Dragon Quest Heroes (PS4) Impressions

It's about slime...

It may have taken a while, but the West is finally getting a new Dragon Quest game. Co-developed by Tecmo Koei and Square Enix, Dragon Quest Heroes takes the series in an interesting new direction, combining elements of action RPGs, musou and, oddly enough, tower defence games. It may sound strange on paper, but after spending around a dozen hours battling beasties, spending skill points and capturing creatures, we're happy to report that DQH is a worthy spin-off, not to mention, an excellent game in its own right.

First things first, despite what you may have heard, DQH is not a musou game. Unlike the Warriors series upon which Tecmo Koei built their name, DQH isn't all about vanquishing huge armies and capturing enemy territory. While there are missions that call upon you to cut down waves of monsters, the bulk of the game is spent protecting key items/people/locations from swarms of enemies. Sometimes this will mean escorting an NPC around the map, at others defending a fixed location.

In the early stages, defending these targets is pretty straightforward, requiring players to squash portals and stem the tide of enemy forces. As the game wears on, though, things begin to get a lot more hectic. Enemies begin pouring in from all sides and it's very easy to find yourself overwhelmed. This is where the monster medal mechanic comes into play. Sometimes killing creatures will yield a monster medal which, when picked up, allows players to call a creature to their side. These monsters act like friendly towers, or traps, and can be used to bottleneck enemies or slow their progress. 

Some monsters can be used as sentries, patrolling a fixed area until their HP dries up, whereas others are a one-time thing, popping into the fray to blast enemies or buff your characters before disappearing for good. A Golem, for example, is great for protecting a small area as he'll stomp around squashing foes until he dies or is dismissed. Throw out an Imp, though, and he'll only hang around long enough to singe a path through the enemies ranks. Judicious use of monster medals is the key to winning many of the later stages, so if you want to be victorious get out there and catch 'em all.

It isn't the most in-depth system, but it does add a welcome layer of strategy and puts to bed any concerns we had that DQH would be too similar to recent Koei spinoffs like One Piece and Hyrule Warriors. The monster meta-game gives it a flavour that's all its own and ends up reminding me of Orcs Must Die, another game which asked players to mix brains with brawn in order to succeed.

Success, however, doesn't rest solely on the shoulders of your creature companions. Players have direct control over four party members at (almost) all times, and you're free to zip all over the battlefield hacking and slashing your way to victory. Combat is robust and satisfyingly chunky, with plenty of flashy effects accompanying every sword swing and spell. The actual combos at your disposal are quite limited, but nearly every string can be cancelled into a spell for a little extra oomph.

What's more, you can switch between characters on the fly, giving you a lot of added flexibility on the battlefield. Some characters, like Isla and Luceus, have lots of damaging AOE spells, making them great for mopping up large pockets of resistance, whereas bruisers like Alena, who can create clones of herself that allow her to hit three times as hard three times as fast, and stocky strongman Yangus, are adept at quickly bringing stronger foes to their knees.

So far, DQH is shaping up to be one of the year's most pleasant surprises. It may not be Dragon Quest as we know it, but it is a fun, fast-paced action RPG, packed with quests to conquer and monsters to mangle.