Dragon Quest Builders 2 Review: Build to Save the World

Square Enix entered fully into our borders with the Final Fantasy saga. We lived a thousand and one adventures with Cloud, Squall, Yitan, Tidus... and we still wanted more. Thanks to the success of its flagship, the company decided to bet on another of its great series of successful video games in Japan: Dragon Quest. In addition to the well-known numbered installments, we got some spin-offs such as Dragon Quest Monsters or Dragon Quest Heroes. But undoubtedly, the alternative proposal of Dragon Quest that has achieved greater success has been undoubtedly Dragon Quest Builders. An adventure rpg and construction game that mixes elements of Zelda and Minecraft. Discover its second installment with our analysis of Dragon Quest Builders 2.

A shared history

The dragon Quest Builders 2 story puts us in the shoes of a builder, who will be the hero we will manage. As usual in the Dragon Quest saga, our protagonist "will have no voice" as happens with Link in Zelda. The world has been plunged into chaos ruled by the so-called destroyers. We wake up on a ship, locked in by our profession and with no apparent way out of there. Builders are outcasts in society, unlike what was narrated in the first part of Dragon Quest Builders. Destroying is synonymous with acceptance among the servants of Hargon (our archenemy). But of course, even the servants of evil need a handyman from time to time, so they will turn a blind eye and allow our hero to build at will on the deck of the ship to fulfill his needs

The problem comes when the flying boat suffers a serious breakdown, we are not able to repair it in time and we are shipwrecked. We will wake up on an apparently deserted island where we will meet Malroth, our main travel companion. Malroth has a very destructive personality, but as the adventure progresses he will change his mind and will even help us to build. On that first island we will also meet a very bossy girl who will guide us as a tutorial to be able to complete missions

Hand in hand with our inseparable companion Malroth we will go through islands that need the help of a builder to improve different aspects of that society that have been lost with the arrival of the servants of Hargon. Almost unintentionally we will recover the confidence of the people in the builders with sledgehammers and we will give a second chance to a world plunged into destruction

Do everything you have always imagined

The main point to highlight in our analysis of Dragon Quest Builders 2 is undoubtedly its playability (can you imagine the possibilities when we release our new pc and console controller Arkadia?. Our main objective will be to build everything that is needed for the inhabitants of the different islands that we will visit. In the first hours of the adventure we will get a builder's hammer with which we will be able to hit practically all the elements of the map to obtain materials. Earth, wood, rock... and an endless number of materials that we will need to build rooms, farms and everything that may come to mind

We will be able to limit ourselves to go obediently fulfilling the missions that are assigned to us or we can choose to live our way and build if we want to build a castle, a model of a dragon or a skyscraper. There are no limits in Dragon Quest Builders 2.

Our hero will use a builder's bench where he will be able to create different types of objects: beds, wooden pylons, bonfires, ladders, etc. Throughout the adventure he will learn new "recipes" and will write them down in a book that he always carries with him. As a good builder, if he is able to imagine something he is able to write it down in his book and then build it. He will also have at his disposal a forge where he will be making new weapons, because this adventure is not only about building

We must bear in mind that both our protagonist and the people who inhabit an island need to be fed. To do this we will have to nourish ourselves properly and leave food prepared for the rest in a safe chest. And not only that, but if we travel from one island to another we will lose all the materials collected, although we will keep all the construction recipes.

Struggle for a better future

Fighting is a fundamental part of the dragon Quest Builders 2 gameplay. Not only will we have to complete construction missions, but we will also be assigned missions to obtain objects in which we will have to fight against a certain number of enemies. In the map there are also enemies waiting for us to battle and we can decide whether to fight or pass them. As we complete more and more battles we will level up (as if it were an ARPG with real-time fights). However, we recommend that if you encounter a large enemy that takes more than half of your life bar in one hit... run away! We'll have time to come back for him with a higher level and give him a good lesson.

The night is dark and harbors horrors...also in Dragon Quest Builders 2. As in Minecraft, the day/night cycle brings surprises. When the light is hidden, it is advisable to take shelter between four walls to prevent monsters from attacking us, since at night they are stronger than usual. Of course, the brave will not be afraid of a little nighttime escapade. However, during the day, we will not always find ourselves on a smooth path. It is forbidden to lose your wits for a second, since waves of enemies come to destroy what we have built, and they are frequent.

Have fun with your friends

The first island we visit when we wake up from our shipwreck (Awakening Island) will allow us to receive up to three friends online in a proposal that reminds us of Animal Crossing. With this online mode we will be able to expand our island faster and build more colorful elements and structures. Eight hands build better than two. To unlock this mode we will have to advance in the story mode, so take a seat at yourgaming chair and... let's build!

On the other hand, the photo mode adds a social and community component to Dragon Quest Builders 2. We will be able to take screenshots of our progress on the island and share them with the rest of the world. A very Mario Maker 2 proposal (saving the distances). If our photograph is very successful, it could even appear to other players in their loading screens

True-to-Dragon Quest modeling and music

The dragon Quest Builders 2's graphic section is simple and perfectly fulfills what is expected of a building game. The modeling of the characters remains faithful to what has already been seen in other installments of the Dragon Quest saga and the enemies are perfectly recognizable for appearing in the main installments of the series. The designs are still in charge of Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball). The rest of the elements that appear on screen are presented in a block structure because the gameplay proposal is based on the construction with this element

As for the sound, words are superfluous. If you are fans of the Dragon Quest saga, you will love to recall the melodies with ourkimera V2 gaming headset and hum them without realizing it. To emphasize the localization to our language in a very successful way with winks of humor and with a splendid characterization of the different types of characters.

The best

-Infinite construction possibilities: we can limit ourselves to building what we are asked to build or innovate and customize our creations

-Perfectly blends construction and RPGs

-A building game with a guided storyline and Dragon Quest characters

-Incalculable duration, we will always find something new to build

-The evolution of the characters: we love Malroth

The Worst

-No possibility to play with friends offline: we would love to have been able to build with other friends at home

We have analyzed this video game thanks to a PS4 copy provided by Koch Media.