I'm always insanely happy whenever we get new Dragon Quest games in the West. I was cautiously optimistic that Dragon Quest Tact, the new tactical mobile game, would eventually come West. It even made my list of Dragon Quest games that need Western releases (which you can find right here)!
So when Square Enix officially announced Dragon Quest Tact was getting localized, I was thrilled. I even got to preview the game in Early Access for iOS. And while I'm a bit lukewarm on most mobile games, there's still a lot of reasons I'm excited for DQ Tact.
My Lukewarm Feelings About Mobile Games
So, here's the thing: I'm not too crazy about mobile games. When Dragon Quest of the Stars released in the West five years after its original release, I was thrilled. I played the game a lot over the next few days, but eventually I got turned off by gacha mechanics and long cool down periods. When I got a notification that the next update needed more space than my phone had, I just decided to cut ties with Dragon Quest of the Stars already and deleted the app. I haven't played it since.
It's not that DQ of the Stars was a bad game. I just don't like playing mobile games, and after a while, it got a bit too repetitive and gimmicky. I'm hoping Dragon Quest Tact will be different. While it's not the Dragon Quest answer to Final Fantasy Tactics that I've always wanted, it still has a lot going for it. There's potential for an entirely new strategy-based combat Dragon Quest series – and one I'm hopeful won't stay exclusively on mobile.
Why I'm Hopeful For Dragon Quest Tact
First off, Dragon Quest Tact is a tactical RPG that lets you fight as iconic monsters from the series. I mean, what's not to love about that? I loved Final Fantasy Tactics on the PS1 and FF Tactics Advance is one of my all-time favorite games. I've been wanting a tactics game with Dragon Quest for a while now. And, yeah, I know Dragon Quest Wars exists, but let's just all forget about that, okay? It's NOT the Dragon Quest tactics game I've always wanted.
But the promise of tackling slime knights as a sabrecat cub is pretty great. I mean, DQ‘s monsters are as cute as they are ferocious. So it makes sense DQ Tact would focus on them instead of human characters. Honestly, I think it's a great idea.
From the stuff I've played, which is through Chapter 6 of the game, it looks like Dragon Quest Tact will still have plenty of gacha mechanics, which is a shame. From a business standpoint, it makes sense. I mean, free-to-play games have to make their money somehow. But I'm hoping the gacha mechanics don't interfere too much with having a good time.
The animations look great, and I really adore the art design. Plus, I just got a new phone, so it should actually be able to handle those beautiful animations without heating up to 1000 degrees.
Will Dragon Quest Tact Be On Another Platform?
The biggest question I have, and maybe a lot of people who don't like playing games on their phones will have, is whether or not Dragon Quest Tact will be available on another platform. Dragon Quest Rivals came to Switch, so there's hope DQ Tact could. Is it likely, though? Probably not.
Either way, I'm cautiously optimistic that Dragon Quest Tact will eventually spawn an entire Dragon Quest tactics sub-series. I'd love to play a DQ Tact with a little more depth and a little less gacha. And playing it on a console? Whoo! Yeah, sign me up! I'm hoping Dragon Quest Tact is successful enough to launch its own thing – although if it's too successful, it might stay on mobile forever. It's a tightrope act, for sure.
And if you want to check out the Early Access Characters in Dragon Quest Tact, be sure to click that link and read on! There's some cool photos of the colorful cast that I really wanted to share.