It is an unbelievable and captivating adventure that follows, and, having missed the original release on PlayStation 2, I hadn’t realised that LEVEL-5 had developed the game. With Trode and Medea’s fighting prowess limited by the curse that has been cast upon them, once gathered together it is these four characters that unite to take down Dhoulmagus. While the unnamed hero is a silent protagonist in Journey of the Cursed King‘s fantastical tale, your party will eventually be comprised of the sorceress Jessica, Knights Templar noble Angelo, and Yangus who abandoned his career as a bandit after the hero saved his life. I instantly fell in love with the characters, thanks largely in part to a hilarious script and stellar voice actors that make the most out of every line to breathe life into the world. With the castle’s inhabitants turned into plants, a lone Royal Guard somehow left unaffected becomes the kingdom’s only hope at reversing the potent spell.Īfter we see the hero’s pet mouse scurrying through the undergrowth, it isn’t long before we are introduced to the party that has given chase to Dhoulmagus. When the scheming court jester Dhoulmagus unleashes the ancient sceptre’s power on Trodain castle, the spell turns King Trode into a troll and princess Medea into a gallant horse.

“A sceptre spoken of in lore and sealed away since days of yore unleashes its forbidden power and heralds Trodain’s darkest hour.” It’s a stark poetic rhyme that opens Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, but one that helps players understand the immediate plight that they are faced with.

Warioware gold 3ds metacritic