{"id":135098,"date":"2023-10-04T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-04T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/#article-156105"},"modified":"2023-10-04T17:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-10-04T17:00:00","slug":"review-infinity-strash-dragon-quest-the-adventure-of-dai-a-dismal-adaptation-of-an-excellent-anime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2023\/10\/04\/review-infinity-strash-dragon-quest-the-adventure-of-dai-a-dismal-adaptation-of-an-excellent-anime\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure Of Dai – A Dismal Adaptation Of An Excellent Anime"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/div>\n
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\"Infinity<\/a><\/figure>\n

The Dragon Quest<\/strong> series is no stranger to spin-off titles, but few are as confusing as Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai<\/a>. This action RPG is based on an anime adaptation of a manga based on the world of Dragon Quest, but it is never clear who the game is designed to appeal to. The few things it does well are buried under an avalanche of unengaging cutscenes that go on too long and simply don\u2019t do the story they\u2019re telling justice.<\/p>\n

That isn\u2019t to say that there aren\u2019t some glimmers of hope hidden in this game\u2019s runtime. The combat, for example, is competently designed if unimaginative in its implementation; characters have a basic attack, plus a selection of powers that they can unleash to deal more damage or to heal their allies. It is a system that has been used countless times before because it works well, letting you feel powerful as you wade through waves of enemies on the battlefield.<\/p>\n

\"Infinity<\/a>
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The boss fights that pop up every few battles are fun and challenging, and there is enough variety in these to keep them interesting through to the end of the game. Mastering the timing of your dodge and block commands is the key to victory, but it will probably take at least two attempts to get the boss\u2019 unique pattern down.<\/p>\n

There are even some excellent visuals mixed into the combat sequences that make them remarkably satisfying. The vibrant colours and iconic monsters that Dragon Quest has always been known for are all here and look great on the Switch. If Infinity Strash had focused solely on being an action RPG, it would be an easy one to recommend. There isn\u2019t anything groundbreaking in the combat here, but it is competently put together and fun when you get to play. There are a few small nitpicks with the combat, like an unwieldy camera and a mini-map that is next to useless, but this is still by far the best part of this game.<\/p>\n

\"Infinity<\/a>
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The problems with the game arise with the way the story is told. Aside from a handful of beautifully rendered cutscenes, most of the plot is delivered via unmoving images with text over top. Even the fact that each scene is fully voiced in both English and Japanese doesn\u2019t change the fact that Infinity Strash feels more like a visual novel with some action sequences rather than a full-fledged action RPG.<\/p>\n

The story in Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest is taken directly from The Adventure of Dai manga and its most recent anime adaptation. The game opens up at the end of the story and then jumps back to the start, with a focus on helping Dai uncover the memories of his journey. It\u2019s a fun story about a young hero unlocking his hidden power to stand up against an impossibly strong enemy, but it feels harshly abridged in this format. Dai and his friends are fun characters, but this format simply doesn\u2019t do them or their story justice. You\u2019re better off watching the anime instead of spending the 30 hours it will take you to play Infinity Strash.<\/p>\n

\"Infinity<\/a>
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We’ve said this multiple times, but the way the game delivers these cutscenes is frustratingly basic. Rather than getting to explore the world, you simply select the chapter you want to play and either sit through up to 10 minutes of cutscenes, then walk through a small level to reach your objective or fight a boss in an enclosed arena. Everything has a distinctly \u201ccorridors and cutscenes\u201d feel to it that lacks the excitement or wonder needed to keep you sticking around to the end.<\/p>\n

Before you select a chapter, there is at least a degree of customisation for each character before each level. You can choose which abilities you want them to use and how to map them on your controller, though the most significant change you can make to them is through the Bond Memories system. Each of Dai\u2019s memories that you recover can be equipped to a character, giving them boosts to certain stats or upping their maximum hit points. Initially, this is a fun system, but it soon starts to feel shallow and tacked on to tie the combat into a story that isn\u2019t pulling its weight.<\/p>\n

\"Infinity<\/a>
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld\/Undocked)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

These Bond Memories can be leveled up in the Temple of Recollection, which is a roguelike gauntlet dungeon that gives you the materials to upgrade your Bond Memories and your special attacks. The deeper you make it into the gauntlet, the better materials you\u2019ll get. We spent loads of time here, grinding away and enjoying the break from the monotonous cutscenes, and the fact that the Temple of Recollection is one of the highlights of Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest is a testament to what a missed opportunity the game really is. If the developer had focused more on the actual combat or created a unique story for the game, there would have been more to keep players engaged.<\/p>\n

While the fun combat system and the Temple of Recollection keep Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest from being a complete mess, they are held back from greatness by unbearable pacing and a poorly thought-out concept. It isn\u2019t clear who this game was created for \u2013 fans of the anime will get frustrated with the abridged and lazy way the story is told here while RPG fans will probably switch off during one of the overlong cutscenes. What we\u2019re left with is a confusing title that doesn\u2019t appeal to either set of players and feels like a missed opportunity more than anything.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Conclusion<\/h2>\n

Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai suffers from a chronic lack of focus. The vibrant visuals and fun combat can\u2019t make up for the fact that you\u2019ll spend hours doing little more than watching static images tell the plot of the anime. The result is a game that will frustrate action RPG fans with a lack of action and fails to do justice to the story it is trying to tell. Unless you\u2019re desperate for a new Dragon Quest game to play, you\u2019re better off just watching the anime and skipping this spin-off entirely.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Dragon Quest series is no stranger to spin-off titles, but few are as confusing as Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai. This action RPG is based on an anime adaptation of a manga based on the world of Dragon Quest, but it is never clear who the game is designed to appeal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-135098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nintendo-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135098","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135098"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135098\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135098"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135098"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}