I certainly wasn’t expecting to love a Minecraft-style block-building game based on a decades-old JRPG franchise as much as I did Dragon Quest Builders 2. Even though the combat is a bit weak and the controls can be frustrating at times, it manages to be both a great construction game and an engrossing, full-fledged RPG with tons of memorable areas and characters.
I never played the first Dragon Quest Builders, and I didn’t feel like I needed to in order to get what was going on in this sequel. There are tons of references back to the Dragon Quest series that come across as nice touches if you catch them – familiar enemies, some returning locations and bosses, and nostalgic victory music. Even the minimap looks like an old school Dragon Quest overworld. And, well, if you don’t already know why it’s a big deal that your main ally’s name is Malroth, I encourage you not to look it up so you don’t spoil anything for yourself.
