old dragon quest which has aged a bit as well as the final boss which excuse me if I go on like a mask off gamer rant about this holy fuck like sorry I just need to say this.

Grandmaster Nimzo is one of the worst final bosses I’ve ever faced. It mainly comes down to the obscene amount of HP this guy has, 9500. Holy shit in a game where you maybe do 500-600 damage if all four of your party members attack, this just felt like too much. Except you do even less than that because this guy’s attacks are so devastating I constantly needed to use Madason or Parry to heal, who were supposed to be the main offense with their high strength stats. Like I understand a final boss is supposed to be a major threat in this sort of way but I feel he has his cake and eats it too with how engorged his hp bar is. I was playing on an emulator and had abused the casino to get the best swords for Madason and Parry and enough mp items to fill up the entire family’s inventories and I still nearly lost from running out of resources. I had only really my family in the party but in a game this dead set about the importance of partnership, is it really too much to not get punished for using the entire family together? Like you know how I said that I was fine with grinding early game because of how it serviced the story? What does it serve here? It’s just plain simple ass grinding. Nera wasn’t even level thirty because of how late you get her back but that was not an issue up until this point, and I doubt her doing slightly more damage per turn would’ve helped. The only thing I can come up with is “don’t forget your old friends” because I didn’t bring my old monsters in the backup which I GUESS but idk this boss pissed me off and he makes wanting to replay this game a chore.

But uh, funny game about family yeah? Like it’s good, I just spent several pages in google docs on something that was supposed to be like a third of the length of this because I really wanted to go into detail about everything I love. I know I spoiled the majority of the game, but please play this if you haven’t. It’s a favorite of many of my friends and I will admit it’s probably the best in the series even if it’s at the current lowest of my personal rankings of a whole 3 (soon to be 4) games.