Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors (Wii)
What can be said that hasn’t already been said about Dragon Quest? Created by Yuji Horii, with artwok from the famed Akira Toriyama and music by esteeemed composer Koichi Sugiyama, the series is the highest selling role-playing series, and in many respects, game, in all of Japan. Urban legends about Enix being forced to release the game only on weekends due to the sheer amount of kids skipping school have been featured in every magazine around the world. And the announcement of Dragon Quest IX coming to the Nintendo DS only solidifies how strong the series is.
But to Americans, this series is neither popular nor treasured. What chance does a spin-off, one based on a stand-alone toy sold only in Japan, have in a land where swinging virtual swords still rests solely in the hands of nerd culture? If Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors has anything to say about it, a lot.
We’re introduced to the peaceful land of Avalonia after Xiphos has been destroyed. But like any good tale, chaos is slowly returning. The story opens with our silent, no-name Hero attending a festival where sword fighting is the featured entertainment. After learning the basics, our hero is sent off to perform his right of passage, the Walk of the Worthy as they call it, something that he will have to survive if he is to become a man. Thus we are introduced to the unnamed hero, prince Anlace, and Claymore, the hero’s father.
The beginning game acts as a tutorial for the basic controls, showing the player how to use the pointer and motion controls to articulate sword swings. To that end, the motion controls are the true star of the game, as players will spend most of their time in combat, where controls are of the utmost importance. Dragon Quest Swords was made for the Wii Remote. The game’s creator was initially approached by Nintendo President, and former game designer, Satoru Iwata with the prototype of the Wii’s controller.
For what it’s worth, the game controls fairly well. Basic sword swings register accurately enough, moreso when done slowly. Mad swingers will find all kinds of problems with the game, hence the need to tone down on their technique if they hope to make it through some of the game’s more frantic fights. To remedy this, Square Enix allowed the player to set focal points on the screen, which will default back to the center after a small window of time. Setting the focal point will allow the player to more accurately cut down their enemies. This comes in handy the further along the game moves, since enemies will often times be out of the path of the game’s default focal area.
There are some problems with the controls, however, which crop up when the player is faced with projectile throwing enemies. In some instances, the player can bat projectiles back at enemies and, more often than not, it’s the only way to defeat them due to range or indestructible scenery. The player must select a focal point on the screen and swipe at the projectile to send it sailing back at the enemy but more often than not the swing won’t register accurately (a thrust instead of a swing) or will register at the wrong place or wrong time.
Square Enix obviously foresaw some of these problems, hence the lessened difficulty and the inclusion of three allies: prince Anlace, Claymore, and Fluerette, an ex-nun whose brother once helped bring Xiphos to justice but now suffers from a mysterious ailment. The three characters bring magic to the table, a skill that the Hero lacks, which can either damage the enemies, heal the Hero, or protect the Hero from damage. Though the three aren’t directly controlled by the player, the amount of time the spend casting magic can be adjusted. The player also has the ability to cast magic when they most need it. As the game progresses, this proves invaluable.
Everything distinctly Dragon Quest is here. Well, everything but the sweeping epic story, the free-form exploration, and the role-playing aspects. This game is definitely for the role-playing novice. The hero does grow stronger with each battle and can augment his weapon, something the player will want to do to open up the enemy destroying master and partner strokes, but it’s mostly superficial. Players will go through the eight different areas multiple times, mostly to open up different routes and gain different items, as well as rank. Because of the linear nature of the stage progression, as well as the inability to trek off the beaten path within each stage, the story is superfluous. This game is foremost about swinging your sword.
It’s a shame, really, because the game is clean and beautiful. It stays rigidly within the Dragon Quest mythos and does well presenting it in a fully 3D environment. Building interiors are meticulously decorated, especially the Hero’s home, which has only one interactive object. Character and enemy animations are fluid and the game moves at a good clip. The outdoor environments are lush and varied enough to give each area a personality all its own and, coupled with the sound and traditionally Dragon Quest-esque music, it feels like a throwback to a bygone era.
Speaking of sound, the voice overs are expertly recorded. Each main character, besides our silent hero, has a distinct speech pattern. Claymore, who is respectful to Prince Anlace, on one hand, is crude on the other, talking about lasses and drink as any father and son should. Fluerette is a flirty, French woman whose accent will melt the hearts of teenage boys around the country. But there is a downside. Despite all of the storage space on the disk, Square Enix only recorded a few sayings for combat, so your allies will repeat the same phrases over and over again.
Will players fall in love with the world of Avalonia? For a time, yes. After beating the game, more areas present themselves, more bosses rise out of their lairs, and more choices are given to the player, but ultimately, it’s a linear experience that doesn’t last as long as a typical RPG would. Dragon Quest Swords is just a glimpse of what the future holds for first-person RPGs on the Wii. It’s definitely worth a rent, or a purchase for those who need to get their RPG fix, but don’t expect a grandiose adventure in the same vein of the main Dragon Quest games. If you come expecting anything more than simple fun, you’ll be disappointed, but if you know what you’re getting into Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors can be a good solid weekend of fun.
Primotech Rating: 
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