Was Dragon Quest Heroes Worth It?

Was It Worth It is a series where we look at a given product and let you know whether you’re going to get your money’s worth from it. It can be hard to decide which items are worth your time, and most importantly, your hard earned cash. In Was It Worth It, we provide an overview, some tips and tricks (if applicable), and our personal brand of irreverent commentary. We finish off with an overall determination on whether the subject is actually worth it. With that said, was Dragon Quest Heroes worth it?

Saving the World

The Dragon Quest franchise has been around for ages, and it’s not surprise that there have been some spinoffs. This title is at its core a musou chassis with Dragon Quest paint on top. If you’ve played other musou crossovers (Fire Emblem, One Piece, Gundam, Zelda, etc) then you know what to expect.

If you aren’t a fan of the musou gameplay, this isn’t an RPG.

Much like Minecraft Dungeons, this takes the original IP and goes off in a different direction.

The characters are party members from Dragon Quests 4, 5, 6, and 8. If you’re an American fan of Dragon Quest, you know that this series has been rife with localization issues, so unfortunately the only character I could really appreciate was Terry, since I was a huge fan of Dragon Warrior Monsters as a kid.

Each character has their own moveset and skill tree, and the different playstyles can make for a variety of ways to engage enemies. I generally preferred sticking to the protag or Psaro, or Alena for quick DPS bursts.

Tips and Tricks

You’re going to run into the Living Armor type of monster a lot.

If you see these guys, hit them with Flame Slash from a distance before they raise their shield and start blocking. There are times that the game will toss a whole bunch of them at you and it’s annoying to try and dodge behind them to land some good hits. Just juggle them with Flame Slash instead.

Incidentally, Flame Slash is one of your better DPS options. Once you get the skill upgrade that restores mp on critical hits, it can almost become self sustaining against large mobs. Critical Hits are determined by the Deftness stat, so grab those boosts as soon as they become available.

Getting Tense

In the mainline games, characters can enter a state of high tension that boosts their abilities for a brief period. It largely works the same way in this game. Skill costs are waived, you don’t take any damage, and you are immune to status effects.

Now, not all musou games allow you to do this, but in DQ Heroes you can fill your tension gauge by holding the button. If you’re playing a mission that gives you the opportunity, there’s no downside to fully charging up your whole party at the beginning of the stage. This will allow you to easily whale on the monster-spawning enemies or midbosses.

The game absolutely loves inflicting status effects. You can’t do a lot to avoid them, because you have to directly engage by running up to an enemy. You’ll also get hit by spells or attacks that you didn’t see when you’re in the middle of a crowd. The incredible prevalence of these status effects is why I highly recommend keeping your tension charged.

What does it do well?

The hack and slash combat of the Musou genre blends really well with the Dragon Quest trappings. The game has a lot of heart and the DQ spirit really shines through.

What could it do better?

The game loses some steam towards the end, and later quests feel a bit grindy. Once you settle on a party, there’s no reason to swap them out. This is a shame because some of the other movesets are genuinely fun.

Is it fun?

Make sure you know what you’re getting into – This is a Dynasty Warriors-esque game, not a turn based RPG. With that said, it’s a lot of fun if you’re a fan of either franchise. Musou fans will enjoy the gameplay, while Dragon Quest fans will enjoy playing with and against the monsters and characters from classic titles.

Value?

HowLongToBeat gives this game a respectable playtime on just the main quest. At launch, I would have said this game was good value, especially if you were already a fan.

Was Dragon Quest Heroes Worth It?

Dragon Quest Heroes is worth it if you’re a fan of the hack and slash genre. It also doesn’t take itself very seriously, which is refreshing. You can find the game digitally on Steam or the PSN for $40. If you’re a PC player, pick it up on sale, but if you’re a PS4 player then you can grab a used copy for less than 20 bucks. Don’t worry about the “Slime edition”, those are just starter weapons that won’t make a big difference.

Important caveat: There is a sequel, Dragon Quest Heroes 2, which improves on the original in almost every way. Consider picking up that title instead if you want a more polished experience.

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