DRAGON QUEST MONSTERS: The Dark Prince Review Summary

Deep, rewarding monster synthesis: The monster synthesis/breeding system is a major highlight, offering depth, customization, and rewarding experimentation. The removal of gender restrictions and other streamlining features make the system more accessible and enjoyable. Players appreciate the ability to create powerful and unique monsters through strategic combinations.

Fun, charming core gameplay: The game is praised for its enjoyable core gameplay loop, charming art style, and overall fun factor. Many reviewers highlight the engaging monster collecting and battling mechanics, as well as the game's smooth performance and quality-of-life improvements. The game's visuals, monster designs, and music are also frequently mentioned as positive aspects.

Nostalgic Dragon Quest experience: The game successfully captures the essence of the Dragon Quest series, evoking nostalgia for older titles and appealing to long-time fans. Reviewers appreciate the classic Dragon Quest art style, music, and monster designs, as well as the game's faithfulness to the series' core mechanics. The game is also compared favorably to the Dragon Quest Monsters Joker series.

Superior PC port performance: The PC version of the game offers significant improvements over the Switch version, including better performance, higher resolution graphics, and faster loading times. The inclusion of all DLC from the Switch version at a reasonable price is also a major selling point. The game also runs well on Steam Deck.

Engaging story, memorable characters: The game features a great and engaging story with plot twists, memorable characters, and rich world-building. Psaro's quest for vengeance and his interactions with companions add personal and emotional depth to the narrative. The story is a retelling of the origins of Psaro from Dragon Quest IV.

Weak, uninspired, and rushed story: The story is widely criticized for being weak, generic, rushed, and uninspired. Characters lack depth, and choices feel meaningless, leading to a disjointed and unsatisfying narrative. Some reviewers noted that the story's connection to Dragon Quest IV feels forced and requires prior knowledge, while others found the plot nonsensical and the characters unlikeable.

Missing online PvP battles: The Steam/PC version notably lacks online PvP battles, a feature present in other versions and previous titles. This absence diminishes endgame content and the motivation to train strong monsters. The available online battles are simple stat comparisons with little strategy involved.

Less content, outdated graphics: Compared to previous Dragon Quest Monster titles, this game has less content, simplified skills, and a reduced number of monsters. The graphics are considered cheap and outdated, with assets and music reminiscent of older games in the series. Some reviewers also noted that the game feels restrictive compared to previous entries.

Tedious and repetitive dungeons: Dungeons are criticized for being tedious, repetitive, and uninspired, often featuring time-consuming gimmicks and puzzles. Backtracking is frequent, and some puzzles are more irritating than challenging, requiring guides to navigate. The reviewer also noted that the player movement speed remains constant throughout the game, making backtracking in later dungeons tedious and tiring.

Crashes and save data issues: The game suffers from crashes, save file corruption, and cloud save syncing issues between different devices. These technical problems can lead to lost progress and prevent players from continuing the game. Some reviewers also noted that the game can become stuck on the loading screen.

Turn-based combat with auto-battle: The game features a familiar turn-based combat system with options for auto-battle and adjustable speed, catering to both casual and strategic players. While the combat may not be exceptionally deep, it is generally considered reliably fun and benefits from quality-of-life features.

Story revisits Dragon Quest 4: The game's story is a reimagining of Dragon Quest 4, featuring the character Psaro and exploring his backstory. It incorporates familiar elements and characters from previous Dragon Quest installments, appealing to nostalgia.

Season system affects exploration: The game features a weather and season system that affects exploration and monster availability. Different monsters appear depending on the season, which changes every 20 minutes. However, some reviewers found the seasonal mechanics underexploited or more annoying than engaging.

Monster traits and skill customization: Monsters possess unique traits, skills, and elemental affinities that influence combat strategy. Players can customize monsters through skill lines and breeding, adding depth to team building and combat tactics. Acquiring specific skills often requires breeding with specific monsters.

Grinding is prevalent, can be rewarding: The game involves grinding, particularly for experience levels and materials. While some find the grinding rewarding and a way to trivialize difficulty, others may find it tedious. Efficient methods like Metal Slime hunting can accelerate character progression.

Improved performance on PC/Steam Deck: The PC version offers significant performance and visual improvements over the Switch version, including higher frame rates, resolutions, and faster loading times. While some users with lower-end PCs reported performance issues, most found the game to be well-optimized and smooth, especially on Steam Deck. The Switch's blurriness disappeared, achieving 4K resolution and over 60 FPS.

Graphics similar to Dragon Quest XI: The game's graphics are comparable to Dragon Quest XI, with options for widescreen and frame rate adjustments. However, some reviewers noted that the graphics resemble those of early PS3 titles, suggesting they may appear somewhat dated. The music is nostalgic, nodding to classic titles.

Uncapped FPS, refresh rate impact: The game opens with uncapped FPS, but raising the refresh rate doesn't make much of a difference. On Steam Deck OLED, locking the frame rate to 60fps on High settings provides a stable experience.

Fast loading times: Many reviewers noted that the game features fast loading times. This contributes to a smoother and more enjoyable gameplay experience, especially during battles.

Loading screen/slime loading bugs: Some players encountered specific bugs, such as an infinite slime loading issue or freezing during loading screens. The slime loading issue was resolved by granting the game permission in the antivirus software.

Recommended for genre fans: Many reviewers recommend the game, especially to fans of the Dragon Quest and monster-collecting genres. Some suggest waiting for a sale, while others endorse it wholeheartedly, highlighting its value and enjoyment despite minor flaws. Some reviewers recommend the game as a good entry point for newcomers.

Lacks significant challenge: Some reviewers find the game relatively easy, lacking significant challenge outside of post-game content. Despite this, the game is still considered entertaining and player-friendly, especially for newcomers to the series.

Deep, engaging synthesis system: The game is praised for its deep monster synthesis system and team optimization, offering many hours of engaging gameplay. Reviewers recommend getting invested in the synthesis system to enhance the fun.

Hope for future installments: Some reviewers express hope for future installments and PC ports of other games in the series, particularly Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3 Professional. Some consider this game the definitive Dragon Quest Monsters experience.

Relies heavily on nostalgia: Some reviewers feel the game relies too heavily on nostalgia without offering enough innovation, making it feel stuck in the past. Others consider it a good budget title despite this.

Story is serviceable Dragon Quest.: The story is serviceable and typical for Dragon Quest, primarily serving as a backdrop for gameplay and introducing new areas. It's a 'what if' scenario based on Dragon Quest 4, with references to it, and understanding Dragon Quest IV enhances the experience.

Classic Akira Toriyama art style.: The game features the classic art style of Akira Toriyama, including character and monster designs. This was one of the last projects Toriyama worked on, making it a bittersweet experience for fans.

Includes DLC, available on Steam.: The PC version includes all DLC from the Switch version, such as a den for battling and scouting monsters. The game is available on Steam and has been offered at discounted prices during sales.

Soundtrack complements the atmosphere.: The soundtrack, composed by Koichi Sugiyama, complements the game’s atmosphere with familiar melodies and new compositions. However, some reviewers found the music to be inoffensive but uninspired.

Disable auto-save for save-scumming.: The reviewer recommends turning off auto-save in the options to speed up the game and allow for save-scumming in battles.