Dragon Quest (universe)

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While ''Dragon Quest'' was in development, many doubted that a fantasy series with swords and sorcery would become popular in Japan, as the more predominant fantasy genre at the time was science fiction; however, the game became an overnight sensation upon its release in 1986, thanks to advertising in Toriyama's ''Weekly Shonen Jump'' magazine. This ultimately led to ''Dragon Quest'' becoming a game that took the Japanese media by storm, and opened the door for a wider variety of genres for both Nintendo's console and the gaming industry as a whole. The team immediately began work on a sequel, and the ''Dragon Quest'' series quickly became a booming franchise spanning multiple forms of media like spin-off games, novels, manga, anime, live music performances and even a feature-length film.

Despite its overwhelming success in Japan, ''Dragon Quest'' was not released internationally until 1989, when Nintendo released it in North America (under the name ''Dragon Warrior'', due to copyright conflicts with a pen-and-paper RPG of the same name). The first RPG to be released for the Nintendo Entertainment System, this version features improved graphics and a battery save feature instead of the password system of the original version. In late 1990, the official ''Nintendo Power'' magazine included free copies of the game as a subscription bonus; this move proved highly successful, as it attracted thousands of subscribers and ensured modest success of the series in the West although the series did not begin to sell better internationally until '' Dragon Quest VIII'' with the best selling game internationally being ''Dragon Quest XI'' in part because of The Luminary being one of the playable heroes in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' with ''Dragon Quest Builders 2 also selling well for that same reason. Though it lags behind the ''Final Fantasy'' franchise internationally, ''Dragon Quest'' continues to see a steady release schedule and dedicated audience outside of Japan.

Despite its overwhelming success in Japan, ''Dragon Quest'' was not released internationally until 1989, when Nintendo released it in North America (under the name ''Dragon Warrior'', due to copyright conflicts with a pen-and-paper RPG of the same name). The first RPG to be released for the Nintendo Entertainment System, this version features improved graphics and a battery save feature instead of the password system of the original version. In late 1990, the official ''Nintendo Power'' magazine included free copies of the game as a subscription bonus; this move proved highly successful, as it attracted thousands of subscribers and ensured modest success of the series in the West although the series did not begin to sell better internationally until '' Dragon Quest VIII'' with the best selling game internationally being ''Dragon Quest XI'' in part because of The Luminary being one of the playable heroes in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' with ''Dragon Quest Builders 2'' also selling well for that same reason. Though it lags behind the ''Final Fantasy'' franchise internationally, ''Dragon Quest'' continues to see a steady release schedule and dedicated audience outside of Japan.

For later titles, many of the original team members retain their role in the series; Horii serves the role of scenario director, while Toriyama and Sugiyama continue to provide character design and music, respectively. Subsequent ''Dragon Quest'' games build on the formula introduced by the original. For ''Dragon Quest II'', the developers introduced a party system with the player controlling three characters, another idea inspired by ''Wizardry''; this would go on to become a standard gameplay element in the ''Dragon Quest'' series. ''Dragon Quest III'' introduced a class system, allowing characters to specialize in certain roles, while ''Dragon Quest IV'' introduced chapter-based progression and computer-controlled allies. ''Dragon Quest VIII'', the first main game in the series to be released in [[PAL]] regions and the first to drop the ''Dragon Warrior'' title overseas, was also the first fully 3D rendered game in the series, and it included the ability to control the camera at any angle on the overworld.

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 While ''Dragon Quest'' was in development, many doubted that a fantasy series with swords and sorcery would become popular in Japan, as the more predominant fantasy genre at the time was science fiction; however, the game became an overnight sensation upon its release in 1986, thanks to advertising in Toriyama's ''Weekly Shonen Jump'' magazine. This ultimately led to ''Dragon Quest'' becoming a game that took the Japanese media by storm, and opened the door for a wider variety of genres for both Nintendo's console and the gaming industry as a whole. The team immediately began work on a sequel, and the ''Dragon Quest'' series quickly became a booming franchise spanning multiple forms of media like spin-off games, novels, manga, anime, live music performances and even a feature-length film.
-Despite its overwhelming success in Japan, ''Dragon Quest'' was not released internationally until 1989, when Nintendo released it in North America (under the name ''Dragon Warrior'', due to copyright conflicts with a pen-and-paper RPG of the same name). The first RPG to be released for the Nintendo Entertainment System, this version features improved graphics and a battery save feature instead of the password system of the original version. In late 1990, the official ''Nintendo Power'' magazine included free copies of the game as a subscription bonus; this move proved highly successful, as it attracted thousands of subscribers and ensured modest success of the series in the West although the series did not begin to sell better internationally until '' Dragon Quest VIII'' with the best selling game internationally being ''Dragon Quest XI'' in part because of The Luminary being one of the playable heroes in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' with ''Dragon Quest Builders 2 also selling well for that same reason. Though it lags behind the ''Final Fantasy'' franchise internationally, ''Dragon Quest'' continues to see a steady release schedule and dedicated audience outside of Japan.
+Despite its overwhelming success in Japan, ''Dragon Quest'' was not released internationally until 1989, when Nintendo released it in North America (under the name ''Dragon Warrior'', due to copyright conflicts with a pen-and-paper RPG of the same name). The first RPG to be released for the Nintendo Entertainment System, this version features improved graphics and a battery save feature instead of the password system of the original version. In late 1990, the official ''Nintendo Power'' magazine included free copies of the game as a subscription bonus; this move proved highly successful, as it attracted thousands of subscribers and ensured modest success of the series in the West although the series did not begin to sell better internationally until '' Dragon Quest VIII'' with the best selling game internationally being ''Dragon Quest XI'' in part because of The Luminary being one of the playable heroes in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' with ''Dragon Quest Builders 2'' also selling well for that same reason. Though it lags behind the ''Final Fantasy'' franchise internationally, ''Dragon Quest'' continues to see a steady release schedule and dedicated audience outside of Japan.
 For later titles, many of the original team members retain their role in the series; Horii serves the role of scenario director, while Toriyama and Sugiyama continue to provide character design and music, respectively. Subsequent ''Dragon Quest'' games build on the formula introduced by the original. For ''Dragon Quest II'', the developers introduced a party system with the player controlling three characters, another idea inspired by ''Wizardry''; this would go on to become a standard gameplay element in the ''Dragon Quest'' series. ''Dragon Quest III'' introduced a class system, allowing characters to specialize in certain roles, while ''Dragon Quest IV'' introduced chapter-based progression and computer-controlled allies. ''Dragon Quest VIII'', the first main game in the series to be released in [[PAL]] regions and the first to drop the ''Dragon Warrior'' title overseas, was also the first fully 3D rendered game in the series, and it included the ability to control the camera at any angle on the overworld.