Looking for a good game or two to play on your Android smartphone?
How about (just about) every single Dragon Quest (mainline series) game?
That’s right. Through a combination of emulation and official ports, you can play the entirety of the Dragon Quest mainline series through the first 6 games, and even another beyond that. It all starts with an NES/SNES/GameBoy emulator (I would recommend RetroArch) and a DS emulator (I would recommend DraStic).
Emulate Dragon Quest 1-3 on your Android smartphone
First, download RetroArch. You can also download an NES emulator, and/or an SNES emulator, and/or a GBC emulator, if you prefer, but RetroArch has it all in one.
Then, decide which versions you want to play. You can play the original versions, but I would recommend the GBC versions. If you prefer the GBC versions, find a rom for Dragon Quest 1 and 2 (it’s a single rom) as well as a rom for Dragon Quest 3. One thing you have to keep in mind, though, is that Dragon Quest 1-3 was released in North America as Dragon Warrior I-III, so you’ll have to look for Dragon Warrior roms, not Dragon Quest roms. You won’t have this same problem with the DS roms though.
That’s it! You’re ready to play the original trilogy now.
Emulate Dragon Quest 4-6 on your Android smartphone
Now, for the second trilogy, you need a DS emulator. You can use the one that’s available with RetroArch, but I highly recommend getting DraStic instead.
Once you have that, find roms for Dragon Quest 4, Dragon Quest 5, and Dragon Quest 6. Unfortunately, unlike the original trilogy, they’re all individual roms. Once you have that, though, you’re ready to play through the first two trilogies of the Dragon Quest series, one trilogy emulated on GBC and one emulated on DS.
Buy the Dragon Quest mobile apps for your smartphone
Now, if you don’t want to deal with emulation (even though it’s really quite easy), you can also buy some of the games as individual apps. For example, you can buy:
Dragon Quest I: $2.99 (Android) (iOS)
Dragon Quest II: $4.99 (Android) (iOS)
Dragon Quest III: $9.99 (Android) (iOS)
Dragon Quest IV: $14.99 (Android) (iOS)
Dragon Quest V: $14.99 (Android) (iOS)
Dragon Quest VI: $14.99 (Android) (iOS)
Dragon Quest VIII: $19.99 (Android) (iOS)
Sure, this ends up being expensive, but it’s also definitely legal (unlike emulation, which is only legal in certain cases where you have legally procured a rom). It’s also much easier. Also, the mobile ports of the Dragon Quest games are not only excellent and faithful to the originals, but you can also play them with one hand. In fact, they’re some of the best mobile gaming options around.
Enjoy Dragon Quest!
Regardless of which path you take, have fun! Dragon Quest is one of the best game series ever, and playing through the original two trilogies is like playing through the evolution of RPGs themselves. Once you pick up one of these games, you won’t put your phone down until you’re through with as much as you can get your hands on.