Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World - Hands-on Preview
I am of the belief that every franchise would benefit from a spin-off series that allows you to make friends with the weird little guys that usually try to murder you. Dragon Quest Monsters allows you to do just that, giving you the ability to invite a little team of weirdos to fight alongside you as you explore the world and either level them up, or turn them into even bigger, stranger weirdos. Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World may be the latest entry in a series that goes back decades, but when I was invited to play an hour or so of it last week it was my first foray into the spin-off series – and it was pretty hard not to be charmed by it.
Longtime fans of the series may recognise the protagonists, Bianca and Nera, as prominent characters from Dragon Quest V. The two women are magically drawn to the titular “withered world” of Witherwood, both in search of magical leaves that have the potential to be miracle cures for the girls’ fathers, but though their goals are the same their personalities couldn’t be more different. Bianca is loud and boisterous (and Southern, because apparently that’s the best way to convey brashness), where Nera is quiet and refined – but despite their differences, they quickly agree to form an alliance and set off on their adventure.
You’re immediately given the choice between two, though you’ll ultimately get the chance to control both during your quest. I chose Bianca because she had the ability to “bedazzle enemies”, but each one has different skills, so those more experienced might choose their character based on which type of monsters you’re planning to focus on. To obtain your first monster, you’ll then answer a series of questions about things like how often you listen to music and whether or not you like pranks, and then the system will pair you with your perfect partner. Mine was apparently a sentient eggplant called ‘Woebergine’ with eyes on stalks like something straight out of ‘Aaahh!!! Real Monsters’, but for curiosity’s sake I did a little experimenting with different answers to see what my options might be. By changing a few responses around I could instead get ‘Vegandragora’ – a little leafy dragon – or by specifically telling it I liked pranks, I was presented with ‘Wax Murderer’ – a candle wielding a knife and an expression that showed a lust for blood. As tempted as I was to take the candle on a killing spree, this game is about befriending monsters – so Woebergine and I instead went on our way.
Once we were out in the world, the goal immediately became expanding the roster. In Dragon Quest Monsters, you rely on a ‘scout’ mechanic to get wild monsters to join your team, with the implication being that you simply ask them nicely whether or not they’re interested in tagging along (which seems nicer than what other games of the genre ask, like for example tossing a tiny ball prison at them). Stronger monsters will be pickier about joining you, and may even become angry at you for even suggesting they join you, leaving you unable to attempt to scout not just them, but any monster, for the remainder of the encounter. Avoid offending them, however, and you can continue to beat them into submission (less nice), and even if you don’t manage a successful scouting attempt, they may request to join you anyway at the conclusion of the battle. It all feels oddly consensual, and it does feel nice to think these monsters have chosen to fight by your side.
That did make me feel a little guilty, however, for engaging in the game’s other main mechanic – synthesizing. By interacting with one of the game’s Tree of Life roots, you can not only restore life to your party a-la a Pokemon Centre style refreshment, but you can also smush them together to create all new – sometimes unique – monsters. Most of the time these monsters will share characteristics with those you’re combining, but some of them require some stretching of the imagination. I was a little surprised by how quickly my attachment to my existing party members faded as I morphed immediately into a mad scientist, driven to create new life in increasingly depraved forms, but I suspect that if I’d had a little more time alongside the little guys beforehand, I may have been a little more discerning.
The series’ classic Akira Toriyama art style absolutely lends itself to this kind of monster taming game, with the design of each monster a little stranger than the next. I’m not sure I could say that in the hour I spent with the game I saw more than one monster I could describe as “cute” without qualification, but I was still drawn to befriend them, which may also have something to do with the fact that they all have incredible* (your mileage may vary) pun names. Either way, this bright and charming world seems to be the perfect place to cobble together a willing team and join a group of badass women on an epic quest. There are plenty of Dragon Quest staples in here to love (like the fact your dead teammates will follow you around on the map in a coffin, which is my personal favourite thing about the whole series) and I have no doubt this game is going to find a loyal audience.
Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World will launch on December 3rd on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
