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It’s looking like a “Clash of the Titans” kinda November, with both Zelda and GTA 6 duking it out. (Not to mention the dozens upon dozens of other titles vying for your attention in September and October.)
Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World may be the cosy kind of comedown your PS5 desperately needs after such a busy year, then.
Due out on 3rd December, I spent an hour-ish with the opening moments of the game at an event in London last week, and really enjoyed my time with it.
For those who don’t know – the franchise is making its PlayStation debut here – I’d say this is a fusion of traditional Dragon Quest JRPGs and Pokémon. You’ll be recruiting monsters to your party – some familiar, some not – and training them in order to raise a formidable team.
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I was really impressed with all of the monster designs, which look pin-sharp on the PS5 Pro. From the obvious inclusions like Slimes through to more creative imaginations like the String Fella – who technically first debuted in Dragon Quest X – there’s some compelling variety here.
Square Enix tells me there’ll be more than 500 monsters in the final game, some of which you’ll need to synthesise by combining other types to unlock. (More on that later.)
The thrust of the campaign puts you in control of either Bianca or Nera, who are looking for an elixir to heal their respective fathers. There are some ominous signs that big sister Debora may scupper your plans, but obviously you’ll need to play the full game to find out.
The dev says it hopes to have struck a balance between lighthearted, kid-friendly storytelling and something a little deeper for adults; it likened the approach to a Pixar movie. We’ll see if it’s successful.
Forming teams is really straightforward, but I imagine there’ll be depth in how you synergise different combinations. The synthesis mechanic – which sees you combining multiple types of monsters to create new ones – also seems like an essential part of the loop.
Talent Points can be invested into different categories to unlock new moves or statistical improvements, like more HP. And you can have the game advise you where to spend these depending on your goals for the monster, like whether you want it to be more defensive or offensive.
Everything I saw seemed kinda simple, perhaps obscured slightly by a layer of over-tutorialisation. But that’s why I say it could be the perfect comedown to the busy fall release schedule, because it does seem like quite a simple and cosy game.
The visuals are delightful and the soundtrack has that jovial “Dragon Quest” earworm quality to it, which I really appreciated. I accidentally selected Japanese voiceovers so I can’t comment on the English performances, but they’re usually a highlight in this franchise.
I’m not sure whether I’ll play Dragon Quest Monsters when it releases, but only because I’m going to have such an enormous backlog, I expect I’ll invest my time elsewhere.
But I’m really happy to see this franchise finally arrive on the PS5, and it looks like Square Enix is taking this version seriously, with sublime presentation and rapid load times.
It feels like the after-meal mint on 2026’s gaming buffet, and sometimes you need that palate cleanser to bring your dinner to a conclusion.