Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Journey of Dai is a sport of two halves: a surprisingly simplistic motion RPG and an infinite barrage of static, visible novel-style cutscenes. It bears the identify Dragon Quest and is revealed by Sq. Enix, but it feels fully barebones; with fundamental gameplay and a poorly offered story, we’re left confused about who this one was for.
However first, some background. Dragon Quest: The Journey of Dai started as a manga sequence in Japan in 1989, based mostly on the mega-popular Dragon Quest online game franchise. It was successful, and there was an equally common anime adaptation in 1991. Quick-forward to 2020 and the anime sequence is revived, with an motion RPG introduced to be within the works due to the infuriating ubiquity of transmedia storytelling. Infinity Strash is that motion RPG, and it retells the primary 42 episodes of the revamped anime, which is 100 episodes lengthy, leaving loads of room for a sequel.
Sport Studio and KAI GRAPHICS collaborated on Infinity Strash, which is, in essence, a sequence of prolonged cutscenes pulled from this latest anime sequence bolted onto a fight system. When not watching stills from what now we have to think about is a better-paced narrative, gamers will likely be blasting via bland environments stuffed with enemies pulled from the bigger Dragon Quest universe, often punctuated by a boss encounter, that are reused to an unlucky extent.
We weren’t anticipating Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age high quality, being a by-product and a subseries. However the Dragon Quest Heroes and Dragon Quest Builders sequence are properly regarded sufficient, so seeing such a barebones effort from the storied writer is shocking. Technically talking, All of it works, and it even appears to be like good sufficient — however there may be so slight variation in gameplay that apathy rapidly units in.
Considerably of its period, the story on the coronary heart of Infinity Strash is straightforward, stuffed with complicated characters with names which will or could not sound infinitely cooler in Japanese, in basic Akira Toriyama vogue. We would hate to spoil something, but it surely follows the titular Dai, a boy with a mysterious internal energy who desires of changing into a hero. When future calls, Dai begins to coach below the well-known Avan and turns into one in all his Disciples. Together with the opposite Disciples of Avan (Popp, Maam, and Hyunckel), they journey to save lots of the world from Darkish Lord Hadlar and his grasp, the nonetheless extra highly effective Darkish King Vearn.
The worst of each worlds, Infinity Strash manages to concurrently really feel like a rushed retelling of a a lot bigger story and a sequence of interminably lengthy cutscenes fully unsuited for the medium of video video games. There isn’t a world to discover; you choose a chapter, sit via a sequence of cutscenes, and sometimes play via a primary stage to progress the story. These gameplay segments are typically simply hallways stuffed with chaff enemies, culminating in a boss encounter. As a deal with, you’ll unlock free levels, that are repeatable alternatives to battle those self same enemies to grind out character ranges.
Some scenes stretch on for so long as ten minutes straight, with a number of bridging the hole between every temporary oasis of gameplay. It simply goes on and on, and we won’t stress sufficient that these sequences are merely stills from the anime with a sepia filter excessive, stuffed with characters yelling extraordinarily fundamental exposition at each other. Should you thought basic Shonen anime like Dragon Ball Z or Naruto moved slowly, then Infinity Strash winds issues all the way down to tectonic pace. We will not think about precise followers of the supply materials can be pleased with this bastardised retelling, by the way in which, or that gamers of the sport would need one other serving no matter format.
There is a universe wherein the story stuff could possibly be forgiven (or no less than skipped, a hell of a conundrum for the participant to be in), offered the gameplay was strong sufficient. Sadly, what’s right here is serviceable if comparatively shallow and pretty stiff. Every character in Infinity Strash has their very own set of fundamental assaults and distinctive talents and magic, unlocked at particular moments all through the story. When you can grind ranges to extend base stats like HP, Assault, and Magic in basic vogue, significant additions to the participant’s moveset are imprisoned behind nonetheless extra cutscenes.
You possibly can take a celebration of 4 characters into fight and freely change between them in battle. The AI manages the others, and there may be senseless enjoyable available simply laying waste to the whole lot in sight. Should you have been questioning, Strash is like Dai’s model of Goku’s Kamehameha — a particular assault you’ll use repeatedly. Every character can have three particular talents geared up directly and can finally unlock Coup de Grâce tremendous assaults, which necessitate filling a corresponding meter.
There’s a gentle improve system within the type of Bond Reminiscences, primarily equipable playing cards commemorating main story beats that may be upgraded for minor statistical features. It is pointless, however a separate roguelike mode housed within the Temple of Recollection provides extra fight for individuals who need it. Every run has the participant’s social gathering beginning at degree one, separate from the bottom marketing campaign, the place the fabric to improve Bond Reminiscences, in addition to spells and skills, could be farmed.
Conclusion
We will not think about who Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Journey of Dai is for, because it largely boils all the way down to being a worse model of an present IP, with some pretty bland gameplay tacked on for good measure. Newcomers will likely be misplaced, and lovers will not recognize the corners lower, so whereas technically — and mechanically — sound, it leaves little or no to suggest.