DRAGON QUEST BUILDERS™ 2

玩法上很吸引人，剧情上只能说不愧是日厂，第二章矿石岛简直是“教科书”级别的景观化女角色，一大半的内容都在女角色给玩家/男角色发“福利”，男角色被小头控制大头进入发情期，样板戏到懒得吐槽

送给那个童年时期趴在桌子上看休闲街区查克拉和so的自己

I reviewed Dragon Quest Builders 1 as "what if Minecraft had a story, a structure, goals and was actually fun?" DQB2 improves on its predecessor in almost every way....except...the dialogues. Not the quality of them, just the frequency! Your building and progress is constantly halted so that characters can jammer endlessly at you. For the love of all that is Holy, please SHUT UP and let me build! Other than that...yes, good!

Greatest MC style game ever made. Far better than Minecraft itself. I was so looking forward to DQB3 and 4. Alas... Works great on the deck, but you can hear the system struggling.

[b] Gameplay: [/b] 9.2/10 ; [b] Story: [/b] 7.8/10 If the first game could be described as [b] "Minecraft with a classic Dragon Quest flavor," [/b] then [i] Builders 2 [/i] feels more like [b] "Minecraft meets Story of Seasons and Terraria." [/b] Likewise, if the original was about [b] a lone hero rebuilding the world [/b], this sequel is about [b] everyone working together to make it happen [/b]. Let's start with the gameplay. Purely from a gameplay perspective, there's no question that [i] Builders 2 [/i] is richer and deeper than its predecessor. It expands nearly every system, adds significantly more content, and smooths out many of the awkward mechanics and quality-of-life issues from the first game, making the overall experience much more enjoyable. What I appreciate most, though, is the incredible sense of everyday life and exploration the game creates. Combined with this installment's unique mechanics, it genuinely feels like you're living in this world rather than simply playing through it, and that feeling is wonderfully relaxing. That said, the PC version still has room for improvement in terms of optimization. The frame rate is capped at 60 FPS, and loading times can be fairly long. Ironically, the PC port of the first game, released in 2024, actually performs noticeably better overall. The interface also retains a few lingering quality-of-life issues. Inventory management and item sorting could have been handled much better. Once your storage starts filling up in the late game, tracking down a specific item can become surprisingly tedious. Now let's move on to the story. Without spoiling any major plot points, I'd like to compare the two games based on their overall narrative structure and thematic focus. Personally, I still prefer the first game's story and central theme. If I had to sum it up in one sentence, it'd be: "[b] Even if you're not the chosen hero, you still have the freedom to choose your own path. [/b]" That idea remains consistent throughout the entire game. Rather than obsessing over grand destinies or legendary prophecies, the protagonist values the small bonds formed between ordinary people—and in the end, it's precisely those seemingly insignificant connections that make saving the world possible. In many ways, it stands apart from the grand heroic narrative traditionally associated with the mainline [i] Dragon Quest [/i] series, and that's something I deeply appreciate. Its chapter-based structure reinforces this central theme exceptionally well. Across four major chapters, each one builds upon the same idea before everything comes together in a satisfying and emotionally resonant finale. Now, back to [i] Builders 2 [/i]. On the surface, this game tells a more continuous and linear story, but structurally it's still divided into four major chapters. Each chapter centers on a new large island, with transitional events—such as the prison escape sequence—bridging them together more naturally. If I had to summarize this game's thematic focus, I'd break it down into three main ideas: [b] 1. [/b] The relationship between the protagonist and Malroth (the primary theme that runs through the entire game) [b] 2. [/b] Cooperation between people (secondary) [b] 3. [/b] The philosophical relationship between destruction and creation (tertiary) The first theme is unquestionably the heart of the game—it's right there in the subtitle. While some of the writing relies on familiar tropes commonly found in Japanese anime and games, it's executed well enough to rise comfortably above average. The final chapter, in particular, brilliantly pays off all the emotional buildup accumulated throughout the journey, delivering by far the strongest and most memorable moments in the entire game. Judging that section alone, I'd probably rate the story around [b] 9.5/10 [/b]. The problem is that Chapters Two and Three feel considerably weaker. In my opinion, neither comes close to matching the quality of the opening chapter or the finale. Chapter Three is especially problematic. It introduces emotional tension between the protagonist and Malroth, but before that conflict is properly resolved, the story quickly transitions into the final chapter. Worse yet, for much of the early and middle portions of that chapter, you're separated from him and forced to travel alone. That gap weakens the emotional continuity. By the time the finale arrives, the eventual payoff doesn't land as powerfully as it could have. Since Chapter Three revolves almost entirely around warfare, I actually found my own emotional attachment to Malroth diminishing during that portion of the game—and even the outstanding finale couldn't fully rebuild that connection. This imbalance becomes even more noticeable after finishing the game and looking back at the story as a whole. Once the emotional high of the ending fades, the uneven pacing stands out more and more. There's also a broader issue with the game's narrative approach. Whenever a story chooses to place its primary thematic weight on the relationship between the protagonist and another character, it inevitably risks weakening its other themes. If that central relationship isn't compelling enough to support the entire narrative, the whole story starts to feel hollow. Fortunately, [i] Builders 2 [/i] avoids that pitfall. The relationship between the protagonist and Malroth is strong enough to carry the game. Still, in my view, the other two themes inevitably receive less attention as a result. That brings us to the second theme: cooperation. The first game already explored this idea exceptionally well, and [i] Builders 2 [/i] expands on it further. Interestingly, though, I found the relationships between humans and monsters far more moving than those between humans themselves. The moments that genuinely entertained and emotionally resonated with me almost always involved the wonderfully diverse cast of monsters. Compared to them, many of the human characters simply felt less memorable. Finally, there's the philosophical contrast between destruction and creation. The game certainly presents this idea, but only at a relatively surface level. Most of it is conveyed through dialogue and plot rather than being deeply explored through gameplay or storytelling. While the relationship between the protagonist and Malroth also reflects this theme, the execution doesn't quite go far enough. Ironically, what should arguably have been the game's central philosophical idea ends up feeling more like a supporting theme. Overall, I actually find it difficult to reduce [i] Builders 2 [/i] to a single defining message. That can be viewed as both a weakness and a strength. On one hand, the game lacks the kind of singular, unforgettable core theme that immediately defines the experience. On the other hand, the combination of several overlapping themes gives different players different emotional takeaways, ultimately making the experience richer in its own way. Finally, two important tips: [b] First [/b], if you're planning to earn every achievement like I did, start working on the rarest achievement as early as possible. It revolves around breeding animals and is somewhat reminiscent of raising Chocobos in the original [i] Final Fantasy VII [/i]. It's incredibly time-consuming, and if you leave it until the very end, you could easily spend another 10–20 hours doing little more than waiting. [b] Second [/b], I highly recommend playing the first [i] Dragon Quest Builders [/i] if you haven't already. Both games excel in different ways and each has its own unique strengths. Playing both also makes it much easier to appreciate how differently they approach similar ideas. That said, I wouldn't recommend playing them back-to-back. Their gameplay loops are quite similar, and burnout is a real possibility. Give yourself some time between the two. Thanks for reading, and happy building!

