Dragon Quest Builders 2 Review
Dragon Quest Builders 2
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Omega Force
Genre:
PEGI: 10+
Comments:
If you’ve read my previews 1, 2, and 3 of Dragon Quest Builders 2, then you know I’ve been playing it a lot and enjoying it. And now its time for my review of the game! How good is Dragon Quest Builders 2? Let’s find out!
Dragon Quest Builders 2 has a really good story. Its really the characters in the game that make it so good. Malroth is quiete a character but so is just about everyone you’ll meet in this game. If you’re a Dragon Quest fan, then the characters, enemies, places you visit, and some of the things you do will remind you of the series. Dragon Quest Builders 2 is absolutely a love letter to the Dragon Quest series and that extends, mostly, to its gameplay.
In Dragon Quest Builders 2, you start out on a desert island where there’s barely anything at all. As you visit other islands and get more building materials, you can create some very fantastic things on that first island. Need proof of that? Then go to the in-game notice board and look at pictures of other people’s starting island. Heck, go visit some of those islands! The online sharing component in this game is mostly fantastic. I did notice some slow down while exploring islands with a lot of items spread about. I still had fun seeing the amazing things people created. Also you can play with friends online and build stuff together! So cool.
That said, Dragon Quest Builders 2 is still a wondeful single player experience. The building aspect of the game is the most important gameplay element, but leveling up, searching for hidden things, and talking to people help make this game more than just a Minecraft clone. Dragon Quest Builders 2 is a Dragon Quest game with Minecraft elements.
Building is easy in this game. The combat is even easier, sometimes too easy, though you can occasionally run into a really tough enemy that you should have avoided. I do miss the turn-based combat of the regular Dragon Quest games, but the action-rpg combat here is not bad.
Control wise, things are not that complicated. It might take you a moment to get use to attack being placed on the triangle button but once you get the hang of it, it’ll be almost second nature. Thankfully building is not that complicated as far as the controls either.
Dragon Quest Builders 2 is a great game. Could it be better? Sure, thats why I’m hoping there will be a third game! It would be nice to actually sail the world in the next Builders and go to the islands yourself, instead of via a static map. And it would be nice to go back to your original island whenever you want instead of being stuck on the story island until the quest there is complete. I’d also like to see the combat system get closer to what is found in traditional Dragon Quest games.
I’m sure there’s other things I could nitpick but I really like Dragon Quest Builders 2 a lot so I’ll stop there. I think Builders 2 is so much better than the first game. And the graphics in this game are just stunning too.
Dragon Quest Builders 2 is a great looking game. Yes the literal building blocks you’ll find in the game will remind you of Minecraft. Everything else though? Pure Dragon Quest. Square Enix did such an amazing job with this game. The characters, environments you visit, and basically everything else is so much like a Dragon Quest series game that you’d swear at times you were playing a regular DQ game. Its not just that the game looks like a Dragon Quest game, it also feels like one. I think even non-fans will be impressed by how good this game looks on the Playstation 4.
And Dragon Quest Builders music is pure Dragon Quest. If you love DQ music, you’ll love Builders. The same goes for the game’s sound effects.
Dragon Quest Builders 2 is an absolute treat. If you’re a Dragon Quest fan, you’ll love it. If you are a fan of Minecraft, you might like it too.
Dragon Quest Builders 2 is better than the first game. Everything from the graphics to the gameplay has been improved a lot. The story, above all, has been massively improved. There are still tons of things to build in this game. More than ever though, Dragon Quest Builders 2 is a tribute to classic Dragon Quest games. Best of all? If you create something cool on your home island, you can share it online! I’ve seen so many fantastic things that people have created in Builders 2. No the game isn’t perfect, there are things that could better, but that’s why I’m hoping for another sequel!
For Dragon Quest fans and possibly Minecraft fans, Dragon Quest Builders 2 is a must buy on the Playstation 4.
Thank you to Square Enix for providing a digital copy of this game for review. Dragon Quest Builders 2 is now available on the Playstation 4.
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Article By Daniel Fugate
Daniel Fugate has wanted to be a writer since he was seven years old. He has a bachelor's degree in English and he's a huge Animal Crossing fan. The Wii U and 3DS are currently his favorite video game systems!
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