Dragon Quest Treasures Review - All About That Bling

Loot. Few words in gaming hold such power. The promise of sick loot is a siren song that has driven many a player to take on bold challenges and reconsider their objectives… as well as to make exceptionally poor judgments and even pry open their real-life wallets. Many games, regardless of era and platform, are fundamentally about the satisfaction of obtaining loot, but few will admit that. Dragon Quest Treasures is the rare game that states outright that accumulating a trove of legendary loot is the whole point--and, if you can endure some of its gameplay and technical foibles, you too can experience the satisfaction of having a Scrooge McDuck-like vault of gold (but not the experience of swimming in it).

Dragon Quest Treasures tells the tale of young Erik and Mia, who were first introduced in Dragon Quest XI. Dissatisfied after having been adopted by the pillaging, hard-partying Vikings, the duo decide to escape from the ship and go out on their own to become great treasure hunters. Along the way they free a duo of odd winged critters and stumble upon the Dragon Daggers, enchanted weapons that whisk them away to the realm of Draconia, where treasure hunting is a way of life. Somewhere on these floating islands lie the legendary Dragonstone artifacts, and Erik and Mia are going to get them all--along with an absurd amount of mythical relics just waiting to be dug up.

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Unlike the mainline Dragon Quest series, which is turn-based and menu-driven, Dragon Quest Treasures is an action-RPG. Playing as either Erik or Mia (who are functionally identical), you explore one of several large open-world islands, defeating enemies, completing quests, gathering materials, and--most importantly--discovering those sweet, shiny silver and gold treasure chests. The more treasure they find, the more notoriety they get--and the more their base, initially a decrepit magical railroad station, becomes remodeled into a fabulously gaudy headquarters. This also opens up more gameplay elements, as well as revealing hints about the location of the elusive Dragonstones. While you can explore the game freely at your own pace, some parts are progress-locked based on how much loot you've accumulated.