Square Enix has confirmed that the previously promised Dragon Quest Builders is finally releasing on the Nintendo Switch in 2018. More specifically, February 9th, 2018 is when the game will release on the Nintendo Switch. The game originally came out back in January, 2016. It will be just over two years from the game’s initial release on the PS3, PS Vita and PS4.
What’s interesting is that the Switch version of the game will arrive in 2018 when Dragon Quest Builders 2 is also expected to release for the PlayStation 4 and the Nintendo Switch. So, Switch owners will have access to two Dragon Quest Builders games in a single year.
Details on the sequel haven’t been revealed, but it will include the ability to swim, and use a new cloak glider for traversing around the game world quickly when falling or jumping from high distances. The cloak glider is very similar to the gliders from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
As for the original game on the Nintendo Switch, it will feature everything that the PS3 and PS4 versions had and then some. This includes traversing through the world of Alefgard, where the player character must rebuild the land from scratch after it’s been devastated from an invasion of monsters.
The story mode sees players fulfilling requests and rebuilding the towns for the townsfolk using the material gathered from around the game world. The building is identical to games like Minecraft, where you collect resources and then construct buildings, structures, bases, houses, and just about anything that your imagination can conjure.
If you’re not keen on traveling around the open world and rebuilding Alefgard in the story mode of Dragon Quest Builders, it’s also possible to dive into the Terra Incognita mode that allows you to free-build whatever it is you want, however you want. What’s more is that you can take your creations once you get done and log online and share your creations with other players. Alternatively, you can also download other creations made by other players to extend your play experience, similar to getting new mods and other features for games like Minecraft or Fallout 4.
New to Dragon Quest Builders on the Switch are the exclusive new special materials that can be used with the Great Sabrecub from the classic Dragon Quest games to unlock customization options and retro content.
Now, the other versions allowed for some form of multiplayer co-op play, but according to the Dragon Quest Builders website, the number of players supported for the Nintendo Switch version is listed as “to be determined,” so hopefully that will get ironed out ahead of the February 9th, 2018 release.
If you’re the kind of gamer craving more games on the Nintendo Switch that offer miscellaneous-style emergent gameplay and role-playing, Square Enix and Bird Studio’s open-world creation-and-adventure title will likely be right up your alley.
