Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King

The court jester Dhoulmagus of the kingdom of Trodain stole a powerful magical scepter sealed beneath the royal castle. Using the power of the scepter, Dhoulmagus destroyed the castle, placed a curse upon the kingdom and its people, and turned King Trode into a troll and the princess into a horse. A sole surviving castle guard journeys with the king, the princess, a reformed bandit named Yangus and a few other companions in search of the evil jester and a way to break the curse.

The gameplay involves managing a party of four characters, each belonging to a clearly defined class. The player receives skill points from battles, which can be manually allocated into a skill category of the player's choice. These categories include different kinds of weapons, fisticuffs, and unique disciplines for each character. The Alchemy Pot system allows players to gather recipes and mix items to create new ones.