A really amazing RPG, well worth the money.
The gameplay in this lengthy and engaging quest is some of the best that I’ve seen in an RPG. Right from the beginning, the fights are fairly difficult, and you’re forced to actually strategize about your battles instead of mindlessly selecting the attack button every turn. This can make random encounters (particularly further in the game) a bit tedious, but it makes the game more challenging, and overall I like the difficulty of it. Also, you are only able to save your progress in towns with a church, so it forces you to be well prepared for dungeons and ration your supplies and magic. This is unlike other RPGs such as FFX where you can find save points all over the map. Understandably annoying at times, but again, it makes you think a lot more than you would in other games.
The story itself is straightforward enough, with some interesting characters and a few twists and turns along the way. Each character has his/her own unique personality, and their interactions are well animated and believable. The added dubs are creative and entertaining, if not a bit over the top. The leveling system allows you to allot skill points into different abilities, building up your four main characters as you see fit. There is a healthy variety of attacks, magic spells, weaponry, armor, and other items to acquire throughout your journey. The alchemy pot spices things up further, allowing you to experiment with different items and create new objects.
All in all, DQ8 is a really fun and long game. If you’re a fan of RPGs, pick up this title -- you won’t be disappointed!