Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors

The Dragon Quest name may not be familiar to those who aren’t up on their Japanese RPGs, but it’s one of the most popular gaming series in the Far East. Most of the games have been hardcore RPGs full of turn-based battles and lots of statistics, but there was also once an obscure spin-off that used a plastic sword attachment.

This TV game had you slashing away at enemies on screen by waving the sword, a concept which is a natural fit for the Wii. You take hold of the Wii remote and navigate using the d-pad, and when enemies pop up you slice them to bits.

The observant among you will have noticed a problem with this immediately. Directing your movement in a 3D game using the d-pad is restrictive and unnatural, you can’t strafe, you can’t look up and you have to stop moving to turn.

But this only applies when you’re in towns, out in the countryside the game moves like an on-rails shooter with your movement limited. The random battles can take place any time and as cute creatures wander on screen you’ve got to slice them into tiny pieces.

The controls are slightly disappointing at first as your movements are not translated exactly to the game, instead it uses pre-set animations for specific gestures. It doesn’t take long to get the hang of it though and as your skills increase it can become quite involving.

Despite the Dragon Quest name this is a very light RPG with shallow and basic RPG mechanics. It’s an enjoyable adventure, but one best suited to kids and those looking for an easy going experience.

Verdict: 75%

Not perfect by any means but this is a nice addition to the Dragon Quest stable with more action orientated gameplay and light RPG mechanics.