Tried playing the original but the keyboard controls were so bad so i bought this instead cause it was 2 bucks.

It's terrible but 2 bucks is 2 bucks. I would not buy this anywhere near full price. The dialogue is so flat but there were times I laughed cause the delivery was just so stupid. The game's visuals are bad. You can clearly see that barely any work was put into this. The last level in particular. You're on a boat but the cityscape in the background looks like something from the PS2 era just like the original game was. Characters have no facial expressions and some just stare into space. The sound fx for some reason was always turned up to 11 even when turning it down both in the ingame settings and windows. Also, the audio for characters would sometimes just cut off. At the end, a character got stuck inside the boat we were on. Half his torso was above the floor, the other half gone. The gunplay isn't terrible but enemy AI just basically throws itself at you and your hail of bullets. Stealth is nonexistent for the most part except for like one or two areas where you have to not kill people or make sure an enemy doesn't get to an alarm.

I can't help but feel that the original was probably not so great either and that most people are just letting nostalgia cloud their judgment.

Basically, don't buy this ♥♥♥♥. Even at $2.

Bought on release after having played the demo and enjoying it. However, I just didn't play it past the first two levels for some reason, probably other games that came out during that time caught my attention. Finally got around to it and while I liked it overall, especially its visuals and gameplay, i felt it was a bit long compared to games within the same genre. I think I had around 40-45ish hours once I finished. My playtime says 54 though and that's from all the times I tried to pick it up again and play but never actually made decent progress.. I'd also add that if you're a regular player of action games/souls games, the normal difficulty is probably too easy for a first run.

Finally, this is in regards to future "completionists" like myself. The game has a "true" ending which you can get locked out of even if you meet the conditions by a certain dialogue choice near the end. If you're looking to do just do one complete run, be aware that unless you make a hard save before the decision, you will have to start a NG+ run to get access to that again. You can also just download a save of the game before that if you can find it online, but better to just not make that little mistake.

It's an ok time.
I think this game is a tad overrated probably but I'll preface that with this being my first Souls game since finishing DS3/Sekiro replays about 2-3 years back. The world is different and interesting in certain ways but not enough that I would want to come back. I played through a NG+ run because I messed up my first run and picked the "bad" ending. I gave Gepetto my heart instead of refusing and he went on to kill everybody at the hotel which to me was absolute ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.

If you're a fan of souls games in general, then this would be a recommend but if you're tired of this genre then I would say don't play this cause its basically more of the same wrapped in some different aesthetics/themes.

Absolutely worth it.
Loved the characters except for probably Coupe (she was the weakest one I felt).
Really loved the writing, the jokes, and overall humor of the game as well. Did not expect the twist at the end for my first playthrough.
Some of the qtes are annoying and the hacking minigame can also be a bit annoying but there are accessibility options where it makes them a non-issue.

Looking forward to more Dispatch and hopefully the continuation/development of the story given either ending.

This was my first "classic" DQ experience. I started the series with VIII on PS2 and haven't played anything other than XI when it released.

Be warned that this remake is not a remake with new additions in gameplay or mechanics so much as it is graphically and artistically. It is very functionally, a traditional JRPG, and if you're looking for a more modern JRPG, then this may not be a good purchase. The encounter rate is high, most monster drop laughable amounts of XP requiring some grinding to beat bosses, some of them are very cheap and do a lot of damage in comparison to what you can dole out until you unlock the class system, and while the game has been streamlined for a modern audience, you still kinda have to talk to villagers and people you meet in order to get information on where to go and what to do next. Side quests to get the main character's best weapons/armor are a good example of needing to talk with NPCs to figure out where these items are and some statements still require a bit of outside the box thinking in order to get where to go and what to do.

With that out of the way, what makes this worth playing? Well, its just a very charming and cute game. The visuals are stunning. The main DQ theme is great and overall the music is good. There are some good story beats as well. Particularly, the story starts off with the hero following in the footsteps of his dad to defeat the Demon King. As you go along your journey, you will encounter places and people who remember your dad and what he did for them or their village/town. There are some sad parts like the ghost town (I won't say any further) and funny things like the brothel event. But, still, its just a nice journey throughout. Nothing stands out exceptionally but it does the very traditional JRPG formula fine, I mean, it was one of the first if not the first series in that vein.

The monster battles which are a new addition in this remake are kinda forgettable and not super necessary to progress the story. The monsters you use in battle are recruited in the outside world via various methods but the battles themselves boil down to just figuring out what combinations are good to defeat enemy teams. You can brute force a bunch of the different tiers at the early stages and I doubt the last three or so require much more thinking. It's an issue of just making sure the monsters are leveled up which means being proactive in finding them out in the world. The matches do offer good rewards for gear and such that can make you stronger in the early game, but its not necessary to the point that you would focus on that vs just fighting mobs and exploring for gear. A lot of the later gear is definitely useful for the post-game content though.

I think the worst part of this is really the cost. $60 bucks is a lot for a remake of a game whose only real change is its visual style and the addition of the monster battles side content. This should have been sold at $40 or below at launch. I have no idea how well it has sold but I think the cost is offputting given what a remake and that word inherently brings to mind. Definitely grab it on steep discount.