Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince Works Well as a Mobile RPG

I suppose I’ve gotten accustomed to playing Square Enix JRPGs on my mobile devices, so when it comes to a game like Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince, it didn’t initially hit me how impressive it was to actually be going through it on an iPad. However, the more time I’ve spent with this latest entry in the series, I’ve come to appreciate just how much fun it is to play on a tablet, as well as how well it works as an experience on the platform due to its nature.

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is, like all entries in this spin-off series, an installment focused on monster catching and taming. Different enough from Pokemon to stand out, it can feel like you’re working alongside the creatures, rather than raising them like battle-thirsty pets. It’s also an interesting supplemental story that builds on everything we know about Psaro and Dragon Quest IV, offering new insights and motivations for someone we’ve come to see as potentially a sympathetic antagonist over the years. So right from the start, there’s a strong foundation. 

The first thing that impressed me is how Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince looks on an iPad, as it is one of the promising Square Enix mobile JRPGs. I know textures could sometimes be an issue in the PC version, but the game handles well on even my five-year-old device. It’s reassuring! It’s even able to keep up when there are a lot of monsters on-screen. Of course, the general Dragon Quest art direction is a big help here, as is the general design direction and seasonal endeavors that ensure everything is very vibrant.

But what really left me feeling satisfied is how well-suited the gameplay loop and nature of Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is for a mobile experience. While its battles and concept plays differently than Pokemon, it still has that captivating creature capturing mechanic that is great at garnering attention. It’s so easy to focus on finding new monsters for the squad, building them up, and moving forward because of the strengths they bring. But then also, I have a habit of just enjoying collecting characters I like in these types of titles. Since I have a fondness for Slimes, it’s 100% slime time when going through the game. Like I still desperately want and need a Goonache Goodie, and I’m amazed by how cute ones like the Scallop Slime and Onion Slime are. 

It isn’t a totally perfect mobile experience. I missed the ability to play with a controller, though the touchscreen controls are perfectly adept and capable in Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince. I also did notice some frame rate hiccups when certain attacks were used in battles or a lot of characters were on-screen. Again, something that is expected with the mobile version of a mobile Square Enix title or really any JRPG of this sort running on a tablet. I tend to always play offline and solo for these sorts of games, so the lack of Online Battles wasn’t an issue for me. It could be for some, however. 

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is the sort of mobile RPG I find I keep coming back to. I’ll play for 15 to 30 minutes. Get a taste of adventure and creature capturing. I appreciate the designs of characters I like, and probably get excited about which ones I recently found. Then, I go ahead and go back to picking away at something else. It’s a handy type of title to have on the go.

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is available on the Nintendo Switch, PC, and mobile devices.