While the franchise spent a good decade out of the limelight in the West, Dragon Quest has been THE RPG franchise in Japan since its inception. Formerly published by Enix and now under Square Enix’s management, Dragon Quest has produced some of the most timeless turn-based JRPGs in gaming, and the eleventh entry in the main series proved to be a huge worldwide success.
A franchise as successful as Dragon Quest has, naturally, spawned its fair share of spinoffs. However, due to the property’s inconsistent popularity outside of Japan, only a handful of these titles have made it to North America and the rest of the world. Disappointing as that is, some of the spinoffs that did make it across the sea are pretty great in their own right. While waiting for the release of Dragon Quest 12, fans should consider picking up a side game or two.
Update July 5, 2021 by Mark Sammut: Dragon Quest will never die. With each year, you can expect Square Enix to show some love to arguably its biggest property alongside Final Fantasy. The franchise’s spinoffs do not get as much attention as its main games, but there are plenty of worthwhile titles out there. It remains to be seen if The Adventure of Dai: A Hero’s Bonds will get a Western release, although the international success of Dragon Quest 11 should not hurt its chances.
10 Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors
- Platform: Wii
- Release Date (NA): February 19, 2008
Dragon Quest Swords is a polished game that is difficult to recommend to veterans of not only the franchise but JRPGs in general. This Wii title is designed to be the ultimate “entry-level” experience, with streamlined combat and exploration. That doesn’t mean the game offers nothing of value; the visuals and story are both charming, while the Wii Remote-themed combat is satisfying in a very basic way.
However, the main Dragon Quest titles are not exactly known for their complicated battle systems or narratives. The series has always been one of the more welcoming options for JRPG beginners, and Dragon Quests Swords’ overly simplistic nature limits its appeal. All these criticisms aside, Swords is still a solid title.
9 Dragon Quest Tact
- Platforms: iOS, Android
- Release Date (NA): January 27, 2021
Few collections of words bring out as visceral of a reaction from people as “free-to-play gacha mobile games.” Dragon Quest Tact has many of the addictive positives and frustrating negatives of these types of releases, but its price tag makes it worth recommending to long-time fans of the franchise seeking a distraction.
In this spinoff, you collect an army of monsters and engage in tactical warfare. The battle system is challenging enough to stop Dragon Quest Tact from being a mindless experience, while the visuals are solid for a mobile game. Eventually, Dragon Quest Tact does become a bit of a grind.
8 Dragon Quest Wars
- Platform: Nintendo DSi
- Release Date (NA): September 28, 2009
Launching with an attractive $5 price tag, Dragon Quest Wars sees Square Enix’s legendary license embracing the strategy genre. With a detailed tutorial and a focus on custom matches, Dragon Quest Wars can almost be regarded as a teaching tool for people wishing to dip their toes into grid-based tactic games.
There are six available monster units that can be adopted into teams of four, so you have to decide which character’s abilities you can’t live without. The lack of a single-player mode means this title is only as fun as you make it.
7 Torneko: The Last Hope
- Platforms: PlayStation 1, Game Boy Advance
- Release Date (NA): November 15, 2000
Debuting with 1993’s Torneko’s Great Adventure, Mystery Dungeon has blossomed into a massive property. Starting out as a Dragon Quest spinoff starring the fourth main entry’s merchant Torneko, Mystery Dungeon eventually became better known in the West for its Pokemon series of games.
Out of the four Dragon Quest Mystery Dungeon games, only 1999’s Torneko: The Last Hope was ever released outside of Japan. A turn-based dungeon crawler with randomly generated dungeons, Torneko: The Last Hope presents a fun but frustrating gameplay loop, one that has to carry the entire game since there barely is a story. Fans of the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon titles should check out Torneko: The Last Hope.
6 Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker
- Platform: Nintendo DS
- Release Date (NA): November 6, 2007
From all of the Dragon Quest spinoffs, the Monsters series of games should be the top priority for fans of the main series looking for something somewhat similar. Turn-based combat takes center stage in these titles, but the spinoff series’ selling point is its monster taming mechanic.
