Look...I get it. You see a game with blocks and a crafting system and you don't even have to think about it before your brain says "Minecraft Clone". They're fairly common nowadays and who wouldn't want to reciprocate the success Mojang has experienced in the greater part of this decade? All that aside, Dragon Quest Builders is worlds different than that game, and it's time people start putting that notion out of their heads and really locking into what makes this game great.
You are a builder in the game...in fact, you're the only builder. You are "awakened" in a world where humanity has lost its dominance and has become helpless and selfish in their ways. Therefore, it is now your job to create a human community capable of thriving and sustaining a place amongst the monster population.
You'll build a city, create furniture for villagers, and drastically improve their quality of life. That's really only part of the game, as the other half is incredibly adventure heavy and story driven.
That's really the HUGE difference between this game and Minecraft. The characters in this game will give you missions to help upgrade your abilities, improve the town, and progress the story of monsters vs. humans. You'll never find yourself just aimlessly wandering because there's always a task to be completed and materials or abilities to be found. If you're thinking you can walk away from the story and just tunnel a hole somewhere and make a cave...you're sorely mistaken.
In the beginning, things can be tough. Your health is low, your supplies limited to what you can carry and too many monsters at once will rock your world. After you level a bit and equip some better gear though the game softens up just in time for more imposing monsters to travel your way.
One feature I especially like so far is the "siege" mode where you're force to protect your village from the invading monsters. As the game progresses you'll be able to unlock traps and walls to better fend off these threats and I love the potential of how chaotic this can get in the late game.
I'm still early into my gameplay, so I can't give my official thumbs up yet, but I can tell you that things are looking good and that this game is DEFINITELY not a Minecraft clone.
You can pick up Dragon Quest Builders on PS4 and PS Vita now.
