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Dragon Quest Builders

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Dragon Quest Builders
Developer(s)Square Enix Creative Business Unit III
Publisher(s)Square Enix[a]
Director(s)Kazuya Niinou
Producer(s)Noriyoshi Fujimoto
Designer(s)
  • Shintaro Tamai
  • Nobuki Ando
  • Suguru Ishii
Programmer(s)
  • Takashi Sugi
  • Naoto Uenaka
  • Mamoru Oyamada
Artist(s)
Writer(s)
  • Kosuke Nasu
  • Koya Tsukada
Composer(s)Koichi Sugiyama
SeriesDragon Quest
EnginePhyreEngine (Unity for Mobile and PC versions)
Platform(s)
ReleasePlayStation 3
  • JP: January 28, 2016
PlayStation 4, PS Vita
  • JP: January 28, 2016
  • NA: October 11, 2016
  • PAL: October 14, 2016
Nintendo Switch
  • WW: February 9, 2018
  • JP: March 1, 2018
Android, iOS
  • WW: May 26, 2022
Microsoft Windows
  • WW: February 13, 2024
Genre(s)Action role-playing, sandbox
Mode(s)Single-player

Dragon Quest Builders[b] is a 2016 sandbox action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Android iOS, and Microsoft Windows and published by Nintendo for Nintendo Switch.

The game is set in Alefgard, the world of the original Dragon Quest video game, with players controlling the builder who is tasked with rebuilding the world after it was destroyed. The game features a blocky aesthetic style, with gathering and building elements similar to games such as Minecraft. A sequel, Dragon Quest Builders 2, was released in 2018.

Gameplay

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Players build camps out of blocks; the camp gains levels based on how much it has been built up. The player can also build a selection of rooms that contribute to the level of the base. There is also a day/night cycle, with stronger monsters appearing at night. Monsters such as Slime and Dragon from the original Dragon Quest appear in the game. The player has a health bar, and must eat food over time, similar to Minecraft.[1]

Plot

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The game is set in Alefgard, the world of the original Dragon Quest. The game is based on a parallel ending of Dragon Quest: before the final battle, the hero accepted the evil Dragonlord's suggestion - each rules a half of the world. The deal turned out to be a trap, leading to the hero's defeat and allowing the land to be dominated by monsters.[2] With time passing by, a new builder (the player character) appears to revive the desolate world for the next hero. Players gather "material" from all over the world in order to rebuild the land of Alefgard from scratch.[3]

Development

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The game designers wanted to make an open sandbox game combined with an RPG's purposeful story-driven plot, and since Dragon Quest has always been known for its "pick up and play" accessibility it seemed like the right combination.[4] The original Dragon Quest video game's plot was chosen for its relative simplicity compared to later titles in the series to make the game as accessible as possible to new players.[5]

Release in the west on the PlayStation Vita was chosen so that whether players had busy lives or had time to dedicate to the game, they could enjoy the title.[4] Producer Noriyoshi Fujimoto has said that Sony Interactive Entertainment's multiplatform PhyreEngine was chosen for ease of development across multiple PlayStation consoles.[6][7] Protagonists were designed by Akira Toriyama, with Etrian Odyssey creator Kazuya Niinou serving as the game's director.[8][3] Part of the release was to "test the waters" for a big game release like Dragon Quest XI.[9]

Release

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‘’Builders’’ was initially announced in July 2015 to be under development for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita.[10] Media speculation from when the game was first announced was that Dragon Quest Builders would be a Dragon Quest version of Minecraft, and IGN compared the game to Dark Cloud (2000).[11][12][13]

The game was released in Japan on January 28, 2016. PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita versions were released in North America, Europe, and Australia in October 2016.[14][15] An "Ultimate Hit" version was released in Japan on December 1, 2016.[16] It was also released for the Nintendo Switch in North America and PAL territories on February 9, 2018,[17] and in Japan on March 1, 2018.[18] Nintendo handled the publishing of the game on the Switch in the Western territories.[19] It was released on PC on February 13, 2024.[20]

Reception

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Famitsu's panel of four reviewers all rated it a 9, giving the game an overall rating of 36 out of 40.[23] IGN awarded it 8.9 out of 10, saying "Dragon Quest Builders admirably mixes the series' RPG traditions with Minecraft."[25] GameSpot awarded it 8.0 out of 10, saying "The excellence of Dragon Quest Builders illustrates the versatility of this 30-year-old franchise as much as it speaks to the engrossing appeal of Minecraft-inspired creation."[24] Kotaku listed it as one of 2016's top ten games, describing it as "an incredible RPG more akin to Actraiser" and "way better than Minecraft could ever be."[27] During the 20th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Dragon Quest Builders for "Handheld Game of the Year" and "Family Game of the Year".[28]

Sales

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The game sold over half a million copies in the first few days of its release.[4] It sold 700,000 copies in Japan across all three platforms.[29] In November 2016, worldwide sales surpassed 1.1 million copies.[30]

Sequel

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A sequel, Dragon Quest Builders 2, was released for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in Japan on December 20, 2018, and worldwide on July 12, 2019.[31][32][33] It includes cooperative gameplay for up to four players, and had developmental assistance from Koei Tecmo's studio Omega Force.[34]

