Dragon Quest IX Nintendo DS Review

In this Dragon Quest IX Nintendo DS review, we'll explore the rich story, beautiful graphics, and challenging combat found in this epic adventure.

Join us as we journey to another world and battle powerful dragons in this magical role-playing game for the Nintendo DS. With hours of gameplay and an intricate story, Dragon Quest IX is a must-have for any Dragon Quest fan!

In the world of Dragon Quest IX, an angelic race known as Celestrians act as guardians of the Protectorate, the realm of mortals. The purpose of aiding and protecting them is to collect the mortals' spiritual energy known as benevolessence and feed it to the World Tree Yggdrasil, located in the Celestrians' Observatory. Once fed the appropriate amount, Yggdrasil produces fruit called Fyggs that summons a magical train dubbed the Starflight Express allowing the Celestrians to enter the Realm of the Almighty. The protagonist is a Celestrian assigned to the human village of Angel Falls under the stewardship of Aquila, gathering the last piece of benevolessence to grow the Fyggs. As they board the Starflight Express, a malevolent force attacks from below, sending the Fyggs, the protagonist, and Starflight Express down to the Protectorate. The protagonist awakens as a mortal but is still able to see Celestrians and the spirits of the dead, and is on a mission to help Angel Falls discover the broken-down Starflight Express and its fairy engineer, Stella. Stella promises to help the protagonist return to the Observatory if they can prove they are a Celestrian by gathering benevolessence. Convincing Stella of their identity, the protagonist receives a vision inspiring them to explore the Protectorate and recover the scattered Fyggs.

The protagonist's quest for the Fyggs reveals they have indiscriminate wish-granting properties, with many mortals who use or eat them driven into madness. The protagonist also faces opposition from the Gittish Empire, an evil organization thought to have been wiped out three centuries ago. Aquila appears to be aiding the Gittish Empire but is later revealed as a double agent who returns the Fyggs to the Observatory after taking them from the protagonist. Travelling to the Realm of the Almighty with the reinvigorated Starflight Express, the protagonist learns that Yggdrasil is the form of the goddess Celestria, who defended the Protectorate from her father the Almighty Zenus, with the Observatory and Celestrians being created to observe and judge the Protectorate.

In a final battle with the Gittish Empire's King Godwyn, Aquila sacrifices himself to destroy Godwyn, asking the protagonist to save the captured Celestrian Corvus. Once freed, Corvus vows to destroy the Protectorate and leaves. The protagonist and Stella learn that Corvus fell in love with the human woman Serana, but was tricked into believing she had betrayed her when handed by Serena's father to the original Gittish Empire, becoming bitter and delusional; he revived the Gittish Empire as his tool and launched the attack on Yggdrasil. The protagonist pursues Corvus to the now-corrupted Realm of the Almighty, facing him as a mortal after eating one of the Fyggs. Once defeated, Corvus is comforted by Serena's spirit, and the two pass on as the Realm of the Almighty returns to normal. Having used the Fygg to become mortal, the protagonist is trapped in the Protectorate, unable to see Celestrians or travel with Stella. In the epilogue chapter, the protagonist can find another Fygg and use it to restore their ability to see the Celstrians and travel with Stella on the Starflight Express once more.