When it comes to Dragon Quest games, many people will be more familiar with the mainline JRPG series. In the mainline series, you usually control a range of people battling enemies in the old-school turn-based combat system.
Well, publisher Square Enix has now released a new game based on the popular Dragon Quest franchise. This new game is called Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai. Some people may already know about this version of Dragon Quest because this game is based on the manga and anime simply called Dragon Quest: Adventure of Dai.
Much like many other Dragon Quest games in the past, the character designer for The Adventure of Dai is Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama. Some people may think the main character, Dai, looks much like a younger Goku. Not to mention, there’s also a green bad guy named Hadlar, and he looks a bit like King Piccolo!
As for the game itself, Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai is a new action RPG that features the same story as the aforementioned anime and manga. You control the main character named Dai as he ventures off on a big adventure trying to take down a newly revived bad guy named The Dark Lord.
Since this is an action RPG, Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai doesn’t feature the old-school turn-based combat style. Instead, this game feels more like a hack-n-slash game because the controls are similar to the recently released Final Fantasy XVI.
Some of my favorite games are turn-based, including Persona 5 and Final Fantasy X. However, there is one thing I hate about turn-based combat: the fact that your characters are usually unable to dodge attacks from enemies. For example, if an enemy is preparing a big attack, you usually cannot run away from it, and you are mostly likely to die without heavy armor equipped.
Thankfully, Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai is an action RPG, and Dai and the other characters can simply dodge incoming attacks by pressing the X button if you are playing on a PlayStation console. The game also has a block button that is helpful if an enemy is attacking you with their weapons or magic spells.
In terms of attacks, you can string combos with Dai’s sword by using the Square button. This is best used for short-range combat if you don’t want to use up all of these abilities. You can also assign more powerful attacks using the other face buttons. With Dai, he has some fire and ice attacks as well as two special moves that enhance his powers and increase his attack damage.
Another thing I liked about the combat in this game is the fact that you can choose to play as one of the four characters. Unlike recent Final Fantasy games, you can play as more than one character by pressing the down button on the D-pad. The playable characters in this game include Dai, Popp, and Maam. Later in the game, you will also get to play an excellent warrior named Hyunckel. It’s a bit of a spoiler telling you how he joins the party, but he’s probably the best character to use because he’s so powerful.
Popp is also a cool character to control because he is a mage who can conjure up magic power and can attack from afar most of the time. Maam sadly isn’t a strong attack character, but she is helpful when it comes to giving your character health when your life bar is depleting.
Graphically, Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai has bright and colorful character models that look like they’ve been ripped out of the anime series. The levels aren’t that detailed, which is a bit of a shame, although they are small due to how this game has been structured.
There is one place in the game that is an endless dungeon, and this is called the Temple of Recollection. You don’t have to fight all the baddies at once, but this place is perfect if you want to level up your characters. Your characters all level up at the same time, so you don’t have to worry about anyone in your team falling behind in stats.
Probably the one thing that will disappoint most people about this game is that it doesn’t feature many in-game engine cutscenes. Most of the time, you are watching a slideshow still from the actual anime that isn’t even in motion. Worse still, the slideshow cutscenes are the majority of the game! For an action RPG, it’s also very short, as most players will finish the game in just less than 12 hours.
Another flaw of the game is that the level design isn’t very large or interesting. Unlike other JRPGs, this game focuses primarily on combat, so you cannot explore massive levels or even visit any towns. Most of the levels are small or just arenas for you to face a single boss fight. Once you finish one short stage, you’re off-watching boring cutscenes again!
Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai Review Verdict
Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai : In summary, Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai boasts impressive character models and a serviceable combat system. Nonetheless, these strengths fail to fully redeem its notable shortcomings. Lackluster cutscenes and excessively short levels are likely to disappoint those in search of a more traditional JRPG experience. – jbl316
Editor’s Note: Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai was reviewed on the PlayStation 5, and a copy was provided to us for review purposes.
