[9] Similar features included are the day and night cycles, the ability to travel via ship and a flying vehicle (this time, a hot air balloon), and the three levels of keys.

In addition to the new chapter-based storylines, an artificial intelligence system called "Tactics" was implemented that allowed the player to provide strategies to the party members (who become NPCs in the final chapter), such as prioritizing damage, healing or MP conservation, while maintaining full control of the Hero.

The first casino appears in this installment as a place to play several mini-games (slot machine, poker, and the Monster Betting that was introduced in Dragon Warrior III) using tokens that could be traded for special items.

Chapter One follows the soldier, Ragnar McRyan, who is tasked by the King of Burland to find children who have gone missing from a nearby town, befriending a Cureslime named Healie, who aspires to become human.

[10] Chapter Two follows the tomboyish Princess Alena and her two friends and mentors, tutor Borya and chancellor Kiryl, as she travels to prove her strength.

As he travels and performs favors at the towns he visits, Torneko eventually obtains permission to purchase a shop in Endor.

Chapter Four follows the dancer, Maya, and the fortuneteller, Meena, two sisters seeking revenge for the murder of their father by his former student, Balzack.

By teaming up with a former student of their father, Oojam, they manage to plot a way into the Palais de Léon and find the man responsible.

They then decide to flee the continent and head for Endor, where they hope to learn more about their new foe and about the Legendary Hero, whom they became aware of during their travels.

Together, they accomplish various deeds, such as defeating Marquis de Léon and Balzack, as well as collecting various pieces of Zenithian Armor, equipment that can only be worn by the one chosen to save the world.

This chapter focuses on the heroes working with Psaro to avenge the death of Rose, and finally put the world back in order.

According to Yuji Horii, he wanted to have something the player went around collecting as the previous Dragon Quest games had crests and orbs respectively.

[13][14] The promotional illustrations for the Japanese version was drawn by famed manga artist Akira Toriyama, who provided the artwork for the previous games in the series and would continue to do so for every future installment.

[16] Enix America originally planned to bring the remake to North America in 2002 and had even advertised this upcoming release on the back cover to the US instruction manual for Dragon Warrior VII, but it was later canceled, due to Heartbeat closing its video game development operations before the localization and translation could be completed.

[17][18] It was later explained that the cost and time that a different company would need to invest to complete the translation prevented Enix from passing this to another developer, as Heartbeat was the most familiar with their own design.

[21] On April 9, 2008, Square Enix applied for a trademark to the title "Chapters of the Chosen", and speculation began that this was the new subtitle to Dragon Quest IV for an American release.

This version also reintroduces the party talk feature removed from the international Nintendo DS releases, being translated into the appropriate language.

This story ends with Alena fighting Psaro and defeating him before he goes on with the Golden Bracelet to perfect the secret of evolution.

A specific track is always played for towns, another for caves or dungeons, another while the party is mounted on the hot air balloon, for instance.

The original Dragon Warrior IV was one of the few NES games to feature a crescendo during the battle music, a gradual increase in volume from soft to loud.

[32] In 1991, Enix released a set of videos featuring Koichi Sugiyama conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra performing the soundtrack in Warwick Castle, along with clips of acting.

[59] The original Famicom version went on to sell 3.1 million units, becoming the fourth best-selling game of the system, below its predecessor Dragon Quest III.

[70] In August 2008, Nintendo Power ranked Dragon Quest IV the 18th best Nintendo Entertainment System video game, describing it as the peak of the NES' Dragon Quest series and praising it for its innovative five-act story that made it one of their favourite old-school role-playing games.

[10] Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen was a nominee for Best RPG on the Nintendo DS in IGN's 2008 video game awards.

"Ragnar McRyan is in no way a character designed off the back of some intense Japanese schoolgirl demographic focus testing", wrote Eurogamer's Simon Parkin, pleased.

The merchant Torneko (also known as Taloon in the NES version) was popular enough to star his own series, in which he finds himself in quests in order to expand his store.

Ragnar, Healie, and Torneko all later appear as cameos in Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King in the Monster Arena.

The male version of the protagonist also appeared as a playable character in the 2018 crossover fighting game Super Smash Bros.