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How Dragon Quest Heroes Just Owned Legend of Zelda!

How Dragon Quest Heroes Just Owned Legend of Zelda!

Let me begin by saying that I’m a huge Legend of Zelda fan. I’ve played and loved almost every Zelda game worth playing, and when it comes to Dragon Quest , I only played the first two on the NES, but they were my favorite games for a long time. As far as preference goes, one would assume that a significantly longer history with the LoZ series would cause me to look more favorably on last year’s Hyrule Warriors than the upcoming Dragon Quest Heroes .

And fan bias did play a role in my enjoyment of Hyrule Warriors . I’m an audiophile, so of course every time I discovered a hidden passage, opened a treasure chest, or spent time at the main menu, the music and the sounds really put me in a good place. The setting and cast were mostly familiar while novel within the context of the game, and the weaponry was varied, making combat a pleasure for the most part. All in all Hyrule Warriors was a really good game, but it wasn’t great. Just like I feared it might, over time it began to feel like a Dynasty Warriors game that used Zelda assets.

Dragon Quest Heroes is looking to break the mold and offer an experience wholly new to fans, and I’ve been looking forward to this one for a long time. There are a few things that held Hyrule Warriors back, namely the bland visuals, forgettable enemies and a non-rewarding leveling up system. Heroes shines a flattering limelight on these aspects in particular, and the results have me drooling.

The game looks absolutely fantastic. The character models and environments are stunning without attempting to come off as photo-realistic. These are next-gen visuals: captivating, inspiring to the imagination, and running smoothly. Akira Toriyama’s playful anime style and brilliant character designs really shine here. Obviously the PS4 packs a little heavier punch than does the more humble Wii U, but the Wii U is capable of incredible things. If you don’t believe me, just spend some time playing Mario Kart 8 and watching your replays in slow-motion; it’s mesmerizing! Unfortunately Hyrule Warriors ended up falling short, visually. I remember as soon as the updates were done installing and the game booted up for the first time, I was really disappointed by the opening pan across the fields in front of Hyrule Castle. Things were murky and jaggy, and throughout my playing the frame rate was inconsistent.

I was also really disappointed in the enemies; uninteresting and brainless. If the combos and weapon play weren’t so expertly implemented by the Omega Force team, combat would have been a total drag. In contrast, the enemies in DQ Heroes are absolutely iconic and contribute so much to game’s charm. I only played the first two titles on the NES, remember? I’m absolutely stunned and so impressed that I am able to watch gameplay footage for Heroes and recognize every enemy instantly. The slimes, wyverns, skeletons and golems are oozing with charm and authenticity. As a kid who faced these creatures hundreds if not thousands of times on my NES, this is a gameplay fantasy come true.

How Dragon Quest Heroes Just Owned Legend of Zelda!

And of course with Yuki Horii at the helm we expect a fully realized story and rock-solid RPG elements. Three scenarios into Hyrule Warriors I started skipping the cutscenes; they didn’t really matter. This is something I took for granted at the time, but now that I see DQ Heroes shaping up and presenting a lovingly crafted narrative, albeit a stereotypical one, I’m realizing that this is something that really held Warriors back. I had no reason to really care for the characters or the world around me, and leveling up offered almost no gratification whatsoever; most everything took place in menus and sub-menus. In Heroes there will be a central “town” area with shops and friendly faces. Your currency feels heavier and more useful, and there’s always a new weapon or alchemical combination to keep you questing and treasure hunting with purpose. Grinding in Hyrule Warriors really felt like a chore, but in DQ Heroes I can’t wait to play these gorgeous set battles again and again.

Watch the new trailer for Dragon Quest Heroes below. You can tell that Square Enix has pumped so much passion into this. The narration is incredible, the gameplay looks airtight, that music makes my eyes water, HOW ARE YOU NOT EXCITED FOR… Ahem, my apologies. Totally unprofessional: you should never type in all caps to make a point. How are you not excited for this game? Square Enix has said that the future of Dragon Quest games in the west depends on how well this one sells, so let’s make sure we send them a positive message when DQ Heroes releases on October 13.

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