While Dragon Quest content hasn't always made its way West, the series has been reaching new heights of international popularity. Because of this, fans have gotten not one,but two separate mobile Dragon Quest games from Square Enix this year. The newest game, Dragon Quest Tact, is a free-to-play tactical RPG with monster recruiting elements. It's sure to delight longtime fans of the series while appealing to newcomers.
The interesting thing about Dragon Quest Tact is that it isn't just a standard tactical RPG like Fire Emblem or Final Fantasy Tactics, although fans of those series will probably enjoy DQ Tact too. The party in Dragon Quest Tact is built upon fighting and recruiting monsters, from the Blue Slimes that serve as the series mascots to Sabrecat Cub and Dracky. Even recurring bosses, such as Robbin' 'Ood, show up to challenge players along the way.
This kind of monster recruiting is a callback to Dragon Quest Monsters, although DQ Tact gives the combat a strategy-based spin. Because of the monster taming features, fans of Pokémon should also enjoy the game. This is especially true considering the monsters in Dragon Quest Tact are colorful and adorable. A slime named Majelly (short for Majellan) serves as one of the player guides, so all the franchise's typical puns and playfulness are still intact.
Recruiting monsters is completely RNG-based, although players will receive a few by default during the early parts of the game. Monsters come with different abilities and fill separate roles. While monsters like the Slime Knight, for example, use powerful sword attacks to swipe at enemies, Drackies can cast spells at foes from greater distances. Having too many monsters on the frontlines can wipe a party quickly, which is where the real strategy comes into play.
Since Dragon Quest Tact is a free-to-play mobile game, it comes with certain gacha mechanics that are pretty standard among offerings these days. Players will need stamina to progress through stages and advance the story, as well as Gems and countless other items to upgrade their monsters and abilities. Anyone who's familiar with Dragon Quest of the Stars on mobile can expect similar in-game currencies and gacha mechanics here. The ads and premium items can be a bit obtuse, but that seems to come with the territory of being a modern mobile game.
Overall, Dragon Quest Tact is an enjoyable tactical RPG. While the gacha mechanics can be annoying, it's outweighed by the fun gameplay and monster recruiting mechanics. It's a smooth combination of Pokémon and Final Fantasy Tactics. Dragon Quest Tact should be welcomed by longtime fans of the Dragon Quest series, but it's also well worth a download for any newcomers as well.
Dragon Quest Tact is due to be released soon on Android and iOS devices. Screen Rant was provided with a digital code for the Android version of the game for the purposes of this preview.