It seems as if it wasn't that long ago when rumors of Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen coming stateside first appeared, querying our next command. But here we are, less than two months away from the 3D remake's September 16 release, and Square Enix already has its marketing engine for the game running. The publisher has certainly done its part to push summer along by keeping the past couple of months busy with quality releases.
This week's edition of Promotional Consideration pulls out a page from the latest issue of Nintendo Power to bring you Square Enix's new DQIV ad. Join us past the post break!
See also: A Dragon Quest IV comic strip draws near! Command?
Have wagon, will travel.
While not as odd as some of Dragon Quest IV's previous advertisements, this print piece is interesting for the emphasis placed on the game's wagon feature, which allows you to switch out party members for combat. DQIV marks the first appearance of the wagon, and you'll see the horse-drawn vehicle pop up in Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride and Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Reverie, too, when those two titles come to the U.S. for the first time next year.
One other note about the ad -- where's Torneko (a.k.a Taloon)? Torneko (pictured) is one of DQIV's main characters, a portly, mustachioed shopkeeper who receives his own chapter in the adventure.Chunsoft, the developer behind the original Famicom/NES game, later went on to create a spin-off roguelike starring Torneko for the Super Famicom titled Torneko no Daibouken: Fushigi no Dungeon, or Torneko's Great Adventure: Mysterious Dungeon.
As you might already know, the spinoff game's success birthed several sequels and other games in the Mystery Dungeon series, such as Pokémon Mystery Dungeon and DS Fanboy favorite Shiren the Wanderer. Thanks, Torneko!
To end this week's installment, here's a video of the London Philharmonic Orchestra in England's Warwick Castle performing Dragon Quest IV's "Homeland - Wagon Wheels' March" with series composer Koichi Sugiyama conducting.
Promotional Consideration is a weekly feature about the Nintendo DS advertisements you usually flip past, change the channel on, or just tune out.
