The other day we talked about how Dragon Quest IX was only getting one save slot to a cartridge, and openly wondered what Square Enix’s motivation was for the relatively unique decision. The justification has been explained as more a matter of space than anything else, with DQIX allegedly being too large for any more save data.
“Because the amount of freedom we give players is huge, the data that needs to be saved is enormous,” explains producer Ryutaro Ichimuar.
Rather than go for another save slot, Square Enix instead elected to have the game create backup save data so that players don’t run the risk of losing eighty hours of gameplay thanks to a dead DS battery. With the game being as big as it apparently is, there wasn’t enough space to fit backup data and an extra save slot, hence the decision.
“In the case of the Nintendo DS, the scariest for save data is when the battery dies,” adds series creator Yuji Horii.
I’m certainly not going to cry over the lack of an extra slot, so I can support this particular decision. Cheaper individuals who like to share game cartridges are going to be fresh out of luck, however.
