Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince Reviews

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is ranked in the 51st percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Dec 12, 2023

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is a mixed bag. On the one hand, it has the best mechanics and combat the Dragon Quest series has ever seen, with the monster-focused gameplay loop providing endless fun. On the other hand, overcommitment to the silent protagonist trope and shocking performance issues drag the experience down significantly. Although held back by dated hardware and dated design choices, The Dark Prince is one worth courting.

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7 / 10.0
Dec 15, 2023

By rigidly following Dragon Quest traditions, we end up with flat, cartoonish characters who inhabit a repetitive, cyclical world. But The Dark Prince plays to its strengths to deliver a solid RPG experience with a cozy narrative seasoned by a long list of charismatic creatures and entertaining dungeons.

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8 / 10
Dec 9, 2023

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince isn't reinventing the wheel or changing the way we should view the monster-catching genre, but it is a huge amount of fun, and offers a lot of playtime for those who want to spend their time just seeing what kinds of weird and wonderful creatures they can end up playing with. The systems are clear and easy to grasp, the voice acting is great, the music is incredible, and it's just a very fun game.

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60 / 100
Dec 7, 2023

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince has a deep combat and monster breeding system that can become addictive if you're willing to overlook the very low quality of almost all of its sections: graphics, sound, story, level design, and development. Only recommended for those looking for a serious alternative to Pokémon.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

8 / 10
Dec 14, 2023

In a lot of ways for someone like me, Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is weirdly validating for a video game product you purchase. This series has been living in relative obscurity for decades, either going unlocalized entirely or simply being seen as a niche within a niche destined for handheld gamers looking for more Pokemon. But there’s so much meat, life, and ambition in this one. It’s a console game, it’s got a story it wants to tell, it has ideas beyond “catch slimes, win tournaments”. I hope this is the direction Dragon Quest Monsters keep moving in. It’s no Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth, but what is?

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3.5 / 5.0
Dec 8, 2023

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince forgoes complexity in favor of creating an accessible and enjoyable gaming experience.

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7.5 / 10.0
Dec 11, 2023

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince brings back all the monster raising you could ever need, but the performance lets it down massively.

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7 / 10
Dec 7, 2023

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is an enjoyable monster-catching RPG that combines charming visuals with addictive gameplay to make for a genuinely gripping experience, making it feel like the long wait since the last entry to leave Japan has been worth it. Even so, its general lack of ambition and struggles with performance issues hold it back from greatness-it's very good, but it's also definitely got its issues. If you're at all a fan of Dragon Quest or monster-catching RPGs, we'd suggest you pick this one up, though perhaps wait a few months to see if Square can sort out the worst of its performance issues.

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Dec 13, 2023

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is fun enough to give frustrated Pokémon fans a solid alternative.

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6.5 / 10.0
Dec 15, 2023

Years after the release of the previous iteration of the Monsters genre, The Dark Prince had the opportunity to rejuvenate the historic playful formula of the spin-off and ferry it to still unexplored lands. Despite the predictions, however, the development team seems to have almost completely given up on the idea of renewing the mechanics of recruiting monsters and especially the combat system of the product, which appears tired and dated.

Review in Italian | Read full review

Atomix
Top Critic
80 / 100
Dec 8, 2023

If you want to know this sub-franchise in which the protagonists are the monsters of this universe, it is definitely the first good step to follow, given that the previous installments can be considered lost.

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CGMagazine
Top Critic
7.5 / 10.0
Sep 13, 2024

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is a solid port of the Nintendo Switch original, free of all performance-related issues from its former release.

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8 / 10
Feb 1, 2024

The Dragon Quest Monsters series makes a great return on Nintendo Switch, but in regards to its story it does very little to properly honor the legacy of the game it takes inspiration from.

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85%
Jan 3, 2024

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is a fun traditional, monster-collecting RPG with plenty of homages to the classic Dragon Quest IV.

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6 / 10.0
Dec 24, 2023

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is a middling entry into a once legendary spin-off series. For every element or system the game nails, there's a confusing design decision that holds them back. While The Dark Prince is far from terrible, it doesn't reach the heights of recent entries into this storied franchise.

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7 / 10.0
Dec 12, 2023

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince from developer Armor Project brings an enjoyable monster collecting and fighting gameplay blueprint to the Dragon Quest world, but falls short in its shallow narrative and humdrum visuals.

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Impulsegamer
Boouya
Top Critic
3.6 / 5.0
Jan 8, 2024

Overall DQM: The Dark Prince is a fine and serviceable game that would be a perfect pick up for any Dragon Quest fan. Also fans of games like Pokemon or Yokai watch may get a kick out of the gameplay, but do not expect a deeper battle system like those games. Other than that I would find it hard to recommend to a casual player especially if performance is not patched. I personally hope this sells well enough that we see future games in this story get a western English release!

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7 / 10.0
Dec 14, 2023

Dragon Quest Monster The Dark Prince does very little to differentiate itself from the great number of similar games on the market, and still does everything right if you look at its bestiary and its gameplay loop. Therefore, it can be recommended to anyone looking for a good (but no great) monster catching RPG.

Review in Italian | Read full review

Cubed3
Top Critic
6 / 10
Jan 11, 2024

There are over 500 monsters in Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince, and over 40 hours of main story to trudge through. Fans will get a lot of bang for their buck, but expect to wince at the presentation which is embarrassingly low for Dragon Quest standards. The battles in the colosseums are a little tense to watch as the AIs smack each other around, but are otherwise tedious. The substance of Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is in being the coach to a team of cartoony-looking Toriyama monsters.

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7.5 / 10.0
Dec 15, 2023

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is a solid and enjoyable RPG that plays it very safe. If you enjoy Dragon Quest gameplay, then there's a lot to like, and the monster customization and fusing systems allow you to create some truly ridiculous monsters. Overall, it's a nice and breezy RPG. It doesn't break any molds, and it may not engage players who don't already enjoy Dragon Quest-style gameplay, but it knows exactly what it is and goes for it. Some technical issues hold it back and can drag down the experience, but Dragon Quest fans should be able to overlook that with ease.

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