Dragon Quest Smash/Grow is a fun free-to-play roguelite action RPG that certainly caught my interest back when I played it for Final Weapon’s preview in October last year. At its core, Dragon Quest Smash/Grow really is a Dragon Quest game where you set out as hero to face the dangers that lurk in the world and correct time and fate’s course. It’s a Dragon Quest game packaged and presented for mobile platforms with some roguelite elements that I think are actually really fun. Now, I have a much more clearer image of what Dragon Quest Smash/Grow presents at launch, thanks to the pre-launch development build that Square Enix gave us access to.
After creating a hero, Dragon Quest Smash/Grow begins by placing them in a dark corridor for the game’s tutorial. Under the guidance of a robot named Roly, the hero is tasked with taking an artifact known as a Memory. The hero wakes up to the voice of his childhood friend, Zepha, as they set out for their first mission together in the Lunia Flats. As you progress the game and its many stages, you’ll discover that the world is falling into ruin due to various rifts that appear. As I mentioned in our preview, this is par for the course when it comes to a Dragon Quest narrative, but the characters and dialogue are serviceable enough and kept me interested in what I’ve played through thus far. The new animated opening by anime studio Kamikaze Douga does more than enough to drive the main plot points across, but there’s still a lot to explore.
Editor’s note: this feature is based on gameplay from an in-development build, which may differ from the final live service version. Items have been specially granted for testing purposes.
Dragon Quest Smash/Grow Offers RPG Action in a Simplistic Form
The combat system of Dragon Quest Smash/Grow is quite easy to understand, as you simply hold and glide on the touch screen of your smartphone to attack and move. Characters will automatically attack enemies when in a certain range, similar to Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy’s combat system. While landing attacks and defeating enemies, the character’s Coup de Grâce meter will fill, allowing them to unleash a powerful attack that can send enemies flying, or Smashing, across the screen and into each other to deal damage. Combat can get really chaotic and crazy, and when you Smash enemies across the screen, it essentially turns into pinball for a moment.
As you make your way through level and its various encounters, the roguelite elements of “Blessings” will come into play. Blessings are perks that modify your attacks and stats during gameplay, offering stackable bonuses such as increased attack range, improved weapon effects, and additional attacks. During each mission, you can craft potent builds before reaching the boss. You’ll also level up a party of up to three characters, increasing various stats and unlocking Vocation Tree nodes while exploring the game’s content.
There’s dialogue before and after important story missions to advance the plot, and your performance on each stage is ranked by the bonus objectives you complete, which award up to three stars. Aiming for all three stars is how you’ll get the most in-game rewards out of them as you level up and play. One of the rewards you’ll obtain are Gems, which can be used to purchase in-game items and draw from banners to obtain more useful gear.
As I mentioned in the preview, story levels are structured with twisting corridors and sections of combat encounters leading up to a boss battle. Some of my gripes regarding level variety weren’t addressed before launch, but I do think the game will still be fun to play in general, especially in limited-time events. What’s more, the UI and visuals of the game were slightly improved. The game also supports 3-player co-op quests, which I didn’t have time nor the ability to test.
The Repeatable Grind and Gameplay Loop
Similar to many competing mobile RPGs on the App Store and Google Play Store today, there’s a clear path for grinding every day, whether its through completing objectives or reaching milestones on the Feat Sheet or simply logging in to obtain rewards, play limited-time events and timed challenges, and focus on repeatable quests to level up the party and eventually get better gear and heroes. Players will also notice that there’s an Adventurer Rank that levels up as you earn XP and achievements throughout all aspects of the game. My thoughts regarding the gameplay loop remain the same from the preview. In short, it’s really rewarding with the number of unlocks, XP, and rewards you can get.
Once more, the enemies you defeat can also be equipped as Memories or artifacts, which can be ascended to get more stat bonuses for your hero and their two other companions. It’s a very familiar system, so if you played virtually any other mobile RPG (i.e. Genshin Impact), you’ll be right at home here and quickly learn how to get the most out of them. Weapons and equipment work very similarly, as leveling gear up will improve item stat bonuses and unlock new perks that will further improve your characters’ overall combat potential. All of these improvements can be made by the blacksmith at the in-game Workshop, but there are also various in-game shops to consider for additional loot.
In terms of gacha and growing a competent party, it’s relatively easy to do so from the banners and shops in Dragon Quest Smash/Grow. Since I played on a development build, I do want to note that I was given a lot of in-game currency and materials to work with, including Gems. However, I didn’t use much of it since I wanted to play like a typical free-to-play (F2P) player would, as I never spend money on mobile games to begin with. I want to reserve my full thoughts on monetization until I have the full release build though.
Just like in the beta test, players can summon weapons and gear of varying star rarity from Transmuters by using Gems or Vouchers. Gems and Vouchers can be obtained for free from various sources in the game, including leveling up your Adventure Rank, earning achievements and collecting artifacts, redeeming login bonuses, and completing and earning enough stars from story missions. Honestly, Gems can be earned by just about doing anything that contributes in the form of progression, including making enough unlocks for a character’s Vocation Tree.
Dragon Quest Smash/Grow is Packed Full of Content
If there’s one takeaway from Dragon Quest Smash/Grow that I had, it’s the amount of content that’s in the game. From story quests to the swarm-invested Gauntlette activity, there’s plenty to do in Dragon Quest Smash/Grow. On top of this, I thoroughly enjoyed the gameplay since it’s simple and fun to play with one hand while remaining action-packed and chaotic. The overall visuals and aesthetic are truly befitting of Dragon Quest and Akira Toriyama’s iconic designs, too.
Personally, I’m on board with Dragon Quest Smash/Grow and would like to see how it evolves with time. If you’re a Dragon Quest fan, you’ll definitely find content to enjoy in the new mobile game, whether its the amusing gameplay or the main story. Since my time with the pre-launch build was limited, I definitely want to play the launch version and examine how the in-game economy holds up over time, especially when it comes to monetization.
Disclaimer: Square Enix sent a Dragon Quest Smash/Grow pre-launch build on Android for coverage purposes.
