There must be something in the air, because for the last few months I've been feeling extremely Dragon Quest-pilled, breaking out my 3DS to replay the ninth game, and eagerly waiting for the HD-2D remakes of the original two entries. So Square Enix's surprise announcement of Dragon Quest Smash/Grow back in September only added to my excitement.
I was lucky enough to take part in the first closed beta test for Dragon Quest Smash/Grow, the vertical roguelite addition to the decades-old JRPG series library, and I can't put it down. As soon as I lose access, I know I'll be itching to dive back in, and that's the sign of a great mobile game. Historically, Dragon Quest mobile games have lived very short lives or never made it to the global stage, but I think that the use of the roguelike formula that works so well in games like Hades and Cult of the Lamb, makes it the perfect evolution of the series for portable play.
The story is pretty standard Dragon Quest fair - you're an adventurer that an all-powerful being chooses to save the world, and you go on quests to reclaim your memories and vanquish evil. My favorite addition to the story is Roly, an ancient robot who acts as your companion. His dialogue is charming and I love seeing things like ancient mecha or arcane constructions in fantasy games. Unlike the classic JRPGs, you explore the map through levels, each with a mini-boss at the end. These levels take anywhere from one to ten minutes to complete, meaning you can easily slot one or two into your day while commuting or queueing at the supermarket.
The roguelite element comes in during these levels in the form of Blessings. At the start of each level, and as you fill up an experience bar during combat, you can choose from one of three boons to upgrade your kit. You gain more boons as you progress towards the boss, gaining things like poison swords that stab the enemies from above every few seconds, or vampiric orbs that orbit your character and periodically heal you. There are hundreds of combinations and I'm sure I've only scratched the surface with my gameplay, but these boons means that, on top of your character builds, you can tailor the experience to suit your playstyle.
As the wonderful DS game, Dragon Quest IX, was my first exposure to the series, I appreciate it when Dragon Quest games let you customize your character, and Smash/Grow gets a big tick in that department. Not only can you choose from a wide range of hair colors, hair styles, voices, and face types at the very beginning of the game, but every piece of armor you equip to yourself or your two teammates affects their visual appearance, so you need to decide which is more important - high stats, or killer drip.
Another similarity to Dragon Quest IX is that you can change the vocation of all three party members at any time. This is wonderful for testing out new builds, especially with the RNG of the equipment gacha (more on that later), but the major downside is that your levels don't carry over. If you're a level ten warrior, switching to a mage or a thief puts you back down to level one, leaving you to replay old stages to grind before facing the next story threat. Luckily, there are training stages for every resource, including experience, so it doesn't take too long to get back to where you started.
Now for the elephant in the room - yes, Dragon Quest Smash/Grow is a gacha game, and it's the kind of gacha mechanic that you can't avoid. Gacha pulls are the main way that you gain new weapons, armor, and accessories for your team, so it's an essential part of the gameplay loop. The closed beta test has been very generous with currency, but who's to say if that will carry over to the full release. Sure, you can just upgrade your more common armor and weapons to help their stats, but realistically, as the difficulty increases, you're going to want at least one three-star item on you at all times.
All of this is to say that Dragon Quest Smash/Grow is a unique and engaging take on the series, without losing the charm and aesthetics that make Dragon Quest what it is. Sure, some people might not like the gacha model, but it's much easier to get a free mobile game to take off than a premium one, and the satisfying and varied gameplay is more than enough to keep me coming back.
Dragon Quest Smash/Grow isn't the only new mobile game coming out in 202 and 2026, so take a peek at our list to see what else is on the horizon. We've got a list of new Switch games too to keep you occupied.