Dragon Quest Builders

 Switch
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 108 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 82 out of 108
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 108
  3. Negative: 8 out of 108
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  1. kiwijinxter
    Dec 11, 2018
    5
    The game is cute and is quite endearing. The building mining and building are both quite relaxing activities. The battling is a little onerous with rather imprecise aiming with melee weapons. The worst part is the inability to run. However, my main problem is that after I completed the 1st world and boss, the 2nd world feels a bit of a rehash as it forces you to restart from scratch,The game is cute and is quite endearing. The building mining and building are both quite relaxing activities. The battling is a little onerous with rather imprecise aiming with melee weapons. The worst part is the inability to run. However, my main problem is that after I completed the 1st world and boss, the 2nd world feels a bit of a rehash as it forces you to restart from scratch, artificially making some even basic materials harder to get so suddenly it went from a relatively fun experience from the 1st world to a rather grindy and not-so-fun experience in the 2nd world. Good if you don't mind retreading the game elements, but I prefer a straightforward "progress" through a game.… Expand
  2. DinoBeam
    Aug 10, 2020
    5
    At first this game is amazing and addicting, them comes chapter 2, one of the most annoying and frustrating things i've ever done in a video game, and god that end boss is just made to piss you off. All the cracks in the game will become more apparent. You have a very small distance window for attacking enemies, too far away and you don't hit, get to close and you get damaged ANDAt first this game is amazing and addicting, them comes chapter 2, one of the most annoying and frustrating things i've ever done in a video game, and god that end boss is just made to piss you off. All the cracks in the game will become more apparent. You have a very small distance window for attacking enemies, too far away and you don't hit, get to close and you get damaged AND STAGGERED. Luckily they changed that in 2, and i'm hoping it fixes all the problems in this poorly designed game… Expand
  3. Rtheom
    Mar 15, 2018
    7
    This is Minecraft with a little bit of direction. There really isn't much to make this a Dragon Quest game besides the style. There's a little bit of direction because the other characters give you quests, but you can do them or ignore them, it really doesn't matter too much. Unfortunately, unlike Minecraft, you lack the ability to look straight up or straight down or go into first personThis is Minecraft with a little bit of direction. There really isn't much to make this a Dragon Quest game besides the style. There's a little bit of direction because the other characters give you quests, but you can do them or ignore them, it really doesn't matter too much. Unfortunately, unlike Minecraft, you lack the ability to look straight up or straight down or go into first person mode, so it's Minecraft that is distinctly harder to navigate and control. Overall a fine game, but there's nothing new here and no reason to call it Dragon Quest.… Expand
  4. night4
    Mar 2, 2018
    6
    It does have a certain charm to it, even for people who are not a fan of Minecraft or Minecraft-like games.

    The problem is that the weapons and combat are *extremely* boring. I don't think you can ever get anything other than a sword/axe/hammer type weapon, so the entire game is just running into melee and swinging a melee weapon. That gets old really fast. Part of the appeal of the    It does have a certain charm to it, even for people who are not a fan of Minecraft or Minecraft-like games.

    The problem is that the weapons and combat are *extremely* boring. I don't think you can ever get anything other than a sword/axe/hammer type weapon, so the entire game is just running into melee and swinging a melee weapon. That gets old really fast. Part of the appeal of the Dragon Quest series is all the magic, and that's gone here.

    The building part of the game is much better than the combat, but it's just not quite enough to justify the cost.    … Expand
  5. Kirixa
    Jan 2, 2021
    7
    Addicting gameplay, but quite kiddy and a lot of handholding. The familiar dq mobs and adorable artstyle makes this minecraftesque jrpg nice on the eyes but it's not as good as Minecraft in my opinion.
  6. GAME-OVERcv
    Nov 1, 2022
    6
    the games building saved it for me the rest was basically just fetch quests and boring combat

Awards & Rankings

73
#73 Best Switch Game of 2018
57
#57 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2018
76
#76 Most Shared Switch Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 45 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 43 out of 45
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 45
  3. Negative: 0 out of 45
  1. My Nintendo News
    Jul 15, 2018
    80
    Dragon Quest Builders is both a great Dragon Quest spin-off and an interesting take on the somewhat overplayed sandbox genre that’s only made better on Nintendo Switch. It’s a game that can be played for hours or in shorts bursts, so it’s perfect on a portable console.
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  2. CD-Action
    Apr 3, 2018
    80
    It’s not just a Minecraft rip-off. Square Enix expanded Mojang’s concept and infused the game with tons of Dragon Quest. [03/2018, p.74]
  3. New York Daily News
    Mar 12, 2018
    80
    It is plenty of fun, a terrific evolution of Minecraft that’s made its way to a perfect console.
    Read full review
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