Talk:Paradox/Companions/@comment-38248367-20200912224512/@comment-36674939-20200913032427

If you want to be specific, this feature of party members following the leader goes all the way back to the Dragon Quest series. More specifically, it was the fifth Dragon Quest game where Paradox's monster recruitment system was based on (where you have a chance after every monster battle to recruit the last enemy you defeated if they're recruitable).

Though I'd have to say it's only half-based on Dragon Quest; there is also a Shin Megami Tensei aspect to this as well, where you must converse with the monsters to make them want to join you first (and they might even demand stuff of you, or give you free stuff if they like you).