Dragon Quest Builders 2 - Nintendo Switch

First off, before I begin the review, I just want to let everyone know that if you own a Nintendo Switch and are curious about this game, there is a free demo on the Nintendo eShop you can download AND on the main menu of the main game there is an option to "Continue from Demo" to bring your progress over. I absolutely loved the original Dragon Quest Builders. I finished it 100% and loved every chapter. However, starting Dragon Quest Builders 2, you immediately see just how many quality-of-life changes they made to the gameplay that makes it a much better experience! To quickly sum the new things up: - There is now a stamina meter for your character to run. - You can play online with friends (must have Nintendo Switch online membership and reach a certain point in the single player campaign for this feature to unlock). - Your weapons/tools are no longer breakable. - You have a companion that travels with you helping you defeat enemies and pick up items. - Your tools/weapons are assigned to different buttons now. - There is a robust photo editor where you can take pictures and post them on the DQB2 message boards (think Super Mario Odyssey photo editor). - You can upload your creations as well as visit other people's islands to see their creations through the DQB2 message board. - Your hunger meter is now a percentage (0-100% as opposed to five slices of bread) - Defeating enemies still give you items but it also gives you experience you use to level up you and your companion. - There is DLC on the way that adds even more items and quests for you to enjoy. - Physical version has stackable slime DLC code inside AND a reversible cover that matches the artstyle of the first one! (see photo) Essentially, if you enjoyed Dragon Quest Builders, you will LOVE Dragon Quest Builders 2! It plays more like an RPG than the first one and you'll find yourself constantly building new structures! The story keeps you playing and the quests are fun as they reward you with new items to craft. The writing is also FANTASTIC...the characters are hilarious and the dialogue is cheeky! I hope this review helped you out. I am still currently playing through this (have been for about 10 hours now) and have been addicted every second. If you are on the fence, again try the eShop demo...you may be surprised at how much you enjoy it! :)

I really enjoyed Dragon Quest Builders. I've never played Minecraft, but enjoyed similar 2D games such as Terraria. Since I love Dragon Quest as a series I jumped on the original. I enjoyed it a lot, got my wife hooked on it, and played completely through it both on my Vita and on the re-release for Switch. This sequel blows it away in terms of content, scale, options, and fun. There are many quality of life improvements, such as leveling (you ARE a Hero this time), larger worlds, having multiple sizes to destroying blocks en masse, and block replacement. Then there is what is truly expanded on. Your NPCs now have jobs, daily routines, interact with each other, an can help build. The number of room types is greatly increased, rooms attached to each other create combos, decorations put together certain ways create new features (early on you learn a chair, a table, and a food decoration make a dining table your NPCs eat at), Farming as a process, NPC auto cooking, ability to copy designs to blueprints, arming your NPCs, ambiance, mini-medals, farm animals, terraforming, water physics, swimming and flying, monster taming, multiplayer, etc etc etc. There is so much about the sequel it makes the first game seem just a tech demo for what could have been done. I have only a few complaints. Load times are noticeable, especially when starting the game it is a long wait. Certain sections of the story text only proceeds based on time, and that time is too long: I've read the text three-four times before it advances, and since the music isn't different it at first felt like it locked up. It's a bit too much hand-holding for the first portion of the game. I often had to remember to stop exploring and experimenting and continue the story to get through it. However, it does open up features in a way that doesn't make it overwhelming. Trade-off I suppose. I recommend just going through following their hand-holding when it happens instead of trying to run around. The new way to see what other's have built, screen shot sharing, and in-game loads of buildings to your side-islands is a better way to see content. I wish I could avoid a few early on as they gave some spoilers. All-in-all, a worthy Dragon Quest game that really takes it from a side project to an excellent spin-off series.

I didn't think I would like this game as much as I have, but it's been a delight to play. The world feels so alive because of the inhabitants which each have a unique personality. The monsters aren't all evil. It feels so nice to build things instead of worrying about minmaxing a character or something. If you like RPGs and don't hate building games, I think this is a great buy.

I could never git into Minecraft since there was almost no story and no goals to drive me to play the game. This game fixes all that with a great story and adds Sims like behavior with having to keep the hero fed and keep the villagers happy with making them bedrooms, kitchens and dining rooms. I love being able to build the buildings and little resorts for the villagers and it's great to show off to friends and family.

Awesome game! Super addictive Its like Minecraft but with actual goals in mind.

Very impressed by this game. It is so much more than a minecraft-like. There is a full RPG style story on top of the building. It feels like a more creative story driven take on the genre. You can build specific rooms for villagers, many with personalities. Farming, mining, and combat are all available as well. The switch version runs at a lower FPS than the ps4 version but you can't beat the portability and generally it runs smooth.

Dragon Quest Builders 2 sees the return of the fusion of the classic RPG franchise and the Minecraft-inspired block world, now following events set after Dragon Quest II. You play an apprentice builder, and wash ashore of a mysterious island, meeting an amnesiac named Malroth. Together, you must restore hope to the lands, who live under the oppressive teachings of the children of Hargon, who have outlawed building of any kind. The sequel boasts a number of improvements over the original, chief among them being a first-person, gloves that let you move blocks without the need of smashing them, and many more tools that will have you building faster than ever. The story is also now fully connected, no longer seeing you return to the main menu upon completing a chapter, and instead returning to the island you begin on to turn it into your own personal paradise. The Switch version does contain a few issues, namely a framerate drop when docked, though these drops are less apparent in the handheld mode. If that is a deal-breaker, then the PS4 version may be your better option. In either case, this game is well worth if you love crafting game, and were a fan of the original.

DQB2 has a good amount of quality of life upgrades over the original game — especially when it comes to item storage. They’ve also added the ability to unlock infinite amounts of basic building materials, and they’ve provided explorer isles to gather more materials of various sorts. In this game, you have one main base from which you explore other islands. There’s story islands that are basically the story’s chapters and exploration isles for gathering materials. This is a nice improvement over the first game that basically had you starting from scratch each chapter. This time it really feels as though you are accomplishing something in the world. The story is simple but compelling. The soundtrack is great. The graphics are nicely done. Gameplay has improved from the original in many ways. Not only have they removed some of the annoyances involved with building from the first game, but this one also places significantly less emphasis on combat for the main Builder by giving you Malroth as a fighting companion whenever you leave the base. Given that the combat was never really anything to write home about (and still isn’t), that’s a nice little improvement. Conclusion: If you enjoyed the first game, you will definitely like this one. The stories aren’t connected, though, so this is also a great title to pick up if you haven’t played the first one.