My demo time with Dragon Quest Treasures begins aboard a Viking longship. As the blue-haired protagonist Erik, I'm trying to reach the top deck to meet up with my sister and co-protagonist Mia. A group of raucous, boozy Vikings, however, have other plans – immediately blocking my path just outside the starting area, one declares that I'm far too young to join in their festivities. Thankfully, though, I can use Erik's small stature to my advantage to get past them. Crouching through a small gap to the side of the group, I soon find myself in close proximity to another Viking who's having a kip. Just below the slumbering fellow, I spy some reading material I can interact with. When I do, I'm informed in a humorous way that Erik is too young to really understand what it is he's looking at. Reading material, indeed. I catch myself smiling just moments into Dragon Quest Treasures, and it's not long before I meet up with Mia and the adventure begins in earnest.
I didn't get to dig too deep into everything Dragon Quest Treasures has to offer before the short demo came to a close, but what I did play has left me wanting more. In fact, as I got further into my session, I found myself wishing it wouldn't end so I could properly get stuck in.
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How much I enjoyed my short time with Dragon Quest Treasures came as a pleasant surprise, given that I'm a relative stranger to the world of Dragon Quest. Having only played the off-shoot Game Boy Color game, Dragon Quest Monsters (also known as Dragon Warrior Monsters), many years ago, I didn't really know what to expect going into my session with Treasures. But as a spin-off adventure of its own, I can happily say from what I've seen so far that it's an approachable adventure for newcomers.
The demo plays out like for the most part like a tutorial for some of the basic controls and mechanics. After I navigate Erik through the Viking-filled sections of the longship, I quickly find my way to Mia on the top deck. After the pair reunite, their attention is suddenly drawn to a cage hanging above that appears to be holding a small pink cat and a green pig who both have wings. With the siblings now determined to free the captives, I get the chance to try out Erik's slingshot-like weapon for the first time. After lining up my shot with the cage, I fire out a series of pellets in swift succession to free the spirit animals.
The next section of the demo takes me to a cave-like ruin where I have to guide Erik to a pressure plate platform that opens up a passage. With the need to remain in the same spot so his sister can make it through, I switch roles and take control of Mia to help unblock the path for Erik. In Treasures, you'll have the option to play as either sibling as the story progresses, and as two likeable characters, I can't wait to see if or how they differ.
The demo does well to set up the initial story of Dragon Quest Treasures, with the ruin housing two mysterious daggers that kickstart Erik and Mia's escapades in another land. While I only get to see a small slice of the adventure before the demo comes to an end, I do have an encounter with a monster who gives me my first taste of treasure hunting. A pink cutie slime by the name of Oozabella automatically joins my party and has a Treasure Vision, which brings up an image of a notable nearby location the slime has seen.
As one of the ways your monster pals are able to help you in Dragon Quest Treasures, the Treasure Visions alert you to areas in your current location that hide valuable loot. You're able to bring up the Treasure Vision snapshots as much as you like until you find the right spot, but it's quite straightforward to find. There's nothing quite like having companions when you're on an adventure in a new world, and I'm looking forward to meeting more monsters and discovering all of the ways we can work together.
I've barely scratched the surface of what's in store for Erik and Mia, granted, but what I did get to experience has made me keen to see where their journey takes them when Dragon Quest Treasures arrives on Switch on December 9, 2022. The adventure seems like it will find a very happy home on Nintendo's console, and the very fact that I didn't want the demo to end speaks volumes. My time with the adventure has well and truly cemented Dragon Quest Treasures' place on my Switch wish list.
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