Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World preview – Pokémon with a Toriyama charm
I love Dragon Quest, but I haven’t had any exposure to the Monsters spin-off so far. After my hands-on session at Gamescom, that’ll definitely change.
I feel right at home: mangaka Akira Toriyama’s colourful art style, classic Dragon Quest music and that bright beep when I select something. And yet here I am at the bustling Gamescom with hundreds of thousands of people. During my 45 minutes with Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World, I forget all the hustle and bustle as I join protagonists Bianca and Nera on their journey to the Kingdom of Witherwood.
Arrival in a strange world
I begin at the very start of the game, seeing how Bianca and Nera end up in Witherwood. In case those names ring a bell: these two were in Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride. In it, they’re potential wives for the protagonist. In The Withering World, both are still children. Their fathers suffer from a rare disease. While searching for the cure, they encounter the monster Fluffy, who leads them to Witherwood.
Source: Square Enix
Once I get there, I choose who I want to play as. I go with Bianca. After that, Fluffy gives me a personality test. This determines what kind of monster I’ll get first. I don’t know how relevant the test is. I’m sitting at the Square Enix booth with three other guys. We all choose Bianca and end up with the same monster. A candle armed with a sword, standing on two legs, with the nifty name Wax Murderer. Okay, what does that say about my personality – and of the others in the room with me?
Source: Square Enix
Bianca and Nera are now monster tamers. They can recruit monsters and make them fight. It’s Pokémon in the Dragon Quest universe.
I have to save Witherwood
After that, I explore the immediate surroundings and end up in a battle against the iconic slime monster. It’s awesome – I’m greeted with the same sounds as in the main series. As is typical for Dragon Quest, combat is turn-based. Since I’m just starting out, I have no choice but to just go for it. One cool trick: I can speed up combat with the press of a button. I decide I’ll fight a few battles to level up. After that, Fluffy leads me to his king’s castle.
Source: Square Enix
Here I meet Debora, the third potential wife of the protagonist from Dragon Quest V, who was introduced in the DS remake. She’s also Nera’s sister – the gang’s back together. We learn that Witherwood was once a thriving world known by a different name. But mysterious crystals have caused the world to wither. Naturally, we’re happy to help.
After a short dungeon, I encounter the first boss, Barbarito – a plump cactus with arms and legs that fiercely protects the crystals. Since I’ve been levelling up properly, he’s not much of a challenge. Still, I need to take a more tactical approach against him and use attacks that he’s vulnerable to. Just like in the original Dragon Quest games.
Source: Square Enix
Creating new monsters through Synthesis
After a brief glimpse into the story, I get to try out the Synthesis system. Later on, you can merge two monsters to create a new one. I do exactly this at the Roots of Creation. It’s a plant that Bianca and Nera restore as the story unfolds. This fits with the spin-off’s subtitle, The Withered World.
Source: Square Enix
But since all this only happens later on, my monster party has already grown considerably. I have a great gene pool I can experiment with. I can already see in advance what kind of monsters Synthesis can produce. The same parents can have different children. But I decide which one. Creatures marked with a star are particularly strong. I can also pass on some of the parents’ skills to the next generation, but I’m limited to three.
I experiment and create four new little monsters, all of which have a star on them. That’s the maximum number I can have actively in the party. Square Enix has included a total of over 500 monsters in the finished game. Here’s a video showing the process:
After that, I just start lashing out wildly to test my team. As it turns out, this is a mistake. Newly synthesised monsters don’t inherit their parents’ level; instead, they start from scratch. As a result, I get beaten pretty badly when I face my first opponent.
I only manage to take out that single opponent by the skin of my teeth – and after using up all my healing items at that. I realise that just synthesising characters haphazardly doesn’t make sense; I also need to have a well-balanced party in terms of levels. Level 1 monsters have low health and barely deal damage. They don’t have many useful abilities either. Only my fire slime, which uses fire magic, is useful right from the start.
Source: Square Enix
Only after a training session that takes up all the rest of my time with the game am I ready to continue exploring the world. What a shame.
A familiar feeling with potential for addiction
After 45 minutes at Gamescom, I know that Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World feels just like a classic Dragon Quest game – only with monsters instead of a group of heroes. The art style, the sound, the turn-based battles. Everything is right where it belongs. Synthesis in the Roots of Creation is the real sticking point for me. Since I can see in advance what two monsters can become, and because I deliberately pass down specific abilities, I plan my party rather than just collecting monsters.
Source: Square Enix
But that’s a trap. Newly synthesised monsters start at Level 1, and upgrading them takes time – all of my remaining demo time, to be exact. Based on my session at the expo, I can’t say whether this will work as a motivating cycle in the finished game or end up being a nuisance that slows things down. With over 500 monsters, there should at least be plenty of reasons to keep trying.
In any case, I’m excited for it. As a Dragon Quest fan who ignored the spin-off until now, I’m convinced after 45 minutes: I’m all in this time.
Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withering World will be released on 3 December 2026 for Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
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