The dragon has arrived

Dragon Quest Builder 2

Dragon Quest Builder 2

Rating: 3.5/5
Publisher: Square-Enix
Platform: PS4
Price: Rs 2999

One of the biggest drawbacks of Minecraft is that it lacks real objective. Dragon Quest Builder 2 brings that objective back to the table. It gives the player a sense of purpose, while keeping the option of creating fantastical structures open. The unique approach makes this one of the best Minecraft clones around.

The story starts with your character in a cell on a prison ship. The Children of Hargon is the major religion in the world and its followers worship destruction. Therefore, building, cooking and creating anything is banned, and builders are seen as criminals. On the ship, you learn the basics of building and initial parts of the story serve as a decent tutorial. Later, the story gets a little dark and is heavily based on religious perspectives that have parallels with our world. It is interesting to see how everything unfolds - mostly in dialogues. These dialogues are well written with lots of humour and accents thrown in. The story is such that you don't need to have played the previous game, but if you do, there are some nice references to keep you happy.

DQB2 features a huge map that is split into islands. The islands have certain objectives and your builder essentially has to find a way to build all of this with the resources at hand. Completing missions unlock more blueprints and increases things you can make. The RPG elements of the game are also interwoven, where your town as well as your character can level-up and get new stuff.

Graphically, the game is basic with characters designed by the brilliant Akira Toriyama, best known for his work on Dragon Ball. This also means all the characters seem like they have just stepped out of a Dragon Ball anime, but we actually like that.

The default controls on the PS4 are a little annoying and chances are you will end up talking to people standing around way more than you want to, since switching your construction tools and talking to people around you share the same key. At the same time, the default hit and jump button are oddly placed. The key configuration options are also limited and a little confusing.

Being an RPG, the world is filled with monsters that you have to defeat in order to either progress or level up. Despite there being minimum amount of grinding, the combat in DQB3 is frustrating to say the least. Your character has a very limited range of motion. A robust combat module would have really upped the final score for this game. Fortunately, everything else is good enough to make this game shine despite the combat.

Dragon Quest Builder 2 combines Minecraft style block building with and engaging RPG that works surprisingly well. The story draws you in and keeps you interested, even if you haven't played the first game. The combat and the odd control scheme on PS4 are the only downsides. If you are itching for a new adventure, Dragon Quest Builder 2 is a worthy investment.

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