Steam free download is a joyous blend of Minecraft and Final Fantasy

Some games are just an absolute delight. They manage to combine gameplay mechanics to bring about sheer joy. Bright colourful worlds featuring cutesy character design, they’re just a blessing.

Dragon Quest has a world filled with these things. For years, the franchise has been putting out RPGs filled with adorable characters and monsters, but Dragon Quest Builders 2, and it’s predecessor, take the cake. Combining traditional adventuring alongside world building you’d find in games like Minecraft, this is definitely one to try out, even if you don’t normally go for creative games.

A mix of traditional Final Fantasy and a dash of Minecraft is Dragon Quest Builders 2

At one point, you’ll be hunting down monsters, defending the city you’re helping to construct, the next minute you’re equipped with large building blocks to create new buildings and structures for villagers to live in. There’s a story that whisks you through, “The evil Children of Hargon are determined to eradicate all creators and have outlawed the building, cooking, and creation of all things. To spread their destructive dogma, the calamitous cult captures the builders of the world.” Then, in true RPG style, your character washes up on the shore and is tasked with becoming the best creator imaginable.

It really is like Final Fantasy and Minecraft had a JRPG baby that went out into the world and started building a better civilisation. The gameplay loop of bopping enemies and then setting time aside to create gorgeous structures is so satisfying, and you can try the game for free, right now, on Steam.

Don’t worry if you didn’t play the first game or any Dragon Quest games. This is a brilliant entry into the franchise introducing you to many popular enemies and tropes that have made the games some of the most popular to date. As a huge fan of the series, I can’t recommend it enough, so once you’re done here, check out some other Dragon Quest games.