What further broke the illusion of freedom was when I realized how scripted the environments were. Instead, it’s more like the player has to go through one long hub area to get where they’re supposed to be. That isn’t a huge issue in of itself, but it really kills the feeling that you’re exploring a connected world. It was here that I realized that the game’s missions all take place on isolated maps away from the vast environments. My excitement about the connected world was quickly stifled once I got into my first major story mission. Other smaller upgrades include the ability to use ingredients to upgrade accessories (I ended up using this in order to get an additional heal boost), and being able to turn off animations for the character’s ultra powerful coup de grâce attacks. Effectively using these powers can help players get out of a tough spot. These range from simple buffs such as increasing maximum HP by four for everyone to more specific ones such as doing more damage against flying enemies. One of the biggest comes in the form of Party Powers, which are team-wide skills that can be equipped. While the combat largely remains the same from the past game, Omega Force has added some additional tweaks that will be appreciated by players. It’s far from “enhanced,” as it ends up offering a slightly better picture at an awful frame rate. It’s also worth noting that the action is extremely smooth, as long as players don’t turn on the PS4 Pro exclusive Enhanced Mode. Just like the original, the combat has just enough depth to not get boring but is incredibly easy to learn. This comes in the form of summonable monster allies, spells that can be cast by pressing the right shoulder button, and the ability to jump around to any character within the party you’re in by tapping the left trigger. It’s a satisfying formula that Omega Force has used for over a decade, although this iteration has the extra bonus of using some ideas from Dragon Quest. There’s a lot of mashing on the square and triangle buttons to deliver epic combos (don’t be shocked to see the hit counter go into the multiple hundreds). I was instantly giddy with excitement, and it felt as if this was the key ingredient that the original lacked.īeyond the new focus on exploration, a lot of Dragon Quest Heroes II will be familiar to anyone who has played a musou title in the past. Since it was located smack dab in the middle of the world, there were also a series of branching paths that led to each of the seven areas that make it up. Called Accordia, the town was filled with kids running about and shops looking to sell me all sorts of weaponry. After a few additional minutes of exploring, I had stumbled across a nearby town.

This shakeup felt as if Dynasty Warriors developer Omega Force had responded to the criticism of the original in a major way.

Dragon quest heroes 2