Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below Reviews
Fantastic at capturing the charming spirit of the Dragon Quest series, but the repetition in its arena design cramps on its personality. Best played in short bursts.
The slime army awaits, wide-eyed and smiling as worlds collide in this inspired Dragon Quest spin-off.
Dragon Quest Heroes is a perfectly-balanced marriage of Dragon Quest sensibilities with Dynasty Warriors dynamics. That sounds exactly like what it should be, but easier said than done, and Omega Force has done it.
Dragon Quest Heroes almost feels like a fully-fledged action RPG, but there are a few things holding it back from greatness. In the end though it still has its charms, alongside of a beautiful art style and a buttery smooth framerate. If you really dig Warriors games and can go at it solo, you'll likely enjoy it.
The balance that Dragon Quest Heroes walks between trivial fun and deeper strategizing is precarious. At any point in the 30-plus hours I played, I felt like it could have tipped over, leaving a boring, button-mashing shell of a game. Amazingly, it never did.
It's a must-play for Warriors fans and Dragon Quest fans alike, but I wouldn't discount fans of neither. This seems like a perfect gateway title for those who might want to give these kinds of games a shot.
Overall, Dragon Quest Heroes is a game I enjoyed a lot and would recommend to anyone who likes JRPGs, especially if you're a fan of the source material. It might not be the Dragon Quest game you're expecting (let's hope this does well enough to bring Dragon Quest XI to the West), but it's certainly worth taking for a spin.
Dragon Quest Heroes is probably the best the series has ever looked with its great-looking monsters and interesting environments. That being said the Musou game formula is a bit of a turnoff. It bogs you down by making side quests grind fests and levelling a chore, but that's what makes a Musou game a Musou game.
If you're looking for a classic Dragon Quest game with a twist, then this more than fits the bill, so long as you don't mind playing alone the whole through way through. As unexpected as it might be, Omega Force has proven that it can adapt popular franchises with surprising consistency.
Wrapped in the warm, happy colours and light soundtrack that it is, Dragon Quest Heroes is a genuine delight of a game. It's endlessly playable, both in short bursts and longer sessions, has a truly enjoyable cast of characters, and an infectious sense of humour. You might feel bad massacring entire family lines of slimes, but other than that I can't see anyone finding anything but joy from their time with this one.
Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below is a huge step forward for Omega Force. This is the right formula for making future Dynasty Warrior-like games, as story, leveling structure and beautiful presentation form a perfect wrapper around typical/repetitive button mashing gameplay experience.
Lacks depth, but Dragon Quest Heroes quirky narrative, colorful visuals and easy-to-grasp combat makes it a family-friendly RPG with plenty of character.
An incredibly enjoyable action RPG, Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below is easily one of Omega Force's most polished productions, as it oozes charm that's amplified by fantastic presentation. Combat is accessible, satisfyingly punchy, and hides depth at higher levels of play, while there's plenty of content to keep you busy after you've seen the well paced story through. Even if you're not a fan of Warriors-style gameplay, we'd still heartily recommend Dragon Quest Heroes to anyone on the lookout for a joyous jaunt in a lovingly made fantasy world.
One might call October the "Month of the JRPG" on PlayStation 4. Hot on the heels of Disgaea 5, Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below is the next must-have title for fans of the genre on Sony's newest console. Unlike other crossover incarnations in the Warriors series, Heroes incorporates enough of the legendary RPG franchise's traditional elements to create a giddy nostalgia trip. Even if you aren't a longtime fan, though, you'll have a chance to get caught up in a whirlwind of solid action-RPG goodness.
While it has the same Dynasty Warriors meets… template as last year's disappointing Hyrule Warriors, Dragon Quest Heroes triumphs by making smarter use of the Dragon Quest franchise. Beneath the strategic brawling there are layers of RPG complexity, while above it rests a whole lot of Dragon Quest charm. It's a surprisingly irresistible combination that makes this a surprising little gem.
Koei Tecmo has done an incredible job of bringing the world of Dragon Quest to current gen. The game's visuals are very impressive, the action is fast-paced, and the sights and sounds of the Dragon Quest series are all there. I was instantly able to recognize the fanfare that would play when a battle would end or when a hero would level up.
Dragon Quest: Heroes is a fantastic spin-off with a lovable cast of characters, hilarious monsters, beautiful cartoon visuals, and addicting gameplay. However, the game does have some minor technical flaws, such as FPS issues, despite it being consistent 90% of the time. The mission objectives can get a bit tiresome by the time one finishes the game, but solid, basic gameplay is fun enough to finish the title and even continue post-game to collect everything 100%.
There's no escaping the game's hack and slash origins, yet Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below certainly offers an interesting spin on the traditional Warriors template. By focusing on a smaller concentration of characters on-screen, it has a slightly more tactile, RPG feel. Combined with some inventive gameplay features and that charming Dragon Quest aesthetic, Heroes succeeds in creating its own identity. It may fall short of greatness yet serves as an ideal solution for those eagerly awaiting the series' next mainline instalment.
The focus that developer Omega Force may want is on the story itself, and potentially ruining the story with co-op might be understandable. But a game like this could easily have some sort of arcade or quick play mode where you just fight off enemies. This would add so much to this title. Overall, Dragon Age Heroes is a solidly fun action RPG experience on PS4.
There are so many ways that Dragon Quest Heroes could have gone wrong. Thankfully, Omega Force does right by the classic franchise, and they take the opportunity to streamline their own formula as well. The story could have been better, and the repetitive gameplay comes close to wearing out its welcome, but otherwise Dragon Quest Heroes counts as another win for Omega Force.