The Dragon Quest series is littered with all sorts of spin-offs. It’s perhaps only rivaled by Final Fantasy and Pokémon in terms of how many different takes on this series we’ve had over the years. With that in mind, I understand it’s no small thing to claim that – after my hands-on experience with the game – Dragon Quest Treasures (DQT) is the new king of the mountain.
What a good spin-off needs to do is keep everything key to the identity of the main games, but mix up the gameplay in just the right way to appeal to a new audience. DQT is the definition of how to do this right. Even a passing glance at the game will give you the true Dragon Quest feel. The visual style, the music, the writing – it all exudes the joyous atmosphere that makes the series so beloved.
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Then, when you get into the meat of the game, you quickly realise that it’s the perfect remedy for anyone who doesn’t like the main series’ gameplay. If you think the turn-based battles are a bit dull and repetitive then never fear, as you’ve got a brand new real-time action system to sink your teeth into. Not just that either, as you’ll quickly discover this is a monster collecting game too.
While you can slash away at enemies with your magical daggers, you’ll get a lot more out of things if you stay back and attack or support at range while your band of monsters charge forth and pummel your foes. It’s an interesting juxtaposition of having such intense action-packed battles while you sit back and survey the situation, deciding when to switch between offensive and defensive strategies. The battles I got to play in my short time with the game weren’t the most difficult, but I can easily see how the system scales up, and Dragon Quest games have had no problems creating challenging experiences in the past.
Don’t think the combat is all there is, though. If anything, it’s just a small piece of the puzzle. You see, our two protagonists – Erik and his sister, Mia – gain the ability to communicate with monsters, which means two very important things. One, you can have slimes following you while they adorably make slime-based puns at every available opportunity; and two, you can use them to traverse the world.
With two protagonists to control and a band of monsters, all with different traversal abilities, the potential for innovative and engaging puzzle-platforming is massive. Not to mention, with a big world to play around in, there are sure to be opportunities to explore every nook and cranny. This is good because many of the monsters in the world will show you the locations of treasures that you need to find. It is the name of the game, after all.
How well the story fits into this world remains to be seen, but the game’s opening hours do their best to cram in as many memorable character introductions as it can. With Vikings, monsters, and skeleton pirate captains, it feels like DQT is gearing up to be a wild ride, and I am absolutely getting on board.
Written by Ryan Woodrow on behalf of GLHF.
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