It is easy to look at an entry in the Fortune Street line, like Itadaki Street: Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary, and think that it is just like Monopoly. There are a few common game elements there. I mean, there is a game board! You are purchasing properties! But there is far more depth to it there. More things are happening that are making the experience more complicated. And, if someone hasn’t played the localized Nintendo Wii game, a title like Itadaki Street: Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary could prove intimidating. Fortunately, it is a rather easy concept to grasp.
Let’s start with the general idea. In Itadaki Street: Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary, you pick a character and a game board before you begin playing. Characters are purely cosmetic avatars, with no actual abilities, so you can choose people you favor. Boards are far more complicated. Your goal is to accumulate wealth, sure, meeting the goal on each one before anyone else. But owning the shops on various properties in different neighborhoods, paying money to upgrade them, and hoping other players land on them is only one part of that.
Having more shops in a neighborhood means you can upgrade them further. You also want to buy in areas where you know people will need to pass that point, because there are quite a few boards with multiple paths. Investing in the in-game stock market whenever you pass the bank is important, so you can build wealth based on growth of your own and others’ properties. It is also possible to trade properties with other players or purchase places owned by others for five times their value.
There is quite a bit of text in Itadaki Street: Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary, but all someone really needs to know to enjoy the game is to navigate the menus. The main menu is easy, thanks to its obvious icons. It is the main game menu that might prove a challenge. Once you know what is there, it is far from intimidating. The first option is to roll, which is fairly obvious. The second is to Sell Stocks. This lets you view the current stock market. You can see where people are investing and sell your own stocks to get more funds. (If you actually need money when buying a property or landing on someone else’s, the game will automatically bring up a stock selling option for you.) Manage Shops is next. This is where you can sell and trade properties with other people. You know, do some brokering. The fourth option lets you view the entire game board, to see what is available. Finally, the options section lets you adjust game features and, most importantly in single player, save.
As for winning, that comes from knowing how to best manage situations. Holding the properties right near the bank and any of the suit spaces is optimal. People have to go there. You know there will be foot traffic. Trying to get as many shops near there will always benefit you. You should also try to get at least two shops per neighborhood. But, never trade with the computer to do so. The computer in Itadaki Street games will always try to rip you off. Rather, negotiate with human counterparts. If you get an option to buy a property for five times its value, don’t. Sometimes, chance cards will let you do so for a lower fee. And invest whenever you pass a bank. Pop the majority of your money in there, if you would like. As long as you invest in neighborhoods where you or an opponent have multiple properties, you are pretty much guaranteed growth. And, whenever you land on one of your own properties, invest in it! Max it out if you can afford to!
Really, Itadaki Street: Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary is a very simple and easy game to play. If you can get a group together to play, it can be wonderful. But, it is a game that also requires players to think. This isn’t some Monopoly clone where you will be fine so long as you keep buying properties. Managing the stock market, knowing where to buy, investing properly, and even making deals with one another is critical. Do all those things and never trust the computer, and you’ll gradually get in the swing of things.
Itadaki Street: Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary is available for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita in Japan.
Published: Nov 17, 2017 12:00 pm