Dragon Quest XI Is Here!

The long-awaited Dragon Quest XI went on sale recently. I’m part of the Dragon Quest generation and spent plenty of time playing Dragon Quest III, so I’m sure I’m not the only thirty- or forty-something whose heart is racing at the thought of a brand-new game.

With the new Dragon Quest release in the news, I came across something called “Dragon Quest Life Lessons.” Apparently, it made the rounds online more than five years ago. Someone had compared life to Dragon Quest. Here’s the blog post.

Dragon Quest Life Lessons

Every line struck a chord with me. I can’t quote the whole thing, of course, so here are the five lines that hit home the hardest—according to my own entirely subjective judgment.

Life is comfortable because all you ever do is beat slimes.

You can’t land a critical hit if you never fight.

You might become a celebrated hero after defeating an evil monster and saving a town. But then, leave that town behind.

Even if a powerful enemy takes you down, you can just start over at the church. You’ll lose your money, but you’ll keep the experience.

A mage can join an amazing team even with very low HP, as long as they can cast powerful spells. If you want to join the best team, focus on what you’re good at.

Don’t forget the excitement you felt as a kid. Get stronger. Set out on a journey. Go on an adventure. Fight, lose, start over, and fight again. Every adventurer starts at level one. No complaining. What you learn will make you stronger as a weapon and protect you as armor. Always.

…And somehow that makes six! (Oops.)

That’s so true. And then there’s this:

If you’re a man, once you’ve finished Dragon Quest, you’ll level yourself up, learn English words instead of spells, earn some gold, and head off to another continent. That’s what everyone does, right?

That’s right! I’m a woman, but now that I’ve finished Dragon Quest, I’m going to level myself up, learn English words instead of spells (though I haven’t exactly learned them yet), earn some gold, and buy a Panamera! (…So much for only sharing five quotes—I ended up with seven.)