Minecraft has managed to accumulated a lot of fans in the past years, across many platforms. The app game is available on PC, Xbox and iOS/Android, and there is also a version for the Playstation and Playstation Vita. When I was in the US I saw all kinds of goodies for sale, with the Minecraft logo or in the form of the so familiar building blocks. And more than once I have wished that I were into the game too.
Maybe Square Enix’s announcement for Dragon Quest Builders, a new Dragon Quest game coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PS Vita in Japan this winter will be just the thing. It isn’t really the original MineCraft of course, but a combination of RPG and minecraft elements. Players must recapture and restore the land of Alefgard after it’s destroyed by the Dragonlord. Alefgard is expressed through blocks, which players can freely create, destroy, and remodel as if they’re in a sandbox or playing with building blocks. I know a lot of people didn’t like Harvest Moon the Lost Valley, but I for one particularly enjoyed the building blocks in the game to change the landscape to my liking. This might just be the thing for me to try too.
So, what’s the story, what can we expect in the game?
In the past there was a battle between men and monsters. There was a hero at the time, who was a central figure on the human side, but he fell into the Dragonlord’s trap and was never heard from again. Having lost their hero, the humans were driven from the land in which they lived to the dark world where they now live, and over time less and less humans remained. The game’s story begins when a young person appears in Alefgard, a world that is ruled by the Dragonlord.
The world is empty, and players have the task to create items, towns and castles, and they do that by collecting materials and battling monsters around the world.
Sounds good to me, now if only it will be released in the West too. But I’ll be sure to be on the lookout. In the meantime, should I check out the Minecraft game on the Vita?
Check out the gameplay:
It looks like a pretty cool game!
Sadly, no word yet on a localization of this. I have not tried minecraft either(though I have tried Terraria and disliked it) and I was hoping this would be my leeway into this new genre. We’ll see after it gets released though.
I’m not sure what to make of this. The first game I truly loved, that opened my eyes to what my new hobby might provide, was the first Dragon Warrior (Dragon Quest elsewhere). And Dragon Quest VIII scratched that same itch very well while both honoring the series while still continuing to evolve. I’m glad the series continues on, but not sure if this will bring what makes Dragon Quest special to me or not. I’m absolutely curious to see either way.