Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below (PlayStation 4) Review

A new dawn rises for Dragon Quest fans as the famous monster smashing IP makes its first release on PlayStation 4 in glorious HD. The visuals are nothing short of breathtaking. Every slime looks like gelatinous perfection, right until a hero dices it. Every battlefield has incredible particle and glow effects that manage to go perfectly well with Dragon Quest's very cartoony nature. The reflection on wet metallic surfaces always cast a reflection and, most of all, the character models are all animated incredibly well; everything in the visual department is top notch and, quite possibly, one of the best looking games of 2015.

The combat in Dragon Quest Heroes is described no better than the word 'polished' - right from the sound effects, through to the High Tension ultimate attack skill. Users can assemble a group of four recruited heroes to wage war against the encroaching monsters, each hero having a unique move set, an equipment sheet, as well as a skill page to learn and increase attributes tailored to the vision of those in control. Combat is fast, precise, and satisfying with the use of spells, weapon techniques, and even the capabilities of enlisting monsters themselves by finding coins off the battlefield with their face on it. Many will instantly relate Dragon Quest Heroes to being "another Dynasty Warriors game," sadly, but the reality is that the similarity begins and ends with fighting large amounts of foes. Although most cases of combat involves fighting an army of creatures, boss fights assist against the clear issue of repetition. Some boss fight battles allow the use of ballistae and other artillery weaponry with limited use. Using these is the key to victory, as conventional combat may not be effective until the boss submits temporarily to a state of vulnerability.

Dragon Quest Heroes' story structure and flow is linear, though. There are no separate story paths that branch out, yet heroes may find grotto maps, which unlock dungeons in the world map. Grottos are optional battles that challenge heroes to the physical limit with very challenging battle conditions and boss battles fought in the past or unique bosses, as well. The grotto dungeons have always been used as a feature more focused for end-game longevity and remain to do a great job doing so, but how is a hero to prepare for such a challenging endeavour?

Aside from purchasing and equipping weapons and armour orbs from the shop, Dragon Quest fans will be familiar with the alchemy pot that allows synthesis of equipment. However, in Dragon Quest Heroes, the alchemy pot seems to have gotten damaged and can now only create accessories, instead of the usual capability to craft any type of item, which may come off as a rather large disappointment to long-term fans or players that liked Dragon Quest VIII and IX. On the flip-side, the alchemy pot can now meld accessories together to produce an upgraded version of the same accessory with a random passive skill, as well as three separate crafting styles.