Dragon Quest V: Soothing late stages

 

 

30 hours, getting close to the final boss. After the slightly tumultuous middle stages of my run, I finally made peace with the game. No longer do I even try to figure out where to go or what to do next if the story doesn't kindly direct me; instead, I run straight to an FAQ and move on. That shameless display of laziness oh-so-wise decision allowed me to focus fully on what I love the most in traditional RPGs, i.e. the holy Grinding. And oh boy, did I grind indeed. My hero and his two feline foils now boast a hefty Lv.45; and although that might be enough to slaughter the final boss, I'm still gonna keep grinding until they all reach the big 50. Just to be sure, and because I love grinding oh so much.

 

 

The last ten hours have been smooth sailing, a soothing blend of grinding and dungeon exploration. I would have loved to tackle a couple of sidequests as a diversion and grind along the way; but weirdly enough, there are just no sidequests to be found in DQV. (Or, if there are any, they are incredibly well hidden.) I'm quite puzzled by that absence, all the more so as DQIX was a giant sidequest fest. This makes the proliferation of 'Where do I go next' instances in DQV look suspiciously like an attempt at fake longevity, methinks. But I digress; I was actually praising the game and the lovely, grindy ten hours I just spent with it. I recruited a Moosifer around the 25-hour mark, and I don't regret it one bit: that new ally is incredibly strong and sturdy, and he can hold his own on the battlefield just as masterfully as the rest of the crew despite boasting only a paltry Lv.16.

 

 

I've grinded so much that I unfortunately feel a bit disconnected from the story now; on top of that, the events of the last ten hours somewhat failed to captivate me. (Spoilers!) It was nice to see my expectations as a seasoned RPG player neatly subverted, as the so-called 'Legendary Hero' turned out to be my MC's son instead of said MC himself; however, since I hardly ever interacted with the twins since their introduction, I couldn't care less about my son being the resident Chosen One. That sure won't give him extra levels, and I'm not sure equipping the Zenithian gear can compensate for the 10-level gap between him and his father; but since he's a good healer, maybe he'll be allowed to partake in the final fight if the going gets rough. As for being reunited with Bianca, it was pretty much a case of 'Too little, too late'. I honestly didn't care anymore at that point, and I wouldn't have minded a post-final boss reunion at all. It goes without saying that leveling her up is unthinkable; I would have liked to fight with her more, but she's just too far behind the rest of my crew. Now if you ask me, dropping undelevelled party members on the player so that they'll be forced to grind looks awfully like a display of fake longevity. Especially when it's done multiple times over the course of a single game. (End of spoilers.)

So here I am, in the final dungeon and nearly at the last boss' door. I'll grind just a bit more, as promised; and then, it will be time for the final showdown. See you soon for my ultimate DQV tidings, dear fellow gamers! Thanks for reading, and be my guest anytime!