Dragon Quest Monsters 2: Ruka no Tabidachi (Dragon Warrior Monsters 2: Cobi's Journey Japanese Original) - Authentic Enix Game Boy Color Cartridge
Ruka's version of the 2001 sequel, the one Western players knew as Cobi's Journey. Debuted at #1 in Japan with over 500,000 sold in week one. Japanese needed: a fair amount for story and breeding.
$25.00
How I grade condition: every grade is tested and plays; grades differ only in looks.
Want to see the exact copy you'd get, inside and out? Ask me for photos, board included.
Cobi’s Journey, in the original
This is Dragon Quest Monsters 2: The Mysterious Key of Maruta, the Ruka version, Enix, 2001. When it came west, Ruka was renamed Cobi and this half became Dragon Warrior Monsters 2: Cobi’s Journey; its twin, Iru’s version, became Tara’s Adventure.
Siblings Ruka and Iru move to the island kingdom of Maruta, the island starts sinking, and the way to save it is collecting magic keys that open doors to other worlds. Recruit monsters, breed them into new ones, repeat. Horii, Toriyama and Sugiyama are back, with Tose developing again.
A launch-week monster
It debuted at #1 in Japan, 501,081 copies in its first week, and the two versions together finished 2001 as Japan’s third best-seller, about 1.6 million copies. Ruka’s half even launched alone: Iru’s version slipped a month after a bug turned up just before release.
Built for trading
Like Pokémon’s paired versions, some worlds open only with keys traded from the other version, and there is an egg that hatches only after it has been traded around enough. With a second cart and a link cable you can team up against the computer, battle, trade, and breed with the first game, Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry no Wonderland.
About the Japanese
Battles are menus you learn by feel; the story and breeding info are Japanese. It is a black dual-mode cart, so it plays on an original Game Boy too, in color on a Color, and with a border on a Super Game Boy.
Square Enix remade both versions as one 3DS game in 2014, and the series keeps going with The Dark Prince on Switch. Pair it with the first game and the Game Boy Head-to-Head Bundle for two Game Boys and the cable.
Specifications
| Authenticity | Authentic original Enix cartridge (DMG-BQLJ-JPN, Ruka version) - not a reproduction |
|---|---|
| Condition | Graded on my condition scale - every copy is opened, cleaned, and tested by playing before it ships. |
| Gameplay | Monster-raising RPG, 1 player; 2 players over a link cable (co-op, battles, trading, breeding with the first game), one cart per Game Boy |
| Includes | Loose cartridge only (no box or manual) |
| Language | Japanese, moderate to heavy: battles are menu-driven, but story and breeding info are Japanese text |
| Region | Japanese release. Region-free, black dual-mode cart: plays on any Game Boy, in color on a Game Boy Color, with a border on a Super Game Boy |
| Save | Battery save. Tested, and replaced if it reads under 3.0 V |
| Title Full | Dragon Quest Monsters 2: Maruta no Fushigi na Kagi - Ruka no Tabidachi / ドラゴンクエストモンスターズ2 マルタのふしぎな鍵 ルカの旅立ち (Game Boy Color, Enix, Japan, 2001) |
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