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We're big fans of the preposterously titled Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below, which released back in 2015. Crafted by Omega Force - the studio behind the all of the Warriors games - it melds the role-playing elements that you'd expect of a Dragon Quest title with typical Dynasty Warriors action. The result is an accessible, charming action RPG that's a lot of fun to play - and it seems as though its upcoming sequel won't be any different.

The more predictably named Dragon Quest Heroes II launches later this month on PlayStation 4, but if you want an early look at it, there's a playable demo out right now on the PlayStation Store. Keen to see how the sequel compares to its predecessor, we nabbed said demo and smashed monsters until our thumbs ached. As you can probably tell from the title of this article, we came away reasonably impressed.

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For those who haven't been keeping up with the game (it released in Japan last year), Dragon Quest Heroes II thrusts its established gameplay into a more open setting. Environments aren't completely open, but large maps are yours to explore at your leisure. The demo emphasises this point by giving you access to the cheekily named Greena Pastures, a chunk of land populated by colourful creatures.

Immediately, the open space and the ability to wander around without constantly being thrown into combat conjures a sense of adventure that the first game lacks. Instead of simply moving from one battleground to the next via a map, you now travel from location to location, fighting monsters, stumbling across treasure, and completing side quests as you go. It's a change of pace that could end up working especially well.

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The combat hasn't been tampered with too much, but a slew of new characters should at least keep things feeling somewhat fresh. Basic combos are incredibly easy to pull off, while holding down R1 opens up your current character's special moves. Seeing big damage numbers pop out of your enemies as you unleash your most powerful techniques is still super satisfying, and coup de grace finishers are still a sight to behold.

At this point, we don't see any reason why Dragon Quest Heroes II shouldn't be able to better its predecessor. As long as its open environments don't outstay their welcome and combat retains its edge, this should be a thoroughly enjoyable adventure.

Have you given the Dragon Quest Heroes II demo a try? Embark on a journey into the comments section below.