I'll admit that I am relatively new to the Dragon Quest Monsters series. The Dark Prince passed me by on Switch, and while I have some memories of playing Joker on my DS, I never really "got into it" in the same way that I did the mainline games around the same time.
So, I was excited to find out more about Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World at a recent Square Enix event. My memories of the series were very much 'what if Pokémon were a little slimier', and I was keen to see if it had broken out of Game Freak's shadow in the years since, with 'mon-likes cropping up all over the place.
After around 35 minutes with the opening section of the game and some time playing around with the Synthesis options, it turns out I have a lot to learn. Here are just some of my discoveries...
I was vaguely aware of The Dark Prince's monster Synthesis, but I hadn't seen it in action myself until going hands-on with The Withered World. Is it morally questionable? Sure. Is it an addictive way to bolster your line-up? Absolutely.
For those who likewise missed it, Synthesis is The Withered World's way of adding new, more powerful monsters to your roster by... fusing two of your existing party members together.
I quickly found that I had to switch off my brain from focusing too much on the realities of Synthesising a beefy Bantamweight with an adorable little Bunicorn, and that was made easier when I saw the potential badassery of the results — a particularly beefy Bullfinch in that example.
This time around, you can choose the outcome of your Synthesis, seeing all the potential options before locking one in. While I would have preferred an element of surprise from the whole ordeal, the chance to avoid disappointment and then tweak the stats of your new 'child' (ew) is a welcome one, particularly with the 500+ monsters available in this game.
I'm no stranger to a Dragon Quest pun, but Square Enix is really firing on all cylinders with this one. Monsters like Croc-a-Bugle-Doo, Sacksquatch, Kingfuschia and Woebergine have all made me giggle in the past, but The Withered World's Piña Marauder — an evil-looking pineapple, obviously — might take the crown for my all-time favourite.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.nintendolife.com/previews/how-are-monsters-made-and-5-other-things-i-learned-playing-dragon-quest-monsters-the-withered-world
