I have never played an ounce of Minecraft, and I’ve never had any desire to do so. My eldest son, who’s eight years old, is absolutely obsessed with it. He builds some amazing things, and it really taps into that creative mind he has for architecture and construction. While I completely understand why he loves it so much, it’s never held much appeal for me because I need a story to hold my interest in a sandbox game. Unfortunately for me and my addictive nature, Dragon Quest Builders fills in that gap all too well. It’s Dragon Quest meets Minecraft in perhaps the best way imaginable, in that the only real resemblance to Minecraft is the block-styled world coupled with the ability to build from said blocks. After that, it has a complete life of its own, one that my Minecraft-loving-eight-year-old called “stupid,” because he hates reading and hates going on quests. It’s a good thing he’s not reviewing this title, now isn’t it. If You Build It, They Will Come
In this reality of Dragon Quest, Alefgard has been completely taken over by the Dragonlord. He’s wiped away all creativity from the surviving humans, forcing them to fend for themselves without the knowledge to build, cook, or even create. Monsters have overrun the land as a result, but there is hope, and that hope lies in the player. The player-created character wakes up in what appears to be a tomb and learns that they are a Builder, the only human aliv...