Dragon Quest Treasures
The first one Dragon Quest-Game was released back in 1986 under the name Dragon Warrior. Since then, quite a few volumes have appeared and the games have also inspired other series, for example Yakuza: Like a Dragon. May 2021 Dragon Quest Treasures announced, a spin-off of the original series and exclusive to the Nintendo Switch. We went hands-on with this game for you and below you can read how we liked it.
Dragon Quest Treasures revolves around Erik and his sister Mia, whom we know from Dragon Quest XI. In this adventure, they are a bit younger and spend their time on a Viking ship. They dream every night of the day when they will travel together into the wide world in search of treasures. It all seems to remain just a dream until one night they encounter Porcus and Purrsula, a flying pig and a flying cat. The two are taken to the floating continent of Draconia where many different monsters dwell, but most importantly, a lot of hidden treasures await the duo. The greatest treasures they will seek are the seven legendary Dragonstones.
From the outset it becomes clear that this game is also aimed at a younger audience. The fact that Erik and Mia are a bit younger than in Dragon Quest XI Makes them more recognizable to younger players. By the way, this does not mean that it is a child’s game and if you are an adult you cannot have fun, certainly not. Above all, it makes the game accessible to a wider audience than diehard JRPG fans. It does Dragon Quest-game, as the music is very recognizable and the monsters and treasures are also recognizable. This makes it a sort of stepping stone to the ‘real deal’.
As the title suggests, the game revolves around a modern action RPG Dragon Quest Treasures mainly to collect treasure. The first few hours of the game everything is explained and you are more about exploring than fighting. The continent of Draconia consists of different parts that you can travel to by train. Before you get on the train you will have to assemble your team. At first, you don’t really have much to choose from, but by fighting different monsters, you will be able to recruit some of them for your team as well. The composition of your team is also important to the part of Draconia you visit. The better adjusted your team is to the area you are visiting, the more likely you are to find treasures. Your team plays an essentiërole. They will inform you when a treasure is near. You can then pull out a compass that helps you go in the right direction. When you are very close, you get to see images of the treasure but seen from the eyes of your team members. This makes it quite a puzzle to find the right place sometimes. It’s never really very difficult to find the treasure, but it’s not hugely easy either. This makes it feel just right and you still feel satisfaction when you finally succeeded.
Your team members can only carry a certain number of treasures with them, so when everyone is packed, you will have to go back to your base. Here all the treasures are piled up and the more you collect, the higher the level of your team will become. This will also allow you to work together with other treasure hunters to discover the most beautiful things. Although you will also have to fight regularly in Dragon Quest Treasures, that part feels more like something unimportant. This is also because the options while fighting are limited. Your teammates fight semi-automatically, as you can give them commands while fighting, but in the end they do the big work for you and you just kind of slash at them with your sword or shoot rocks with your slingshot. By the way, you don’t just use that catapult for attacks, but also to replenish your team members’ life bar or to give them an extra boost during attacks. For this, you can collect or buy different types of stones at various places. This form of combat is different from the others Dragon Quest-games, which are normally turn-based. This does make it a bit more accessible again, but perhaps a bit too easy for fans of the franchise.
In addition to finding treasures and fighting monsters, you’re also supposed to complete various tasks. This often comes down to talking to certain characters and collecting stuff for them. In addition, you also have the daily quests, which in turn provide you with the necessary materials that you can use for recruiting monsters and making stones for your catapult. The missions you have to do are never really very difficult and it’s all self-explanatory, but at least makes sure it doesn’t get boring and you have a goal while playing the.
Is everything good about this game?? Almost there, but if we have to have one criticism, it’s the graphics. The characters and cutscènes look fine, but the world looks a bit simple and sometimes a bit much of the same. No doubt it has to do with the power of the Switch, but we’ve certainly seen better on Nintendo’s handheld.
Dragon Quest Treasures has unexpectedly become quite a fun game. It is a kind of lite version of a Dragon Quest-game, which seems to be mainly aimed at a younger audience. It’s mostly about treasure hunting and that remains fun even after quite a few hours. The fighting feels a bit simple, especially since your team members quickly level up and can do a lot more damage. The game also really feels like a piece of entertainment rather than a huge challenge, which is nice sometimes too.
Dragon Quest Treasures was played on the Nintendo Switch for this review. This game is available exclusively for that platform.
