Dragon Quest Monsters Super Light review: super light indeed

Dragon Quest Monsters Super Light is Square Enix’s newest instalment of the Dragon Quest series, and it’s free to play. That’s right, a Dragon Quest game complete with the monsters, music, and quality you love is going for absolutely nothing. The Dragon Quest series is known for top notch games, but will this free to play mobile game live up to its series’s reputation?

The game starts out by introducing you to a monster named Watabou, who explains to you what is going on in the Super Light world. He explains that he is not sure why certain monsters are suddenly attacking, but he knows that you are the perfect person to look into it. He then shows you the ropes of monster fighting, dungeon crawling, and even how to buy things in the store (how convenient). Watabou acts as a support character for the first few quests, but later disappears and serves only to answer questions.

As you progress through the dungeons you make new monster friends that you can add to your battling team, collect gold that you can use to buy new maps, and collect all kinds of items that you can use in battle. Pretty typical RPG stuff. The more you battle, the stronger your monsters get; unfortunately Super Light operates with a stamina system that restricts how often you can explore the dungeons.

Gameplay: remember it’s light

All in all, this is one fairly typical dungeon crawling RPG that we’ve seen about a thousand times. The difference, though, is that Dragon Quest Monsters Super Light doesn’t try to be this epic time sucking RPG, but rather aims to be the light version for a more casual experience. And this is what makes Super Light shine.

Seeing how Super Light is made for mobile devices, you will utilize the touch screen for all of your movements. Your character doesn’t move around the screen and stays stationary in the middle until you give the command. If you want to move right, you slide your finger from the right side of the screen to the center. If you want to open up a treasure chest, you simply tap the chest and it’s done. Super quick and easy.

Battles take place in a similar fashion. Your monsters stay stationary at their posts until you give your command. You can simply tap the monster you want to attack, or choose a specific move you would like to do. The battles were sometimes fierce, but they never drag on.

Looks good for being free

Fans have come to expect a certain level of quality from the Dragon Quest series, and Super Light doesn’t disappoint. The monsters all look spectacular and range from the super cute slimes seen in every single version of the DQ series, to giant raging chickens. Although limited, every monster has movement. Whether it be a simple flapping of wings or the bouncing of the slimes, all monsters have a bit of visible life to them, something that many free dungeon crawlers don’t offer.

The game’s music is also worth noting. Super Light’s soundtrack is really well put together and gives the feel of a light hearted adventure that is really fitting for this light game. The sound effects are very fitting as well. They’re not the most satisfying sounds in the world, but they get the job done.

Overall Dragon Quest Monsters Super Light is exactly as the name suggests, a super light version of Dragon Quest. You are not going to find a massive story that you will want to sink weeks of your life into. You are not going to be overly impressed by gameplay. You will, however, have fun. If you are looking for some casual JRPG gaming, check out Super Light at the Apple Store or Google Play.