Review for Dragon Quest Builders. Game for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, the video game was released on 28/01/2016 The version for Nintendo Switch came out on 01/03/2018 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 14/10/2016
Sandboxes are protected environments, with established laws, in which you can experience anything. In the videogame field this term qualifies the games in which we have the possibility to interact with the surrounding environment in a practically total way: everything inside the sandbox can be built, destroyed or modified. The result is total freedom of action and a strong dispersive component, which go hand in hand following the player's desire to create. Unfortunately, however, the desire often fades over time and the lack of goals means that boredom takes over: or at least that's what he must have thought. Square Enix. So what better way for the well-known Japanese holding company to exploit the success of games like Minecraft than to combine one of its most successful sagas with the concept of sandbox ?.
Thus was born Dragon Quest Builders, which, having proliferated on PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 3 e PlayStation 4, finally also lands on Nintendo Switch.
In an alternate universe of the famous Dragon Quest saga, the kingdom of Alefgard has been devastated by the Dragonlord who deceived the unsuspecting protagonist by bringing darkness everywhere: desolation and monsters reign undisturbed. The bad guy on duty has relegated us to a deep sleep that lasted years; when we wake up we discover a territory in the wild, in ruins: the few remaining elements are the rubble of what was once a flourishing kingdom. The survivors are many, but they have lost the ability to build, they are no longer able to combine different materials in order to form new objects.
Fortunately in us the ability as a builder is strong and to tell us it is the Goddess Rubiss who, after having woken us up from a long sleep, will introduce us to the mysteries of creation by letting our protagonist discover (customizable through a quick setting) how to use his skills. Destroying the surrounding environment allows you to obtain raw materials that will then have to be reworked on a workbench to create new objects: as you can imagine, not all possible creations are available immediately, but they will be learned by the protagonist as he progresses. of the main plot and thanks to the side quests.
By placing the banners of light we will have the opportunity to save and create our city around it, which will evolve thanks to the inhabitants who will come to live there and the projects that will be given to us by them once the required requirements are met.
The game world is vast and full of life: monsters roam free and aggressive on a barren land with various and interesting characteristics. Mountains, forests, rivers, mineral deposits and ruins are available to be destroyed by our tools in order to create access routes, increasingly complex structures and furnishings of any kind: everything can be created over time and the possibility that they derive are almost infinite.
The only limitations are given by the vertical axis: it will not be possible to go up or down beyond a given limit, and inexplicably even crossing a water course more than two blocks deep will lead us to certain death. Fortunately we will not need it given the presence of portals that will allow us to travel between the islands, and even death does not actually exist: if the life bar drops to zero we will be returned to the banner without half of the accumulated objects, which in any case they lie in the place of our departure.
In combo with the life bar we will also have a hunger bar: building the tools suitable for cooking and trying complicated dishes soon becomes essential, but do not be afraid, after only a few hours of play you will have the opportunity to create a kitchen and then an inn where you can prepare delicious dishes.
The inhabitants of the city, grateful for the welcome, will learn the art of building and cooking by stocking the coffers of their homes just for your pleasure. Another very convenient and buildable element almost immediately is the large chest, which allows you to store the redundant objects at a distance, greatly expanding the possibilities of collection and consequently the creation of new objects.
“It takes hands to build a house, but only the heart can build a house”. In reality, here to build a house you just need our trusty hammer and a workbench: as you continue in your adventure you will be delivered new projects and as you find new elements and raw materials you will automatically learn how to use them. This feature allows some flexibility from the main storyline by providing interesting digressions in search of the new object or abstruse construction to create.
The narrative component of Dragon Quest Builders is as always engaging and perfectly suited to the scenario that we will face also thanks to an accurate and fun translation completely in Spanish. After creating some weapons and some armor you can try your hand at melee against the classic enemies of the saga, obtaining new raw materials. The fauna of monsters is varied and interesting but unfortunately the combat is rather limited: we can only attack blindly from short, indeed, very short distance and only with edged or impact weapons.
This means that most of the fights are reduced to poor farming, especially since death does not exist and simply by resting in a house on a pallet (to build both it takes a second) you can totally restore your energy. The only exception is represented by boss battles, often more similar to puzzle games rather than real fights but still able to entertain.
A sacrificed part is multiplayer, limited to sharing your city and the possibility of visiting the cities of others. Establishing exchanges with other players is also an interesting feature as well as inviting other heroes into our world, but overall the multiplayer sector is sacrificed in favor of the plot and the sandbox component.
Graphically, the title, although reduced to pixelated cubes, lives up to expectations: no drop in framerate and no kind of hesitation. The variable distance third person camera is ideal most of the time and it becomes necessary to switch to the first person only indoors. The ability to rotate the view at will using the right stick serves to remedy the problem sufficiently effectively.
The soundtrack instead is at the top: you will find themes that vary depending on the game environment, the situation in which you are and the difference between day and night. All the themes, including the initial one typical of the saga, are pleasant, non-invasive and catchy, framing a game experience that varies from 50 to over 100 hours of play. On Nintendo Switch, the last platform on which the title lands, the result is surprising: giving the possibility to play a title like this anywhere is a winning combination as already demonstrated by sales on PS Vita.
Finally, it should not be forgotten that all the characters and animations are original products of Akira Toriyama, the undisputed and absolute genius of animation of yesterday and today, father of Dragonball and Arale, as well as dozens of other successful titles. A guarantee of quality built on solid foundations, which allows you to rediscover the familiar traits of the artist in every enemy or friend encountered along the way, giving the player the distinct feeling of being at home.
Dragon Quest Builders is a complete, fun and extremely relaxing title; the only obvious contraindication is the dependence established in the player who, in the role of demiurge, gets involved until he loses track of time. The plot is also amusing thanks to years of experience by Square Enix in the Dragon Quest vein. Finally, the combination with the newborn Nintendo Switch makes the experience even more pleasant, even if a greater look at the social side with a better implementation of multiplayer would have been welcome.
► Dragon Quest Builders is an Action-RPG-Sandbox type game developed and published by Square Enix for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, the video game was released on 28/01/2016 The version for Nintendo Switch came out on 01/03/2018 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 14/10/2016
