Dragon Quest Monsters: Caravan Heart

Dragon Quest Monsters: Caravan Heart
Game Box Art (Japan)
Developer(s)	TOSE
Publisher(s)	Enix
Designer(s)	Yuji Horii
Artist(s)	Akira Toriyama
Composer(s)	Koichi Sugiyama
Series	Dragon Quest Monsters
Platform(s)	Game Boy Advance
Release date(s)	JP March 29, 2003
Genre(s)	Console role-playing game
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	CERO: All Ages

Dragon Quest Monsters: Caravan Heart (ドラゴンクエストモンスターズ キャラバンハート, Doragon Kuesuto Monsutāzu Kyaraban Hāto^?) (Dragon Quest Monsters III: Caravan Heart) is the third game in the Dragon Quest Monsters series, released only in Japan by Enix for the Game Boy Advance.^[1] The game was simultaneously announced with Dragon Quest VIII in Famitsu in 2002.^[2] Like the other Dragon Quest titles, development of Caravan Heart was led by Yuji Horii.^[3]

It is the second Dragon Quest game to be released for the Game Boy Advance (after Torneko no Daibouken 2 Advance). Caravan Heart features the character Prince Keifer from Dragon Quest VII, as the game acts as a prequel to the PlayStation game. This is also the last Dragon Quest released under the Enix name, since the merger between Square and Enix was finalized a few days later, on April 1, 2003.^[4]

Story

On Prince Keifer's tenth birthday, the prince was looking for a way to cause a little trouble and sneak out of Gran Estard Castle. This makes his father very angry, and when Keifer is finally caught, he hides in his room. While hiding in the closet, a masked figure that calls herself The Master of the Illusions, Magarugi appears and tells Keifer that if he finds the Orbs of Loto, he will be given one wish. Keifer is pulled into the spirit's realm of Torland, the world of Dragon Quest II. When he first arrives, he encounters a caravan with a weak leader, Luin. Luin is also searching for the Orbs to save his sick parents. After their first battle together, the Caravan ask Keifer to lead them. All together, must travel the world in order to find the to cure Luin's sick parents and allow Keifer to return to Estard Island.^[5]

Gameplay

Battle in the game.

The game makes huge changes to the series by removing the breeding system. Instead, when defeating monsters in Caravan Heart, the player can occasionally gain "monster hearts" which can be used to merge into a monster for a new more powerful form. Humans also fight in the battles with the monsters in this installment. The human characters have access to 20 character classes, like hunter, bard, fighter, dancer, mage, and mapper.^[1] Other differences include a caravan that the player must travel around in, allowing them to add both monsters and humans to their party. The caravan can have up to twelve members in it at a time, and each wagon can only hold a certain amount of weight.

Fan Translation

KaioShin and his translation group produced a 100% complete English patch for the game, which was finished in March 2008. The patch may be downloaded at their official website.^[6]

Reception

Caravan Heart was a top-seller during the time of its release, with over 538,000 units sold within three months of its release and 593,000 units sold to date.^[7][8] The game was given a 35 out of 40 by Famitsu magazine, netting a Platinum Award from the publication.^[4]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Cortney Stone (2003). "Dragon Quest Monsters III: Caravan Heart Details Roll Out". http://www.rpgamer.com/news/Q1-2003/032103a.html. Retrieved October 4, 2007. 
2. ^ Anoop Gantayat (2002). "Dragon Quest Goes GBA". http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/378/378989p1.html. Retrieved October 6, 2007. 
3. ^ Cortney Stone (2002). "Enix Sheds Some Light on Upcoming Dragon Quest Title". http://www.rpgamer.com/news/Q4-2002/121602c.html. Retrieved October 4, 2007. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Wollenschlaeger, Alex (March 28, 2003). "Japandemonium - From Safety to Where". RPGFan.com. http://www.rpgamer.com/news/japan/aw032803.html. Retrieved 2009-01-11. 
5. ^ Dustin Hubbard and Dwaine Bullock (2003). "Dragon Quest Monsters: Caravan Heart at DQ Shrine". http://www.dqshrine.com/dq/dqmch/. Retrieved April 11, 2008. 
6. ^ "The Romhacking Aerie". http://kaioshin.romhacking.net. Retrieved July 28, 2009. 
7. ^ Wollenschlaeger, Alex (June 29, 2003). "Japandemonium - Escape From the Mooselodge". RPGamer.com. http://www.rpgamer.com/news/japan/aw062903.html. Retrieved 2008-12-13. 
8. ^ "Nintendo GBA Japanese Ranking". Japan-GameCharts.com. http://www.japan-gamecharts.com/gba.php. Retrieved 2008-12-13. 

External links

• Official Caravan Heart website (Japanese)
• Dragon Quest Monsters: Caravan Heart at GameFAQs