The Therapist Gamer

Dragon Quest Builders is a bit difficult to explain.  It's equal parts Minecraft and linear RPG.  It sounds strange but it actually works out pretty well.  The main campaign features four main worlds that each take several hours to complete.  Throughout the campaign you learn the game mechanics, room recipes, and item recipes.  At first I thought the game was too restrictive with what I was able to do, but playing in the sandbox mode was definately too overwhelming - I think the developers realized this and crafted a linear story to guide players through the game systems.

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Your character is told right at the very start that he is not a hero, but rather is the only person in all the land with the ability to build things.  Apparently such knowledge and skills have long since vanished in society.  Legends tell of great cities and contraptions, but you'll need materials in order to build them.  As you travel the world you discover new monsters who drop new resources.  There are no currency or experience systems (which is quite unusual for an RPG) but the essence of an RPG is maintained because you can only really progress if you keep exploring and getting new materials.

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The combat itself is a bit simplistic and reminiscent of early Zelda games - it basically boils down to swinging your sword at the right time and avoiding enemy attacks, but there isn't really a skill tree or anything to get new moves.  There are a few different types of weapons but generally you'll use whichever one does the most damage - if you have the resources to build them.  You can also craft better armor and shields.

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As you progress you'll learn about new room types and the benefits they provide.  There are basic rules to rooms - such as that they need walls, a door, and a light source - but they can provide various gameplay advantages if you customize them in a certain way.  For example, if you build dressers and armor stands in a room then it turns into an armory that provides enhanced armor for your villagers.  If you build an infirmary then your potions will recover more health.  A sauna can provide automatic health regeneration.

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The tone of the game is, in general, pretty light and humorous.  There's more dialogue than I would prefer, but most of it is actually pretty funny.  And the different stories are surprisingly good and engaging.  For example, legend has it that the first town you rebuild was once protected by a giant stone golem, but another legend says that the golem actually destroyed the city.  It turns out both are true, and the story of how this is possible unfolds in an interesting way - with a dash of social commentary on immigration.

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I quite liked Dragon Quest Builders.  I haven't played a Dragon Quest game since the original Dragon Warrior so it was fun for me to see everything updated from thirty years ago.  However, I think that this game isn't for everybody.  It moves at a relatively slow pace and a lot of people won't have the patience to learn the various nuances of the gameplay systems.  However, if you're willing to try something a bit different then there's a lot to like.