Dragon Quest Treasures reviewed by Josh Broadwell on Nintendo Switch.
This spin-off is a light, charming take on the classic RPG series. In place of challenging battles and complex campaigns, it offers a cute fairy tale of two orphans finding riches, building a new family, and bringing happiness to a weary land. It’s hard to ignore the missed potential for a more nuanced story and more combat that could have been, but the relaxed pace and constant stream of rewards still make Treasures a satisfying RPG to plunder your way through.
#IGN #DragonQuest
Come on let's sneak out again I want to Find some treasure why save the world When you could spend your days digging Up pricey pieces of Dragon Quest history With a slurping Slime by your side That's the philosophy behind Dragon Quest Treasures a lighthearted spin-off Where working with monsters to hoard Valuables takes the spotlight over Complex combat or high stakes story that Means it's far from the richest jewel in The Dragon Quest crown with shallow World building and equally shallow RPG Elements keeping it from ever reaching Its full potential but an endless stream Of rewards and charm still make it an Enjoyable relaxing Adventure Foreign Stars Eric your thieving companion from Dragon Quest 11 and his sister Mia but It takes place long before the luminary Stepped into their lives after finding a Flying pig in a talking cat like you do Eric and Mia fall through a magic portal Into another dimension which Conveniently means that nothing they do Or see has any bearing on Dragon Quest 11's established story but that's just Fine for a game full of constant Meta-references to the series as a whole Anyway the portal drops Eric and Mia Into draconia a very cool new world Where dragons once turned the hopes and Memories of people into treasures and
Tuck them away for safekeeping with each One taking the form of items and people From Dragon Quest history Your overall goal here is to build a Base for your budding gang of treasure Hunters using the money you earn from Finding loot boarding treasure is Central to all your efforts but when you And the party of monsters you'll Assemble to help dig up the Sparky Prizes do so you're finding more than Just a piece of Dragon Quest Nostalgia You're restoring dreams connections and Purpose that the people of draconia and Even your rival treasure Hunters thought Was last forever this alternate reality Setup gives Treasures the freedom to try Something different with its story which It only partially manages to pull off This is more of a Dragon Quest fairy Tale than it is a monster style spin-off Every monster and human is obsessed with Finding treasure for no other reason Than because it exists and while that Seems like a shallow foundation for any Story the one told here actually tiptoes Around some pretty heavy themes Treasures is a child's fantasy Escape at Its heart a chance for two orphans to Leave their abusive home have fun and Make a life for themselves away from the Troubles of growing up and adults on fit To care for them it feels like Dragon Quest meets Peter Pan in that sense and
Draconia is the siblings Neverland like The Lost Boys time in society forgot the People of draconia as well or at least The ones that you meet at the old trans Draconic Railway headquarters where Eric And Mia make their base it's Heartwarming to watch as you build a Surrogate family of Misfits and monsters At the railway headquarters a support Group for Eric and Mia and a safe place To return to unfortunately Treasures Never really Minds that vein of story Potential like it could doing little to Build on any of its themes after first Presenting them Eric and Mia have no Character development across the roughly 30-hour campaign their relationships With most NPCs outside a small handful Are limited to interactions that end With whatever Quest they asked you to Complete how much you get out of Treasure's story and characters depends On how invested you are in the idea of Reinvigorating the hearts and minds of This world since you don't actually see Much of it happen it's hard not to see Treasures as a missed opportunity in That sense one could have been something Special with a bit more depth and deep Detail In between meeting new people and Staring at your treasure horde you'll Take Eric and Mia on expeditions to one Of draconia's islands to see what you
Can find and convince other monsters to Join the hunt you're pretty much free to Decide what you want to do and when you Could rush to a rival treasure Hunter's Base and swipe their horde or persuade a Queen slime to help restore the train Station in the aptly named cold shoulder Or just ignore everything and find Treasure for fun whatever you choose to Do you're always encouraged to find Treasure in order to help your base grow You have an innate treasure compass that Points you to the general direction of Rare Goods because of course you do but It goes haywire when you get too close That means you have to rely on the Treasure vision of your monster Companions to track the goods down with Visual cues based on their own line of Sight slimes only see from ground level For example while the vision of a sham Hat which is appropriately obscured by Its own hat it's a Charming typical Dragon Quest spin on what would Otherwise be a repetitive minigame and Combined with a little ascending jingle That plays when you dig up treasure it Helps keep the routine feeling fun even After dozens of hours none of the tasks You're given are ever complex but it Helps that the treasure hunting appeal To the part of your brain that lights up After finding something shiny or Checking a task off that list the low
Pressure low stakes nature of what You're doing and the constant grip of Accomplishment lends Treasures a sense Of coziness that makes it easy and Enjoyable to pick up even if you don't Always see world changing effects from Your labors while there's plenty to do Back at headquarters it often feels like Perhaps Square Enix had plans for Something bigger that never materialized You have daily quests similar to what You'd expect from a live service game But they play little role in your Routine and offer paltry rewards you can Also theoretically build up and improve Your base though the improvements extend To just a handful of shops you can only Access via the company's reception desk As a result Treasures always feels just A bit thin Each monster has a set of preferred Treasures they're more likely to uncover During Expeditions and a Species-specific skill called a forte Abilities such as gliding or sprinting That make travel easier or help you Reach difficult places each region is Fairly simple in structured with a few Exciting layouts or well hidden secrets And they're built around using specific Abilities to find treasure spots and Rare items Bland as the layouts may seem The Simplicity can be welcome at times As it makes backtracking and avoiding
On-friendly monster mobs much easier When you do pick a fight you play a Passive role helping deal damage with Pallets from your slingshot or heal your Monster friends you have no control over Their actions and can only issue basic Attacks and gather commands but the Monster AI is mercifully Adept at Figuring out the best way to tackle Enemies slimes and drakkies work Together to set up Elemental combos Tankier monsters such as Restless armor Cast their defensive Spells at exactly The right moment and they all actually Balance their attack choices to conserve MP here too there's the potential for Something more involved that makes Fuller use of these features deeper Battles with emphasis on building Combos And finding the right mix of monsters And here too Treasures prioritizes being A light and Breezy instead without much Need or reward for giving your team Composition that sort of thought and Care there's nothing actively Off-putting about that especially since These fights are still fun enough as it Is it's just jarring to see what looks Like so many discarded plans and that Lack of clear direction is noticeably Unusual for a Dragon Quest game Dragon Quest Treasures is a light Charming take on the classic RPG Series In place of challenging battles and
Complex campaigns it offers a cute fairy Tale of two orphans finding riches Building a new family and bringing Happiness to a weary land it's hard to Ignore the missed potential for a more Nuanced story and more combat that could Have been but the relaxed pace and Constant stream of rewards still make Treasures a satisfying RPG to plunder Your way through Hey if you like Dragon Quest be sure to Check out this video and for more on all Things gaming keep it right here and IGN Eric are you awake Come on let's sneak out again I wanna Find some treasure They're going to be partying all night They won't even know we've snuck off