References

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  1. ^ Nintendo published the Switch version outside of Japan.
  2. ^ Known in Japan as Dragon Quest Builders: Revive Alefgard! (Japanese: ドラゴンクエストビルダーズ アレフガルドを復活せよ, Hepburn: Doragon Kuesuto Birudāzu Arefugarudo o Fukkatsu Seyo)
  1. ^ McWhertor, Michael (July 22, 2015). "First Dragon Quest Builders screenshots show off Square Enix's Minecraft-like RPG". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  2. ^ Shinchitsujo, Tairiku (July 29, 2015). 「ドラゴンクエスト新作発表会」詳報。「ドラゴンクエストXI 過ぎ去りし時を求めて」をはじめとする新作の数々を堀井雄二氏が解説. 4gamer.net (in Japanese). Archived from the original on July 31, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Dragon Quest Builders Is Set In The First Dragon Quest Game With Blocks". July 9, 2015. Archived from the original on July 23, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
  4. ^ a b c MCV Staff (May 1, 2016). "Interview: When Dragon Quest met Minecraft". MCV/Develop. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  5. ^ Parish, Jeremy (September 7, 2016). "How the Dragon Quest Builders Team is Crafting a New Kind Of RPG". US Gamer. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  6. ^ Sugihara, Takahiro (July 29, 2015). "30周年のアニバーサリーイヤーに向け、期待が高まる作品ばかり！". Famitsu (in Japanese). GzBrain. Archived from the original on August 11, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  7. ^ "Noriyoshi Fujimoto On 'Dragon Quest Builders' And How It Came About". Forbes. June 17, 2016. Archived from the original on October 17, 2017. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  8. ^ "Dragon Quest Builders Directed By Etrian Odyssey Creator". Siliconera. Curse. July 21, 2015. Archived from the original on August 2, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  9. ^ Corriea, Alexa Ray (June 15, 2016). "Square Enix Testing the Waters for Dragon Quest 11 Localization". GameSpot. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  10. ^ "『ドラゴンクエストビルダーズ アレフガルドを復活せよ』今冬発売決定！ ブロックで世界を創る"ブロックメイクRPG"". Famitsu (in Japanese). GzBrain. July 8, 2015. Archived from the original on May 19, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  11. ^ "ドラクエ版マイクラ？『ドラゴンクエストビルダーズ』PS3/PS4/PSVitaで発売決定". Weekly ASCII (in Japanese). Kadokawa Corporation. July 8, 2015. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  12. ^ "アレフガルドをブロックで作るRPG「ドラゴンクエストビルダーズ」 PS向けに今冬発売". ITmedia NEWS (in Japanese). July 8, 2015. Archived from the original on August 2, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  13. ^ "Dragon Quest Builders: quando il mattone è l'investimento più sicuro". IGN. September 6, 2016. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  14. ^ Seto, Dan (May 27, 2016). "Dragon Quest Builders Confirmed for North America on PS4, PS Vita". PlayStation.Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment America. Archived from the original on May 28, 2016. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  15. ^ Krupa, Daniel (September 15, 2015). "TGS 2015: Dragon Quest Builders Coming in January for Japan". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
  16. ^ "ドラゴンクエストビルダーズ アレフガルドを復活せよ". Square-Enix (in Japanese). Archived from the original on May 3, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  17. ^ Whitehead, Thomas (December 18, 2017). "Dragon Quest Builders Digs Into the Switch on 9th February". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on December 21, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  18. ^ "Dragon Quest Builders for Switch launches March 1 in Japan, demo launches February 1". Gematsu. December 16, 2017. Archived from the original on February 25, 2018. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  19. ^ "Dragon Quest Builders for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Game Details". www.nintendo.com. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  20. ^ Dinsdale, Ryan (January 30, 2024). "Dragon Quest Builders Finally Coming to PC". Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  21. ^ "Dragon Quest Builders for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Archived from the original on October 5, 2018. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  22. ^ "Dragon Quest Builders for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Archived from the original on October 7, 2018. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  23. ^ a b "Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1416 - Gematsu". January 19, 2016. Archived from the original on January 30, 2016. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  24. ^ a b Concepcion, Miguel (November 16, 2016). "Dragon Quest Builders Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 25, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  25. ^ a b Smith, Rob (October 7, 2016). "Dragon Quest Builders Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  26. ^ Madnani, Mikhail (May 31, 2022). "'Dragon Quest Builders' Mobile Review – Great on iPhone, Not as good on iPad". TouchArcade. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  27. ^ "Jason Schreier's Top 10 Games Of 2016". Kotaku. December 24, 2016. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  28. ^ "D.I.C.E. Awards By Video Game Details Dragon Quest Builders". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  29. ^ Sato (May 30, 2016). "Dragon Quest Builders Surpasses 700,000 Units In Total Sales". Siliconera. Curse. Archived from the original on May 20, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  30. ^ "PS4/PS3/PS Vita「ドラゴンクエストビルダーズ アレフガルドを復活せよ」が世界販売本数110万本を達成！一部特典アイテムが無料配信". Gamer (in Japanese). ixll. December 1, 2016. Archived from the original on February 4, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  31. ^ McWhertor, Michael (August 6, 2017). "Dragon Quest Builders 2 coming to PS4, Nintendo Switch". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on November 25, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  32. ^ Romano, Sal (October 30, 2018). "Dragon Quest Builders 2 coming west in 2019". Gematsu. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  33. ^ Lane, Gavin (February 14, 2019). "Battle And Build When Dragon Quest Builders 2 Launches On Switch This July". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on February 15, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  34. ^ Wong, Alistair (August 29, 2018). "Dragon Quest Builders 2 Is Set To Come Out On December 20, 2018 In Japan". Siliconera. Archived from the original on August 29, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
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