For anyone who’s ever looked at Minecraft and found its lack of structure daunting, DQB is a more focused, more accessible version of it. And, while it may not have the scope of that genre-defining title, there’s something special at its the core — an exploration of what it means to build a community. The game’s ‘building’ isn’t just about bricks and mortar, but about restoring places where people can work together to create something better than anyone could accomplish on their own. Dragon Quest Builders may not be designed to go on forever, but it offers dozens of hours of crafting, construction, and an utterly engaging story to get lost in.

Taking a formula made famous by Minecraft and refining it in every possible way is what makes Dragon Quest Builders a fun and enjoyable experience through and through. The only thing holding it back is your own lack of imagination.

It's by no means perfect, and has ideas that could stand to be improved upon when the game eventually gets a sequel, but what could've ended up as a cynical cash in has instead wound up as one of 2016's most interesting games.

Dragon Quest Builders provides a lot of the freedom of Minecraft but does guide you enough that you'll never feel like you don't have something important to do even if all you want to do is build and that's okay. You can choose to do that too.

Dragon Quest Builders is much more than just a construction game. It is an inspiring hybrid between two genres with an amazing mission structure and lively characters.

Dragon Quest Builders continues in the series' tradition of being slightly cumbersome and unpolished, but getting lost in its toybox pleasures is easy and extremely fun.

For those that are looking for a relaxing game that can be completed at a leisurely pace, this may suit you. Although the game presents more of a structured approach that many players may find preferable to a game like Minecraft, Dragon Quest Builders has a number of flaws that appear to hinder the player. As a result, the game can feel quite drawn-out and boring at times which may prevent players from wanting to stick with it until the end. Nonetheless, it will be very interesting to see what Dragon Quest fans make of it.