Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below

Did You Know?

• A special edition PlayStation 4 featuring the metal slime from Dragon Quest was released on December 11, 2014, selling 38,000 units in its first week.
• The game was announced by Yuji Horii at a Sony Computer Entertainment Japan press conference on September 1, 2014.
• Dragon Quest Heroes I·II, a compilation including this game and its sequel, was a Japanese launch title for the Nintendo Switch on March 3, 2017.

Gameplay

Dragon Quest Heroes combines the hack-and-slash combat of Koei Tecmo's Dynasty Warriors series with the characters, monsters, universe, and lore of Square Enix's Dragon Quest series. It places a heavier emphasis on RPG elements than most Omega Force titles. Players choose from a roster of 13 characters, each with unique weapons and abilities; some are fan-favorite Dragon Quest characters, while others appear as NPCs.

Plot

In the Kingdom of Arba, humans and monsters coexisted peacefully under King Doric until the creatures suddenly turned violent. Royal Guard co-captains Luceus and Aurora must restore the monsters' hearts. The sinister Velasco aims to seize control of all monsters, unleashing the darkness dragon Shadroth: Lord of the Night. A dark shockwave sends the monsters into a frenzy. Playing as either Luceus or Aurora, the hero teams up with Doric and beloved Dragon Quest characters like Alena, Bianca, and Yangus to calm the rampaging hordes and bring peace back to the kingdom.

Reception

Famitsu awarded Dragon Quest Heroes a 35/40. Over 594,000 copies were sold in its first week: 325,000 on PS3 and 269,000 on PS4. It became the second best-selling PS4 game in Japan at the time, and the first not including hardware bundles. Square Enix announced in July 2015 that they would release more Dragon Quest games in the West if satisfied with Heroes' sales. By July 28, 2015, the title had sold over one million units. Western reception was mostly positive, with a Metacritic score of 77 out of 100 for the PS4 version and 73 out of 100 for the PC version. IGN gave it 6.2 out of 10, while GameSpot awarded it 8.0 out of 10.