Fast Facts
Game Title: Dragon Quest Builders
Genre: World Building/Action Adventure
Platform: PS4, PS Vita
Price: $59.99
Why You Should Get It
First off, if you're thinking "Minecraft Clone" this game is far from it. I wrote a whole article on that last week so I won't touch about that here and just stick to what the game is about. Dragon Quest Builders is about raising a city to the former glory it once was. This means you'll go out in the wild, find goods or people, and bring them back to further your city's development.
That sounds Minecrafty, but it's more action/adventure than anything. You'll find yourself fighting off enemies, doing some dungeon navigating, and managing your health and hunger simultaneously. All this leads up to a showdown with the Dragonlord...but it's gonna take awhile to get there. This game holds about 40 hours of gameplay if you're busting your ass to get through it so don't expect a quick adventure!
It's important to note that this game is Dragon Quest first, and everything else second. You'll see Dragon Quest monsters, and you'll fight them. The combat system is not turn-based, but rather action platformer. I prefer the style in this case because it keeps the game from slowing down.
There is no multiplayer, although Square Enix hasn't ruled out the thought of implementing it in a future update. Don't get hung up on that though, this game is plenty fun without it, and I can't really see how having a friend would improve the experience in any meaningful way in the game's current state.
My favorite part of the game is the world itself. What seems like a small block island expands quite far and can lead to some very interesting (and surprisingly dark) adventures. I've already seen some crazy stuff in the first 8 hours I've played and can only expect it to get crazy in the 32 remaining!
TL;DR
If you're looking for a long singleplayer experience that's more action RPG than Minecraft this game is an easy purchase. It's only Minecraft in the most minimal way you could imagine and still 100% Dragon Age.
