PixlBit

Games of the Decade #10/Blog a Day #21

Hello fellow builders, how are you?

There are game series that have been around for such a long slime and are beloved by many. This could be due to the games being great but also staying true to the formula without making unnecessary changes that will make it feel like a totally different game. Take Dragon Quest for example, when you think of Dragon Quest you immediately think of turn-based rpgs. But this next game on the list may be from that series but it's not quite a turn-based rpg that you know, but rather it takes a creative spin with the formula. The game is none other than Dragon Quest Builders 2.

                     Finding music for this game is hard so this is gonna have to do ♥

Here is a backstory for you: I always knew about Dragon Quest Builders but as usual I never got to play it. A friend recommended the first game on the Switch and I absolutely loved it. Fast forward to 2019 and it's sequel called Dragon Quest Builders 2 released. But how is this game and what is it about?

The game takes place sometime after the events of Dragon Quest II, and you assume the role of a Builder. A Builder in the game builds things like equipment, structures and so forth. Except that in DQB2, the Children of Hargon (a religious cult) have outlawed any and all building, creation of any kind is forbidden. They punish anyone who attempts to build or merely mention anything about building to the point of hunting down Builders in the game. It's up to you to show the world that building isn't bad and help others who need help with the power of creation and stop the lies that the bad guys have spread.

In the game, your role is to go to other islands and help people who are in trouble while showing them that building is good and not evil while fighting members of the Children of Hargon. The game at its core is about building and creating. From the equipment you use, to the buildings and houses you make, to even the food you eat. Everything is done by making it. You first start off with making some basic things but as you keep playing you'll soon learn more recipes to uild more elaborate things that you didn't think you would. The game does a good job of introducing mechanics as you play through the game.

                                 Sometimes you gotta fight a golem with another golem

The Isle of Awakening is the main island in the game, it's really big but it also serves as the hub of the game. From here you can help improve the island by completing numerous tasks such as making an oasis to building something much more bigger like a pyramid. You can build stuff that is requested or you can build whateer you want. If you want to take a break from building then you can explore other islands known as Explorers Shores which you can use to collect resources for your island to even fighting mini-bosses.

The story itself is pretty straightforward, it isn't the most super intricate story out there but it does have its fair share of gooreat moments. It's a fun story filled with really quirky but well-written characters, sometimes you might feel really attached to the characters that you want to make sure nothing happens to them. Trust me on that. 

"But Captain N, where can I play this game?" Well fellow builder, you can play it either on PS4, Switch, or PC. I have no idea how the PC version is to be honest, but I can at least tell you that the PS4 version is definitely the best one. The Switch and PS4 versions are identical in terms of content, but not in terms of performance. The game on the Switch has some frame issues as in the game slows down as your creations get bigger and more elaborate. I have also heard that you don't have as much storage for items like you do on PS4 but I'm not too sure on it. But it's up to you if you want better performance or more convenience.

The game has online play as well but I haven't had a chance to try it out myself. The game also has an expansion pass of sorts that adds more content to the game like more recipes, more locations to explore, more quests, and new customization options. So if you still want to build more things with the new stuff that the pass or want to get even more out of the game then that's something else you can get.

                      Sometimes you just want to pass the slime with your slime friends

Final Thoughts: DQB2 is one of the best sequels ever made. The game is fun and you can pretty much proceed through the story of the game at your own pace if you just want to explore and build things. There were many slimes where I was in a story mission, only to take a detour because I saw something that interested me. The game is really good at sidetracking you. It doesn't have the most intricate or complex story, but it's a fun story that you still want to know what will happen next. But the building you can do is the main focus here, they improved the building so much that you can make pretty much anything you want. So if you're the creative type then you'll have hours of fun.

I could have put the first Dragon Quest Builder's game here because I loved the story more over there. Like that game had an ace with the lore of the first Dragon Quest game backing it up since the world of that game is based on a parallel ending before the final battle of the first DQ game. That I feel was DQB1's greatest strength. The story in DQB2 takes a bit of a backseat but in exchange of improving everything that everyone had a problem with in the first DQB. The building and pretty much everything else was improved and resulted in a bigger game. Sometimes bigger doesn't mean better, but I feel they were able to make a good story around how this game was structured. I just hope that the eventual Dragon Quest Builders 3 takes what made both previous games great to create the best game in the series.

I feel like Dragon Quest Builders as a whole is a fantastic spin-off from the mainline DQ games as they use the rich lore from those games as a backdrop for these spin-off games. It has that signature Dragon Quest charm so to speak. I loved building in these games so much. Like you can building some basic things like houses and whatnot but as I unlocked more stuff I started building bigger and better things like hotels and buildings and whatnot. The only limit you have here is obviously your imagination and the height limit. Definitely try out the games if you want something different with your building games, it definitely stands out from anything else out there.

 

                                        Where are we dropping--- oops wrong game

So that's it for #10. I'll be seeing you as soon as I'm done building my latest creation.