‘Minecraft’-inspired RPG ‘Dragon Quest Builders’ hits US shores in October

By Danny Cowan May 27, 2016

Dragon Quest Builders Announcement Trailer

Publisher Square Enix announced that its

Recommended Videos

Minecraft-inspired sandbox construction game Dragon Quest Builders is headed to the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita in North America and Europe later this year.

Today’s announcement arrives on the 30th anniversary of the original Dragon Quest‘s launch in Japan, bolstering the long-running series’ latest push for stateside recognition.

Dragon Quest Builders offers an alternate-universe take on the original Dragon Quest‘s storyline, envisioning a dark future in which the game’s hero forms an alliance with the evil Dragonlord. The hero is subsequently betrayed and left for dead as the kingdom of Alefgard descends into darkness.

In the aftermath of the catastrophe, once-thriving villages are reduced to rubble, and according to Square Enix, “the few survivors scattered around the world no longer understand the concept of creativity and live through scavenging what remains among ruins.” Players must then restore the world to its former glory by rebuilding villages, brick by brick, in an RPG-styled quest.

Taking cues from Mojang’s indie hit Minecraft, Dragon Quest Builders features a block-dropping construction mechanic at its core. In addition to building structures by placing bricks in specific formations, players can craft items and weapons in order to fulfill requests from nearby villagers.

Though its main questline focuses on construction, Dragon Quest Builders also offers real-time combat and character-leveling mechanics, essentially transforming the Minecraft formula into an action-RPG. In order to gather necessary building materials, players must explore a vast wilderness in search of monsters and hidden treasure, adding an element of danger to an otherwise laid-back premise.

The PlayStation 4 version of Dragon Quest Builders will launch digitally and at retail in North America and Europe in October. The PlayStation Vita edition will skip a boxed release for its upcoming PlayStation Network-exclusive debut.

Square Enix is also readying a pair of Dragon Quest series remakes for North American release “later this year,” including upgraded Nintendo 3DS versions of 2000’s Dragon Quest VII and 2004’s Dragon Quest VIII.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Danny’s passion for video games was ignited upon his first encounter with Nintendo’s Duck Hunt, and years later, he still…

Computing

This Alienware gaming PC with RTX 4090 is almost $1,000 off

Alienware Aurora R16 sitting on a coffee table.

Is your current gaming PC on its last legs? If you need an upgrade, check out Dell's offer for the Alienware Aurora R16 gaming desktop with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card. From its original price of $4,695, the machine is down to $3,700. It's still pretty expensive, but you won't always get the chance to buy such a powerful gaming PC with a nearly $1,000 discount. However, if you want to pocket the savings of $995, you're going to have to be quick with your purchase as there's no telling when this bargain expires.

Why you should buy the Alienware Aurora R16 gaming desktop
The Alienware Aurora R16, which received a rating of four out of five stars in our review, sits on top of our list of the best gaming PCs. Compared to the Alienware Aurora R15, this latest version of the gaming desktop is around half the size without compromising power or thermals, with upgraded internals for even better performance. In addition to the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card, this configuration of the Alienware Aurora R16 features the 14th-generation Intel Core i9 processor and 64GB of RAM, which our guide on how to buy a gaming desktop says would be useful for those who will use their machine for other purposes beyond gaming, such as editing videos.

Gaming

Wordle Today: Wordle answer and hints for November 5

Someone playing Wordle on a smartphone.

We have the solution to Wordle on July 16, as well as some helpful hints to help you figure out the answer yourself, right here. We've placed the answer at the bottom of the page, so we don't ruin the surprise before you've had a chance to work through the clues. So let's dive in, starting with a reminder of yesterday's answer.
Yesterday's Wordle answer
Let's start by first reminding ourselves of yesterday's Wordle answer for those new to the game or who don't play it daily, which was "VINYL." So we can say that the Wordle answer today definitely isn't that. Now, with that in mind, perhaps take another stab at it using one of these Wordle starting words and circle back if you have no luck.
Hints for today's Wordle
Still can't figure it out? We have today's Wordle answer right here, below. But first, one more thing: Let's take a look at three hints that could help you find the solution, without giving it away, so there's no need to feel guilty about keeping your streak alive -- you put in some work, after all! Or just keep scrolling for the answer.

Today’s Wordle includes the letter C.
Today’s Wordle uses two vowels.
Today's Wordle is a word for groups of eight.

Gaming

NYT Connections: hints and answers for Tuesday, November 5

New York Times' Connection puzzle open in the NYT Games app on iOS.

Connections is one of the best puzzle games from the New York Times. The game tasks you with categorizing a pool of 16 words into four secret (for now) groups by figuring out how the words relate to each other. The puzzle resets every night at midnight and each new puzzle has a varying degree of difficulty. Just like Wordle, you can keep track of your winning streak and compare your scores with friends.

Some days are trickier than others — just like other NYT Games favorites The Mini and Strands. If you're having a little trouble solving today's puzzle, check out our Connections tips and tricks guide for some good strategies or check out the hints for today's Connections puzzle below. And if you still can't get it, we'll tell you today's answers at the very end.
How to play Connections