Got a little gem for Christmas, Dragon Quest Builders for the PS4. Wasn’t expecting a lot, and was pleasantly surprised.

To sum up the game, Builders takes place in an alternate timeline after the events of the first game where the Dragon Lord wins. Your character is woken up after a long slumber by the games Goddess, Rubiss. Similar to many builders, you start with nothing. Big difference is you are actually given a propose. Rubiss sends you off to help rebuild the world with quests to guide you, side quests to unlock new building recipes, and an overarching story. Not the most in-depth story, but I still found it entertaining with a bit of humor thrown in.

Similar to Minecraft, the land and structures are made of different boxes, soil, stone, wood, etc. However, vegetation and decorations look like how they would in Dragon Quest. All crafting is done at crafting stations, each one with a unique list of recipes. Periodically, you are given a blueprint for a unique building. As for resource gathering, it is fairly easy. You don’t really have to go far, our dig a deep mine to gather what you need. For the first time in a builder, I actually want to build an intricate town.

Regardless of all the fun I have been having, I admit the game could be improved on. While building is the primary focus, combat plays a role and is not the greatest. My biggest complaint is the enemy hot boxes. Doesn’t seem to matter how close I am to what I’m fighting, I found myself missing a lot. Move in a little, and I find myself taking damage because I walked into the enemy. Definitely made some enemy fights more annoying then needed. I was able to adjust to it better the more I played, but something that could be improved on.

I also feel that the build area in each chapter feels a little too restricted. While you do have room for what you need to build in each chapter, you aren’t given any extra. True, you can build outside of the designated zone, but it doesn’t count towards the game progress. Just hoping they give you more room in the next one. Fortunately, the game has a free play mode called Terra Incognita where you can build to your hearts content.

Overall, I feel like this is a good game and worth playing if you are a Dragon Quest and builder genre fan, regardless its faults. I’m still playing it, having a blast, and looking forward to Dragon Quest Builders 2. Release is still TBD at this time, but what they have announced as some of the enhancements, I can’t wait!