Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix, KAI Graphics Co
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X/S
Tested on: PS5
Infinity Strash: DRAGON QUEST The Adventure of Dai – Review
It’s hard to imagine that the Dragon Quest (or Dragon Warrior) series is already roughly 37 years old. The series started off on the NES, and it’s still going strong today with its latest main entry release in 2018, but also because of many spin-off titles like Dragon Quest Treasures and Dragon Quest Builders. We love the franchise and thanks to its established lore and monster collection, it always feels like coming home when a new title is released. This time we’re taking a look at Infinity Strash: DRAGON QUEST The Adventure of Dai, which is a very story-driven experience, perhaps to the point that it’s best to grab a snack and enjoy the show.
Story
Infinity Strash: DRAGON QUEST The Adventure of Dai basically leads you through the journey Dai embarks on when his mentor, the hero Avan, is slain by the Dark Commander. Dragon Quest itself is a very established franchise, and it does follow the DBZ-like formula, which is, of course, normal as it’s by the same creator. Nonetheless, Dai will expand his party with heroes, to eventually take on the new Dark Lord and hopefully become the new hero the world needs. The story is very fun to play through in that ’90s anime kind of way. The Adventure of Dai was already serialized in 1991 and it was given a second lease on life with a remake in 2020. The game puts a heavy focus on the narrative, and perhaps even a bit too much. We were often under the impression we were watching a series rather than playing a game.
Graphics
Just like many other titles in the Dragon Quest universe, the character and monster designs are spot on. We really enjoyed seeing many familiar enemies, and the characters from Dai’s adventures have never looked so good. Sadly, due to the odd gameplay design, the world looks barren and empty. Most of your battles will be spent in tiny arena-like environments that lack any clutter and simply look as if this is a game that was released two decades ago. We expected a bit more for a game that’s available on every major platform.
The story segments are presented with still images with a filter applied to them. This style works, but we would have preferred actual anime segments due to the sheer volume of story exposition when playing through the game. While we appreciated the overall quality of the art, it would have been a more immersive experience to have anime-like segments.
Sound
The sound design is handled perfectly. You’ll be treated to great voice acting for the many story segments the game throws at you, and the supporting soundtrack is also properly adventure-infused. The overall cheesy 90s dialogues did add a lot of charm to the mix, and it also gave us the impression that we were watching a fun kids’ anime to unwind with, rather than playing a full-fledged RPG title. The sound effects themselves are also quite good, and they provide great audio feedback for the onscreen action.
Gameplay
Infinity Strash: DRAGON QUEST The Adventure of Dai is an action-adventure game with some RPG elements sprinkled in between. The game also throws in a Roguelite mode for good measure that supports the main campaign. The offset of The Adventure of Dai is very simple, as you basically just enjoy the story that unravels while playing through very short stages, in which you either defeat a boss character or slay a group of enemies. The gameplay remains shallow throughout, with a few mechanics present that allow your characters to become stronger.
The game feels a bit off-balanced when looking at the actual play time and the number of cutscenes you’ll have to sit through. Don’t get us wrong, we loved seeing the story progress, but some missions could be cleared in a minute or two, to then sit through ten minutes or more worth of cinematics. This sometimes made it seem as if this title was more of an anime series with still images rather than an actual game.
To spice things up, Infinity Strash throws a Roguelite mode in the mix. Here you’ll play through short arena-based levels as well, as you delve deeper and deeper into the Temple of Recollections. Every few floors, you’ll get the option to head back to the start, resetting your progress but rewarding you with your acquired loot. If you decide to press onwards and perish, you will lose all the items you have accumulated during your run. This mode is a fun addition, and it also helps you make your story characters stronger. You’ll be able to find materials to upgrade your Bond Memories, which are basically passive equippable upgrades, but you’ll also be able to upgrade your skills here as well.
Even though the concept and overall gameplay loop of the game are fairly enjoyable, it still feels like the gameplay itself takes the backseat here for the biggest portion of the game. You’ll be able to swap freely between characters, but even with the different skill sets available, you’ll often resort to button-mashing in order to win battles. You’ll frequently disregard mechanics such as blocking and dodging, with the latter feeling especially underpowered. It’s also clear that stronger foes are clearly programmed to react to your button input, as a dodge typically resulted in the enemy adjusting their viewpoint (and casting radius) when we pressed the button. As mentioned above, you’ll be able to equip Bond Memories to passively boost your characters, and the aforementioned skills can also be leveled. Other than that, the game offers very little in terms of overall mechanics.
Conclusion
Infinity Strash: DRAGON QUEST The Adventure of Dai is a fun title, but it does lack actual engaging gameplay other than button-mashing and leveling your characters. We thoroughly enjoyed playing through Dai’s story, and it gave us the feeling of watching a captivating ’90s show. Even so, the current price tag is way too high for what’s on offer here. If you’re looking for a story-driven experience with a fun Roguelite mode thrown in for good measure, you’ll probably still very much enjoy this one.
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