ئیتان کریگەر سەرنوسەری کۆمپانیای DualShockers ە، کە تێیدا پێداچوونەوە، ڕێنمایی، لیست، تایبەتمەندی، پێشبینی، چاوپێکەوتن و هەواڵی یاریکردن دەگرێتەوە. لە ساڵی ٢٠١٧ وەک نووسەری وەرزشی دەستی بە نووسین کردووە بە شێوەیەکی پیشەگەرانە پێش ئەوەی لە ساڵی ٢٠٢٤ بچێتە ناو ڕووماڵکردنی یارییەکانەوە لەگەڵ کۆمپانیای DualShockers.
You must forgive me, as prior to gamescom 2026, I'm not actually someone that was extremely familiar with the Monsters offshoot of the legendary Dragon Quest IP. Sure, I'd heard of the creature collecting spin-off series, but it wasn't one I'd ever jumped into myself, despite being a massive fan of the other comparable games in the genre (insert Pokémon reference here).
But I've now been baptized into the club as I've been able to go hands-on with the latest entry in the series, The Withered World, while visiting the Square Enix booth in Germany for gamescom. After a quick introductory presentation to the game, I was off and running, free to dive into this new adventure in this new (to me) franchise.
While I can definitely see some genre influence in The Withered World, it also feels refreshing to me in certain ways too, since I'm coming to the series for the first time. Perhaps it's because I'm a newbie, but I imagine that will also mean that this is a title that can capture and captivate other genre fans, giving yet another solid option for players to dive into if you're into this flavor of video game. It might not end up being the deepest title out there, but I'm feeling positive about The Withered World still being a good time overall.
The first thing I noticed about Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World was simply how thoroughly cozy and charming the game felt. Sure, the whole premise of this one at the start is that the Kingdom of Witherwood has seen better days, as we're initially placed in a desolate plain full of dying plants and trees that clearly, desperately could use some gardening attention. But this semi-depressing starting biome doesn't mitigate the charm, either.
It's here where we meet our two playable heroines, Bianca and Nera, who have both mysteriously been Isekai-ed to Witherwood, tied together by the fact that they're both in search for a means to save their seriously ailing fathers. It's not exactly the most novel story setup I've ever seen in my life, but it is still proven stage setting nonetheless, and one I can imagine will lead to at least a handful of emotionally charged moments down the line later in the game.
Upon waking up, Bianca and Nera are greeted by a friendly, speaking monster sidekick named Scruffy, who gets us set up with our first monster capture before we continue on our way, getting our feet wet with the world and kicking off a downright adorable journey.
The artwork and character designs really grabbed me right off the bat, as The Withered World somehow has an even cozier feeling to me compared to things like Pokémon. Everything is just a bit more cartoonish, entirely charming, and feels more Ghibli-adjacent in a way that really shows that Dragon Quest Monsters very much has its own, strong, memorable personality and flair within the genre.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.dualshockers.com/gamescom-2026-preview-dragon-quest-monsters-the-withered-world/
