Dragon Quest Builders 2

Genre: Action-RPG / Open-World Sandbox

Players: 1-4 Co-Op (Local Wireless, Online), Online Content Sharing

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Review:

Like the first Dragon Quest Builders game, Dragon Quest Builders 2 combines a linear Action-RPG with all of the hallmarks of the Dragon Quest series with the open-world “do whatever you like” nature of Minecraft, and the result is something that is uniquely its own.

With a sequel brings a new story, new quality of life improvements, and new multiplayer play (only online or local wireless – sorry couch co-op lovers!). And while the Switch version has a lower resolution and slightly lower framerate than the other consoles, the 720p resolution and mostly 60fps framerates (30fps in handheld mode) are quite respectable and still look very good.

Graphically, this game lands somewhere between Minecraft’s voxel style world and Dragon Quest’s anime-esque characters, and the results are pretty good. The game has that impressive sense of scale that Minecraft has, but feels a bit more polished. And while the verbal “Uhh?”s and “Ayy!”s can get a bit grating at times, overall the game’s sound is pretty nice too.

As for the gameplay, it bears mention that this is not just Minecraft with a Dragon Quest skin – Dragon Quest Builders 2 is a great deal more linear, and for much of the game you won’t be exploring and creating from your imagination so much as you’ll be working on specific tasks given to you by the game’s characters.

On the one hand, this might prove disappointing for those looking for the same sort of open nature of Minecraft (though later on the game opens up and you gain a greater capacity to do your own thing), but the trade-off here isn’t necessarily a bad one. The added structure of being gradually introduced to the game’s systems this way actually makes much of the game one big tutorial for how to play it, and I don’t say that in a disparaging way – the way this game eases you into its complex systems is extraordinarily user-friendly, and the very opening scene of the game is one of the most amusing tutorial sections I’ve ever played in a game. Other games should learn a thing or two from Dragon Quest Builders 2 – this is how you do a tutorial right.

This game does plenty more to set itself apart from Minecraft, too. Players have a helper character who fights beside them, players can set up townsfolk to automatically perform some tasks for them, and the story here is a major part of the game. In short, while minecraft players are likely to enjoy this game, do not go in expecting a carbon copy of Minecraft, because this game is definitely a different animal.

Oh, speaking of the story, this game’s story is well-written and amusing, very easy to fall into and delightfully silly about standard RPG tropes. that your designated evil teammate is clearly the big bad of the story suffering amnesia isn’t even a spoiler, they practically flash a big sign at you to announce it right from the start.

Oh, but a bit of a warning – while I absolutely think this is a great game for kids and casual gamers, there is some content here that may be inappropriate for young children. You start the game with a group of cartoonishly silly monsters all talking at length about how they’ll definitely be killing you soon (after, you know, you do all their chores for them), at one point you happen upon some corpses washed up on the shore, and then at another point, a few of the characters make a little joke about the protagonist hiding a dirty magazine. For the most part, this game is silly and light-hearted, but if these sorts of things bother you, you can consider yourself warned.

The comparisons between the Dragon Quest Builders games and Minecraft are inevitable, but as I’ve said, Dragon Quest Builders 2 and Minecraft are completely different animals. In some ways, this game is even better than Minecraft, and in some ways it isn’t. However, regardless of your opinion on the comparison, what I feel is without question is that this game is absolutely fantastic, and shines as one of the best RPG experiences and one of the best open-world games on the Switch, and it absolutely deserves to be in your game library.

tl;dr – Dragon Quest Builders 2 is an Action-RPG with an open world and creation elements to it that are very comparable to Minecraft, and an anime style and story that are very much a Dragon Quest thing. That said, this game is much more linear and focused than Minecraft, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. Regardless, it is an absolutely superb Action-RPG, and an absolutely superb Open-World game, and fans of either type of game should consider this a must-have.

Grade: A

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2019 Game Awards:

Winner:

Best RPG / Action-RPG – I very nearly gave this one to Slay the Spire, which sucked me in more than just about any game released this year. However, Dragon Quest Builders 2 ticked just about every box with its compelling gameplay, amusing story, surprisingly good visuals, and being a game that actually manages to stand tall next to the likes of Minecraft and show a different way to do that sort of open-world crafting game that’s just as viable.

Runner-Up: Best Game for Kids and Casual Players, Game of the Year

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