Dragon Quest Builders

It seems these days that every major game franchise wants to capitalize on the popular sandbox genre with their own characters and lore incorporated. What's bizarre about Dragon Quest Builders - is that it's a significant change from its traditional JRPG mechanics. I mean, did anyone actually ask for this game to be made? It just seems very out of scope.

Regardless of your thoughts, Dragon Quest Builders brings the world of Alefgard into the mix following the original game. As expected, you'll take on the role of a player destined to rebuild the world devastated by the evil Dragonlord. How much fun can a player have with this when they are used to story-driven JRPG games?

To Build a Better Dragon

As it turns out - Dragon Quest Builders does actually seek to provide a unique take on a sandbox game with its own franchise. Not just a Minecraft skin with characters and visuals of the franchise. The game is a bit more story-driven than the traditional narrative of the genre. It adds a purposeful plotline that resonates with the original JRPG game.

The visuals of the game feel all too familiar - but complement the expectations of the player. Blocky terrain and structures will serve as the assets you'll use to develop your town and get the people of Alefgard back on their feet. Clearly, Minecraft has been a strong influence in the shaping of the game's environments and mechanics. But it does have that pretty Dragon Quest flair with it.

The look and feel of the game are refreshing - and it is complemented by the NPC's and enemies inhabiting the world. Dragon Quest Builders does bring the urgency to make you feel like you're consistently on an adventure - even if it's just building a bridge across a pond. The game keeps players on their toes without pushing harder than you'd like.

Quests, crafting capabilities, and character interactions refine the sandbox game into an RPG amalgamation. Where it may seem ambitious - it surprisingly works and keeps players entertained. Though because of these additions, the gameplay may feel a bit repetitive and limits creative potential. Otherwise, a fair few hours can be spent restoring the world to its former glory.

Not Just A Quick Fix

There are many sandbox games out there that will just dump you into a barren wasteland and give you a set of tools. The whole concept does seem a bit tired these days - but Dragon Quest Builders manages to deliver a refreshing perspective. Why not incorporate a tailormade narrative and RPG elements into the mix? The Dragon Quest franchise is perfect for it, after all.

Pros:

• Beautiful visuals create a more immersive sandbox world
• Well-integrated RPG mechanics into the traditional sandbox ones
• NPCs and enemies make your world seem more alive

Cons:

• Limit on creative potential with the franchises characters, assets, and narrative
• The game starts to feel repetitive after a while, with similar challenges and unrewarding quests

Dragon Quest Builders is a spinoff of the seminal JRPG series that shelves turn-based combat and an epic storyline and trades them for something more along the lines of Minecraft. That's the initial reference most players will pick up on, thanks to the game's blocky worlds and emphasis on construction and base-building. Spend some more time with this little gem, however, and you'll notice that some of its sparkle comes from elements that bear a striking similarity to old-school adventures like The Legend Of Zelda.

Your character's adventure starts out like many typical RPGs, though you quickly get the sense that he (or she) is cut from a different cloth. The world has been split and ruined by the nefarious Dragonlord, and you've been resurrected to help battle it out with the villain and his cronies. As the titular builder, you're the only person in the world who's capable of restoring the kingdom back to its former glory.

I get an odd sense of satisfaction from foraging and scrounging for resources in games, but if that kind of thing grates on you, beware. Like Minecraft, your early hours are spent punching branches to get wood, crafting crappy tools you soon outgrow, and building up your home base. Unlike that game, however, a more focused structure drives all that collecting for those who enjoy freedom but also appreciate a little guidance.

When your journey begins, you're stuck with the remains of a ruined village and a few crummy tools. Your village only has one inhabitant with big dreams and a bigger chore list. I enjoyed checking in with her between supply runs, and tracking down whatever she was looking for at the moment. She (and eventually, the rest of your tiny town) wants you to show off your skills by building requested items, constructing special structures from their blueprints, and scouting around for other survivors. Helping these little guys out feels good, even if their needs lean toward fetching items too frequently.

Building is as simple as dropping blocks down on an invisible grid. You can build whatever strikes your fancy, but that kind of freeform construction isn't likely to impress the townsfolk. Rooms are created when specific objects you build are placed within, and discovering new ones is part of the fun. Build a kitchen, and you can create new items to sate your hunger meter — and your villagers can cook for you, too. An inn gives people a place to crash, and also bestows a bonus for sleeping. Roofs are possible, but completely optional; that's good, since the camera has a tendency to lose its freaking mind when your character is exploring a tunnel or tight interior. I enjoyed wandering around my town and admiring the spaces I'd spent considerable time on, and there's enough flexibility in construction to leave your own mark on the world.

You're a builder, but you also end up doing quite a bit of fighting, too. You're fragile at first, but as you move away from clubs and toward steel hammers and suits of magical armor, you're more than capable of handling yourself in battle. The real-time combat is straightforward and simple, which reminded me of Link's original adventure. Enemies are adorable and wonderfully designed, but more importantly they drop valuable crafting items.

One of the most interesting things about Builders is its structure. Once you build up your community and take on the boss, you end the chapter and move on — a process that can take several hours. From there, you resurrect in a new land, with new biomes, threats, and people. You also start from scratch, and your character forgets many of the recipes and formulas learned in the previous land. I was stunned the first time it happened, but fortunately the crafting branches into different directions each time. While you have some overlap in each chapter, Square Enix has done a great job of ensuring each chapter has a unique feel and new gameplay elements, such as the ability to lead allies into battle or drive a vehicle around.

