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Dragon Quest Builders

Solid gameplay and simple storytelling give players a reason to keep coming back, simply put, Dragon Quest Builders is a game for those that enjoy structured creative freedom, even if that is an oxymoron.
Dragon Quest Builders Game Cover
90%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
grinding, replayability
98% User Score Based on 246 reviews
Critic Score 82%Based on 47 reviews

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Dragon Quest Builders Game Cover

About

Dragon Quest Builders is a single player and multiplayer open world role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Square Enix and was released on February 13, 2024. It received positive reviews from critics and overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Dragon Quest Builders is a fantasy open-world sandbox action RPG where players can build structures using blocks in a procedurally generated world. The game offers a main storyline, quirky side quests, and NPCs for a full RPG experience, while also allowing players to battle monsters and gather resources. It can be played in both single-player and multiplayer modes.

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Dragon Quest Builders screenshot
Dragon Quest Builders screenshot
Dragon Quest Builders screenshot
Dragon Quest Builders screenshot
Dragon Quest Builders screenshot
Dragon Quest Builders screenshot
Dragon Quest Builders screenshot
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98%
Audience ScoreBased on 246 reviews
story42 positive mentions
grinding14 negative mentions
  • The game features enjoyable quality of life improvements, such as unbreakable equipment and enhanced controls, making it more accessible and fun to play.
  • The story is engaging and nostalgic, providing a charming experience that resonates with fans of the Dragon Quest series.
  • The building mechanics are intuitive and allow for creativity, making it a satisfying experience for players who enjoy crafting and resource management.
  • The game is a port of the mobile version, which has led to some graphical downgrades and a less polished user interface compared to the console versions.
  • Some players find the combat mechanics to be dull and repetitive, lacking depth compared to other RPGs.
  • The game can feel limited in terms of resources and building options, especially when compared to its sequel, Dragon Quest Builders 2.
  • story
    234 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of Dragon Quest Builders 1 is centered around themes of hope and despair, where players take on the role of a builder tasked with restoring civilization from darkness, contrasting with the more nuanced narrative of its sequel. While the game features a structured chapter system with engaging quests and nostalgic ties to the original Dragon Quest, some players feel it lacks the depth and polish found in Dragon Quest Builders 2. Overall, the narrative is enjoyable and serves as a solid backdrop for the building mechanics, though it may not be the primary draw for all players.

    • “The story is about hope and despair, human vs monster, light and dark, good vs evil; the borderline is very clear.”
    • “True to the story, you are the builder, not the hero. Fighting is not your priority nor your strength, but the power of creation is your main virtue.”
    • “The story has flashbacks and story elements based on the original Dragon Quest (NES), which serve as extra storytelling as well as showing cool building ideas for the player.”
    • “While in DQB2, they try to grayscale everything down, creation and destruction living together in harmony; not quite my favorite story to be honest, but I guess it is a standard nowadays.”
    • “It's kind of short and can be pretty linear too if you're just going straight through everything in the story.”
    • “The story simply takes the obvious bad choice that the player was presented with at the end of Dragon Quest and delves into what would happen if they said 'yes'.”
  • gameplay
    34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is generally well-received, with players appreciating the fun and engaging mechanics, particularly the integration of RPG elements and building features. While some criticize the core mechanics as lacking depth, the game is noted for its intuitive design, enjoyable boss fights, and a stress-free experience that makes it suitable for children. Overall, it balances exploration, combat, and construction effectively, providing a solid and entertaining gameplay experience.

    • “The core mechanics are solid, the boss fights were enjoyable, the game feels good to play on a controller, and the nostalgic theme will more likely fall flat for the intended audience, but give parents a reason to try this game specifically for their kids.”
    • “Its ability to harmonize exploration, combat, and construction into a seamless gameplay experience is indicative of high-caliber design and thoughtful engineering.”
    • “Bosses are unique, gameplay is easy to understand, and you can build some pretty cool looking towns if you want.”
    • “Game mechanics suck”
    • “Narratively much better than its sequel though much more mechanically limited.”
    • “The mechanics of the game are pretty cut and dry.”
  • graphics
    24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's graphics are praised for their vibrant aesthetics and rich detail, effectively capturing the charm of the Dragon Quest series while integrating well-designed quests and characters. Players note that the graphical fidelity can be impressive, especially in the definitive edition, but performance may vary based on settings, with some recommending adjustments for optimal experience. Overall, the visuals are considered appealing, though some users express a desire for a future remake to enhance the graphical quality further.

