ODDLY A SEQUEL TO DRAGON QUEST 2, NOT DRAGON QUEST BUILDERS.
Where the first Dragon Quest Builders is a sequel to the original Dragon Quest (or Dragon Warrior), DQ Builders 2 is a direct sequel to Dragon Quest 2, which was a sequel to Dragon Quest. No need to worry about Dragon Quest history though, because the intro to this game explains past events well enough to establish the background for the world of DQ Builders 2. As the player, I took control of the builder who is tasked with rebuilding a world overrun by evil.
The basics of gameplay are taught upon a boat on which the builder is a captive. The monsters that control the ship seem to use the builder’s skill to fix their boat right before it sinks. The builder and other captives wash up on a deserted island and after some dialog, the builder is sent to another island where the player learns to farm, craft rooms, use blueprints, and run a small village. These are familiar elements to anyone who has played the first DQ Builders (except farming, which is new to DQ Builders 2).
PLATFORMS: PS4, SWITCH
MSRP: $59.99
PRICE I’D PAY: $59.99
To those unfamiliar, DQ Builders is a Minecraft-like game with more emphasis on missions set by NPCs. The player has to craft items and build structures for the NPCs to live in. Like previously stated, DQ Builders 2 introduces farming, however the NPCs will generally do the manual labor like watering plants and tilling the soil. Also new to DQ Builders 2 is a first person mode and no item degradation, meaning once I build a sword I never have to worry about it breaking. More tools are introduced later on as well, but I think the biggest addition is that I can revisit my old settlements, unlike DQ Builders 1 which took place in disconnected chapters.
As someone who is familiar with both DQ Builders and Minecraft, DQ Builders 2 has way too much hand holding. The entire first island and even after that is tutorial. I understand that new players need that and that new mechanics need to be properly introduced, but after 10 hours I was still being taught basics like pouring water which I have already had to do in this game.
I felt like exploration was frowned upon as I would go explore the map and find a key item but then have to go back to where I got the key item and finish the quest anyways to progress. Thankfully warp points make this easy, but it’s still annoying because there are rewards to exploring and the game gives me mixed messages as to what I should be doing. Multiplayer wasn’t unlocked until I returned to the first island (after 10 hours on the first island which would have been less time had I not had to retrace my steps to complete missions).
When DQ Builders 2 is a bit more hands off the game is amazing, even better than the first. The writing is fantastic, the building is more interesting, combat with a partner NPC is far more enjoyable, and the rewards for exploration feel far more satisfying. There are even randomly generated islands that pose scavenger hunts to the player that when completed offer infinite amounts of certain supplies which are necessary to anyone wanting to flex their creative muscles.
Despite my criticism of the pacing, I actually love this game. It improves upon the first game in all the ways I would want. I only wish there was a way to have the game stop trying to walk me through every step of the game. I would rather fail and have the game tell me I did something incorrectly than having to wait for the game to give me permission to play the game. The inclusion of a first person mode makes building roofs and exploring caves far more pleasurable than the first game as well. Overall, DQ Builders 2 manages to do everything a sequel should do to improve upon the previous game. I fully recommended to anyone wanting to play a more structured Minecraft-like experience to pick this one up.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