Even after beating the game, you have plenty to do. A freeform mode lets you build and share your creations with other players (though, curiously, it doesn't generate randomized worlds). Recipes and items are unlocked as you complete each chapter in the campaign, which lessens the sting of having to start from scratch in that mode. I'm eager to see what people create and share in Dragon Quest Builders, though I suspect the scope will be significantly less broad than what Minecrafters have built within that game's borders. It's possible to create huge castles, intricate homes, and other impressive structures, but the tools are more tailored toward domestic living than freeform construction and creating working in-game computers.

I'll admit that I'm a sucker for cute design, but that alone wouldn't have been enough to hold my attention for several dozen hours. Instead, the charming visuals work with a solid action/RPG that, while still a bit rough in a few small areas, is a surprising treat.

In North America, Dragon Quest is known nearly as much for its spin-offs as its core RPGs. Games like Rocket Slime and the recent Dragon Quest Warriors prove the series' memorable art and consistent world are capable of living outside of the RPG genre. If our early impressions are any indication, Builders has the potential of being another quality entry in Dragon Quest's expanding non-RPG portfolio.

Dragon Quest Builders borrows heavily from Minecraft, but features Dragon Quest art, monsters, and even shares some loose ties with the very first Dragon Quest game's story. Builders represents an alternate universe where good did not overcome evil and it's up to you, an engineer/warrior gifted with the power of creation, to bring light back to a dark, monster-ridden world.

You start by picking a boy or a girl and a name before being dropped into a world you can break apart into materials to be rebuilt in any way you choose. You start with a simple structure, beating the ground with a stick to produce dirt blocks, which can then be stacked into something resembling a dwelling. Add a bed and torch to your room, and you've got yourself a home. This attracts another resident seeking refuge from the darkness, and your mission becomes more defined: You must build a city.

Builders' mechanics sound remarkably close to Minecraft, but they are distinct in some important ways. For one, the game is exclusively third-person. You see your character as he or she fights monsters, breaks things apart, and builds structures. It also means your houses don't need roofs, because it would be difficult to track your character once they go inside.

It's a strange by-product of moving out of the first-person perspective, but it appears to never rain in the world despite ever-present dark clouds in the distance.

Builders also has direction. You're free to explore on your own, but you won't get very far without listening to and completing the requests of your residents. This is how you get recipes to make new items, bring more people into your young city, and move forward in the story. Having a list of objectives is welcome, especially for those who get overwhelmed with Minecraft's freedom. It also feels appropriate considering Dragon Quest's RPG roots.

I'm surprised more games like Dragon Quest Builders, which meld Minecraft's popular mechanics with an established franchise, don't already exist. After spending a few hours with Builders, it feels like a good fit.

I enjoyed building and exploring the open world with a Dragon Quest aesthetic, and was eager to listen to my community's requests. Builders met praise when it released in Japan earlier this year, and after my time with the game I can see why.

As a spin-off of the main franchise, Dragon Quest Builders is a survival and crafting game that blends RPG-style progression with free-roaming fun. As the sole purveyor of life and light in a world of darkness and desolation, it's your job to rekindle the magic of a forgotten kingdom as you slowly build civilization back up from square one. Although it's simplistic in concept, this relaxed adventure is grand in scale, offering a great genre mix-up that will suck up your time in the blink of an eye.

Main Game Features

• Gather resources and build up bases
• Battle monsters in isometric combat
• Open-ended and relaxed gameplay

Story

In Dragon Quest Builders, you control the prophesized architect of a dying fantasy world, compelled to rebuild the world after it has been gripped by evil. Although it's light on story set-up, this game acts as an alternative future of the original Dragon Quest RPG, wherein the hero chooses to side with the villainous Dragonlord instead of defeating him. This turns out to be a ruse, leading the kingdom into despair as villages fall and monsters roam the countryside.

At the start of the game, you must simply rebuild a town to the best of your ability, fending off any enemies that crop up along the way. Before long, survivors will join your blossoming village, requesting that you complete various tasks. Although there is a lot of text to read, the narrative is loose and up to your interpretation, as there are no clear levels or stages to complete. Instead, you'll experience the world of Dragon Quest Builders at a natural pace, discovering portals that lead you to new areas. If you're looking for a rich story full of characters, you won't find that here, but the world is familiar and enjoyable for fans of the franchise.

Gameplay

Unlike the main series, which plays similar to games like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest Builders has a lot in common with Minecraft. You start the game with very few resources and must craft tools to uncover more supplies. During the day, you can explore the large landscape, bashing rocks and other debris for usable materials. With these resources, you can create walls, doors, and other workstations, which protect you against the monsters that come at night. Luckily, you can also craft weapons like hammers and swords, prime for swiping at unsuspecting skeletons, slimes, and other iconic Dragon Quest enemies. Combat is easy and feels like a simplistic version of Diablo II, as each monster has different attack patterns that you'll need to learn.

As new villagers pop up around town, you'll complete small tasks for them, leading to other gameplay elements. Sometimes you'll need to complete blueprints to create specialized buildings, forage a certain amount of food, or defeat specific enemies. Health and nourishment are hard to come by, so you'll need to craft food recipes to continue to survive. After spending enough time reinforcing your base, you'll discover better equipment and recipes, allowing you to explore further away from home. This cycle of building, surviving, and exploring is consistently entertaining and a great way to spend a few hours.

Conclusion

Dragon Quest Builders is an interesting turn for the series, as it strays away from its RPG roots in favor of simple survival and crafting. However, this blend of familiar gameplay works incredibly well, at times becoming more addictive than the games it is inspired by. Since it's so easy to pick up and play, kids will have just as much fun as adults, likely spending hours building their ideal village.

Pros

• Very addictive gameplay
• Easy-to-understand building mechanics
• Good mixture of building and combat

Cons

• Simplistic design
• Way too much dialogue
• Lack of waypoints and guidance