    • “The game constructs a richly detailed world, characterized by vibrant aesthetics, complex characters, and well-designed quests that demonstrate a keen attention to narrative structure and player experience.”
    • “Having now completed this version as well, I can certainly say it is by far the definitive edition of the game, featuring the highest graphical fidelity (if your PC can handle it) as well as the quality of life improvements from the mobile port.”
    • “I really hope this game gets remade one day to mirror the stunning visuals of its beautiful opening movie.”
    • “The game also defaulted to low on every graphical setting, but I found I was able to maintain 60 fps with everything adjusted to medium while water reflections and bloom were set to off.”
    • “The game ties certain graphics to weird settings.”
    • “For those complaining about the graphics, check your settings.”
  • grinding
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be significantly improved, with less tedious material collection due to the absence of weapon degradation and simplified crafting processes. While some elements still require farming, such as obtaining specific seeds, the overall experience feels less burdensome compared to previous versions. The game is also noted for its shorter playtime, contributing to a more streamlined experience.

    • “The second world is basically the first, but a little harder, and has a small focus on farming, which never comes up again.”
    • “If you do decide to play DQ1 first, it's a very short game; I figure you can complete it in less than 10 hours all told, if I recall correctly (there's some grinding in there, of course).”
    • “Some things are a bit more difficult to accomplish in DQB1, such as replacing grass, which you can only do by farming bats for grass seed drops.”
  • music
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is well-received, with players appreciating its charm and aesthetic quality, which evokes a blend of classic RPG elements reminiscent of Dragon Quest within the Minecraft framework. Overall, the soundtrack enhances the game's vibrant atmosphere.

    • “I enjoy the music and colors of the game.”
    • “Aesthetically it's dq, music is dq, and it has all the charm of those games melded into Minecraft essentially, and it's a great blend.”
  • humor
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is characterized as simple and funny, retaining the franchise's signature cheeky style, though it adopts a slightly more serious tone compared to its predecessor. Overall, it is not seen as revolutionary but still delivers enjoyable comedic elements.

    • “Not a revolutionary game, it's just a simple funny game.”
    • “While it maintains that cheeky sense of humor the franchise is known for, it's a bit more serious in tone than the story for 2 was.”
  • stability
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game demonstrates excellent stability, performing well on both Proton/Linux and laptops, with multiple users reporting a smooth experience across these platforms.

    • “Runs great on Proton/Linux.”
    • “Runs great on laptop.”
  • monetization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game features no expansions or in-game purchases, indicating a straightforward monetization model without additional costs for players.

    • “The game has no expansions that I know of and no in-game purchases.”
  • replayability
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players feel that "Dragon Quest Builders 1" has less replayability compared to its sequel, with some expressing a willingness to revisit it later once the story has faded. Overall, while it may not offer extensive replay value, there is potential for future playthroughs.

    • “In general, I'm not sure if DQB1 has as much replayability as the second game in the series, but I may go back to it in the future when the story has worn out.”
  • optimization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is well-optimized for the Steam platform, particularly excelling on the Steam Deck, making it the preferred version for users seeking the best performance and experience.

    • “The Steam version is the way to go, and it shines on the Steam Deck with its excellent optimization.”
    • “The game offers a great value proposition with its features, content, and technical performance, especially on the Steam Deck.”
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82%Critics’ scoreBased on 68 critic reviews
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53h Median play time
53h Average play time
53-53h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Dragon Quest Builders is a open world role playing game with fantasy theme.

Dragon Quest Builders is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, iPhone and others.

On average players spend around 53 hours playing Dragon Quest Builders.

Dragon Quest Builders was released on February 13, 2024.

Dragon Quest Builders was developed by Square Enix.

Dragon Quest Builders has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Dragon Quest Builders is a single player game with multiplayer support.

Similar games include LEGO Harry Potter Collection, Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster, Vampires Dawn 3: The Crimson Realm, Dragon Quest Builders 2, Mario Golf: Super Rush and others.