Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen -- The Chapter Structure

I have put in roughly thirteen and a half hours into Dragon Quest IV and I am saved just into the start of Chapter 5: The Chosen. This obviously comes from having completed the previously mentioned first two chapters as well as Chapter 3: Torneko and the Extravagant Excavation and Chapter 4: Meena and Maya and the Mahabala Mystery. I made a point of listing the chapter names as a means of heading into the topic for this entry. And that's the gimmick behind Dragon Quest IV being the chapters as storytelling device. Dragon Quest IV starts you off in a prologue that does nothing but essentially allow you to name and choose the sex for the chosen one. It also establishes the character in an ideal and secluded village. You're then whisked away into chapter one and introduced to an entirely new character. You'll play this character through his introductory story that lasts a few hours. You'll do all the RPG standards. You'll level up and explore and seek information from non-player characters. You'll shop for weapons and armor and items to assist you on your quest. And you'll complete the chapter with the death of a big bad boss. And you'll again be whisked off somewhere else in the world and introduced to another new character. And you'll play through their introduction. Even starting anew at level one. And so on for four chapters. And then you'll come to chapter five where you'll be reintroduced to the hero and begin their quest in earnest. You'll obviously go on to find and join with the previously played characters from the earlier chapters. So you might be saying big deal. Well you need to remember for 1992 (1990 in Japan) this was a major bit of mind-blowing originality. And I have to say that in 2008 it remains charming. Thanks in no small part to the great translation. Now I'm not saying the game is some masterpiece of storytelling and the epitome of high art. It's not. In fact it never escapes its 8-bit and 16-bit storytelling roots. It's filled with every Japanese RPG cliche you've seen a hundred times over. But it's charming like all the other Dragon Quest games I've played. The earnest and straightforward storytelling that's filled with good humor and brought to life by a strong translation really makes the game simply joyous fun.