The Joker entries signal the Monsters’ series shift to 3D, although that is not the only change that sets these games apart. They also alter the catching system for the monsters, opting for a scouting mechanic rather than the use of items. Joker 2 is also a great game; unfortunately, the third entry has yet to be released outside of Japan.
5 Dragon Quest Heroes 2
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 (JP Only), PlayStation Vita (JP Only), Nintendo Switch (JP Only), PC
- Release Date (NA): April 25, 2017
Be it The Legend of Zelda, Persona 5, or One Piece, Omega Force has brought a touch of Musou to plenty of established properties. For anyone who has ever played one of these hack and slash titles, Dragon Quest Heroes 2’s gameplay will hold little to no surprises, but the game’s world design and RPG elements allow it to feel more in line with Square Enix’s franchise.
Compared to Dynasty Warriors 9, Dragon Quest Heroes 2 does a way better job of incorporating open maps that emphasize exploration to a degree. The stylish graphics are fantastic, while the combat offers enough variety and flash to keep things interesting throughout the campaign.
4 Dragon Quest Builders 2
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC
- Release Dates (NA): July 12, 2019 (PS4, Switch); December 10, 2019 (PC); May 4, 2021 (XBO)
Dragon Quest Builders’ core concept is inherently marketable: take Minecraft and give it a Dragon Quest coat of paint. While the first entry is a decent distraction, Dragon Quest Builders 2 is a genuinely great game, one that combines building mechanics with JRPG fundamentals to create a memorable overall experience.
Split into three locations, your main goal is to bring desolate towns and cities back to their glory days. The construction element is by far Dragon Quest Builders 2’s highlight, as there is a good amount of variety on offer. As a traditional RPG, the game works surprisingly well, even if the combat leaves something to be desired.
3 Theatrhythm Dragon Quest
- Platform: Nintendo 3DS (JP Only)
- Release Date (NA): Never
The sole Japan-only release to make the cut, Theatrhythm Dragon Quest can be appreciated even with the language barrier. Following in the footsteps of Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, this 2005 release collects a wide range of songs from across the Dragon Quest franchise.
A rhythm game, Theatrhythm Dragon Quest’s core gameplay is intuitive and highly enjoyable. It is an ideal game for a portable system like the Nintendo 3DS, and one that should hit the nostalgia sweet spot for long-time fans of the series. Theatrhythm Dragon Quest doesn’t hit the highs of the Final Fantasy games, but it is a solid title nonetheless.
2 Dragon Warrior Monsters
- Platforms: Game Boy Color, PlayStation 1 (JP Only), Nintendo 3DS (JP Only), iOS, Android (JP Only)
- Release Date (NA): January 25, 2000
Dragon Quest Monsters takes a page or two from the Pokemon franchise, but the series does enough to differentiate itself from the other Nintendo property. Since its inception in 1998, the Monsters series has been consistently good, although quite a few games have yet to leave Japan.
Dragon Warrior Monsters started things off with a charming RPG for Nintendo’s Game Boy Color, and the game has aged rather well since its debut. While the monster recruiting system is not that dissimilar to Pokemon’s catching mechanic, Dragon Warrior Monsters was the first to include a breeding mechanic. Dragon Warrior Monsters 2 is also great.
1 Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime
- Platform: Nintendo DS
- Release Date (NA): September 19, 2006
Forget all the protagonists and playable heroes, Dragon Quest’s most iconic creation is the average slime. A Dragon Quest game without these adorable blobs would not feel complete, so it only seems natural that a spinoff would exist that pushes a slime to the forefront.
Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime is a quirky action game about a slime named Rocket who heads out on a wild adventure to rescue 100 of his brethren. Using a simplistic but enjoyable control scheme and incorporating plenty of humor, Rocket Slime is an absolute delight.
NEXT: Dragon Quest: Things About The Series That Have Changed (& Ways It Has Stayed The Same)
