What self respecting DQ fan hasn't had the burning desire to play the games that never made it to our shores? Well, guess what? A few dedicated fans took on the daunting task of translating these titles. The patches translate some, but usually all of the game into English. You'll find all the notable projects listed here.
If you see a new translation in the works, or of something here needs to be updated, please let us know. Keep in mind to direct your patch questions to the ones responsible. Chances are, they can help better than we could!
Dragon Quest I+II by RPGOne
Released in 2003, the late, great ChrisRPG gave us two ways to enjoy this 16-bit update to the 8-bit classics. One version gives you all the original Dragon Quest names and titles, while the other serves up all the familiar people and places from Dragon Warrior. Keep in mind that this patch has a few bugs.
- The location of Roto's/Erdrick's Emblem in DQ I is inverted
- The directions to the sunken treasure in DQ II is incorrect
- DQ II's Chance spell often doesn't cast correctly
- The echoing flute in DQ II doesn't echo when it should
- Sometimes the map in DQ II's Water Shrine becomes corrupted
- In DQ II, be careful when entering the town of Beran. Sleeping at the inn triggers a story where the prince falls ill. Curing him can cause a number of issues such as garbled text and a duplicate popping up where you originally found him.
- Be careful when using the Dragon Potion in DQ II. Instead of saving the game, it puts the text in an infinite loop.
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Dragon Quest I+II by RPGOne
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BS Dragon Quest by Partial Translations
This small patch for the first downloadable Dragon Quest title was released way back in January 1999. A magical time when we were all anticipating the release of the first Star Wars flick in 15 years and most of the shows on Fox were animated.
If you're thinking all this is just to fill up space, you're correct! This is a very small patch that only translates most of the menus and a few items. Since a decade has past without an update, It's safe to say this project is dead in the water. Feel free to poke it with a stick.
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BS Dragon Quest by Partial Translations
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Dragon Quest III by DQ Translations
The biggest, and what many consider to be the best version of Dragon Quest III is here after a long wait. DeJap first took on the task during the emulation boom and released a small patch in early 1998. After the project was abandoned, RPGOne hopped on it and released a patch in spring, 2001. Both patches only had minimal menu and script work.
After nearly a decade of longing, Damarsman and Z6n4 of DQ Translations unveiled their complete patch in November 2009! This isn't your typical translation patch, no sir! You won't find any abbreviated names here. The rom itself was expanded to 48 mbit. This made room for all the script and reprogrammed menus to fit it all in. If that wasn't enough, the readme includes codes to enable the debug menu for all sorts of fun.
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Dragon Quest III by DQ Translations
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Dragon Quest V by Partial Translations and Byuu with SpSpiff
Being the first Dragon Quest that skipped the English market, it was tough to find a fan that was poised to pounce all over a translation. Zealsoft Translations was the first to attempt a patch in 1998, but didn't make it past a few menus.
Hacking the game proved to be quite a challenge. Due to the errors in Chun Soft's being worked around instead of corrected, the slightest misplaced element would cause the game to freeze, accompanied by a box which read, "ERROR!" So fans had to wait a few more years until Partial Translations and Byuu toiled away.
November 20th was a landmark day. Not only did we see the release of Dragon Warrior VII, but both patches were finally unveiled. Which patch to pick? Well, that's up to you. Give those thumbnails a click. Partial Translations' version was given a fresh coat of localization, while Byuu's sticks closer to its Japanese roots. Either way, it'll be fun on a bun!
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Dragon Quest V by Partial Translations | Dragon Quest V by Byuu and SpSpiff
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Dragon Quest VI by NoProgress
The second major title to be denied a North American release, Dragon Quest VI also went through a number of teams and patches. Like the other 16-bit titles, DeJap was the first to start work and released three patches with different translators. Unfortunately, none of them went beyond about a third of the game.
While NoProgress did work for DeJap, he decided to branch out on his own to release this 90% completed patch in 2001. The patch is fully playable, but some villagers will speak in code towards the end of the game. Keep in mind that there is also a bug that prompts a crash when exiting out of the "Info All" option. NoProgress has long since ceased working on the patch, but maybe one day we'll have this 100% complete.
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Dragon Quest VI by NoProgress
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Dragon Quest V by DQ Translations
When originally released in 2004, fans waited with baited breath for Square Enix to announce this for a US release. Instead they told the fans that they hated them. And they smelled, too. So what's a fan to do? Download this patch from DQ Translations, released in 2010!
One of the few translations for PS2 titles, this patch also features a program to expand the DQ V ISO file before applying the patch. Once you do, you'll get to enjoy DQ V complete in vibrant 3D! Be it on your modded PS2 or emulated on your PC, it runs like a dream. By the way, please use the party chat option. Please.
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Dragon Quest V by DQ Translations
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Dragon Quest Monsters: Caravan Heart by Kaioshin
This unique entry in the Monsters series skipped us due to the merger between Enix and Squaresoft. Thankfully Kaioshin himself, the God of all gods, laid his divine hand upon this in 2006. It took two years for this miracle to unfold, and was delivered unto the heathens in 2008.
Lots of love an attention went into this patch. Be it on the computer or your GBA, you'll love guiding Prince Keifer around and mixing 'n matching monster hearts.
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Dragon Quest Monsters: Caravan Heart by Kaioshin
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Torneko's Great Adventure by Dynamic Designs
Many tend to overlook the first DQ dungeon crawler. Magic Destiny toiled to deliver us this patch in the early 2000s. If you've never experienced any of the Mysterious Dungeon games before, this might be a good place to start.
When Magic Destiny seemed to fall off the face of the earth, Dynamic Designs went ahead and released this 99% complete patch in 2004. It's perfectly playable with only a few text formatting issues that go unnoticed to your average player. The result is a darn fine patch and well worth your time!
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Torneko's Great Adventure by Dynamic Designs
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Slime Morimori by Aeon Genesis
Although the last update was in 2008, this project is apparently still chugging along at 55% completion. The text has been translated and the new hacking work has begun. Until more information is available, enjoy a few screen shots of this GBA Gem.
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Slime Morimori by Aeon Genesis
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