Not sure why this game shows as unsupported on Steam Deck --- I've played the game through on it start to finish, and it plays FAR better than DQB1, which is listed as having partial support.

好无聊啊，到底是谁在推荐这款游戏

まごうことなき神ゲーです！ スイッチ版でプレイした後、PC版も買いました。 グラフィックが綺麗というのもあるけど、ドラクエビルダーズ3への期待を込めての事！ 綺麗なマイクラやマイクラのパクリと思っている人にも是非遊んで欲しいです。 ストーリーがとてもいいです。 マイクラも神ゲーだけど、ドラクエビルダーズ2も楽しいよ！

这个游戏的节奏有点奇怪。 当你带着日厂MC的心理预期进入游戏时，大量的过场动画、空气墙、无法破坏的方块会温和但不容置喙地规制您进入故事驱动日本RPG的心流。作为“创造师”对抗魔王的叙事。 但当真的沉浸下去之后，你又突然被扔回到一个美其名曰可以“自由创造”的沙盒领域“空荡岛”，被强行发配回沙盒游戏的心流。 是的，我们有第二个章节，另一段RPG旅程。但在新的旅程里，之前搜集到的资源和制作配方又无法使用了。 之前积累的建筑，对环境的改造，也因为每个章节，每一个“岛”是分隔开的，无法即时地经常地被玩家确认和印象唤起。 非常割裂的游戏。 我觉得在游戏设计里对于玩家性能做减法需要慎之又慎，多数出现在一小段叙事或者rougelike游戏里。 我宁愿是一个粗暴的大空气墙，然后所有的游戏内容都在同一款大陆上。岛只作为随机生成的资源补充点存在。

I can't believe this game made me cry MULTIPLE TIMES. 10/10